Life Lessons from Jesus Wrestling with God Productions

Father Len describes the challenges of accurately interpreting the Bible and reveals what it takes to understand its full meaning.



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Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom



Three levels of interpretation are essential to accurately interpreting the Bible: literal, symbolic, and contemplative.

Complete understanding of the Bible is impossible if you just interpret it literally because 50% of the Bible is poetry and it contains many allegories and parables. The full meaning of poetry, allegories, and parables is obscured or lost in strict literal interpretation.

Jesus teaches in parables because he wants us to think about the meaning of what he’s teaching.

Atheists love to interpret the Bible literally so they can mock it.

The New Testament was originally written in Greek which is more sophisticated than English. There are words in Greek that can only be interpreted literally. Like when Jesus says about the Eucharist, “you must eat my flesh and drink my blood. Do this in memory of me.”

Father Len reveals symbols contained in the gospel where Saint Peter walks on water to demonstrate how symbolic interpretation of the Bible is essential to understanding its full meaning.

Father Len explains the symbols present in the story of the prophet Elijah’s experience with God on Mount Horeb and how they reveal what is possible when we’re able to hear God in silence and how our knowledge of God grows over time.

Father Len demonstrates how knowledge of context at the time it was written and understanding the meaning of its original Greek and Hebrew language are vital to accurately interpreting the Bible. He uses this context and understanding to debunk the notion that the Bible says Jesus had siblings, brothers and sisters.



We welcome your questions and comments:



Email: irish@wwgproductions.org

Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738



Links to More Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions



Wrestling with God Show: http://WWGShow.com

A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Father Len explores Christ’s teachings on fear and how it controls all of us in not such good ways without us even knowing it.



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Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom



Fear and anger are identical cousins.

We don’t always recognize when we’re being controlled by fear.

Martin Luther King trained his followers in the civil rights movement to pray, pray, and pray and never react with fear or anger no matter what opponents would say to them.

Jesus taught his apostles to have no secrets and not to be controlled by fear.

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28

“If we’re going to be a church that helps change the world, we can’t be controlled by fear of rejection, suffering, gossip, criticism, and standing up for our convictions.” – Father Len

If we want love to control us, we first must deal with our fears.

The phrase, “do not be afraid,” appears 365 times in the Bible.

In God, there is only truth. There’s nothing hidden that won’t be revealed.

Jesus cautions us not to lose our souls for fear of pain, rejection, or standing up for truth.

We can’t be authentic, honest, or loving with each other unless we can conquer our fears.

Heaven is a place of pure light where there are no secrets. Everything will be revealed. So, why not live courageously in truth now.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how you are being controlled by fear.

Litany of Humility Prayer: https://tinyurl.com/mts3da2v



We welcome your questions and comments:



Email: irish@wwgproductions.org

Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738



Links to More Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions



Wrestling with God Show: http://WWGShow.com

A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Father Len dives into the sacred mystery of the food Jesus gives us to feed and fortify our souls on the journey to our heavenly home that he's prepared for us.



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Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom



The biggest theme in the Bible is that of a meal.

Access to the divine happens through a meal.

Beginning in the Garden of Eden, God provides food for our souls and our physical bodies.

Bread and wine are huge themes in the Bible. Not just symbols, but food that has both physical and spiritual effects.

Jesus identifies himself as the “bread from heaven, the bread of life” saying, “you must eat my flesh and drink my blood or you have no life within you, for my body is true food and my blood is true drink.”

Jesus institutes a mysterious meal with food for eternal life. It looks like ordinary bread and wine, but he insists that it is his true flesh and blood.

Catholics take Jesus at his word and believe in the real presence of his body and blood in the bread and wine of Holy Communion.



We welcome your questions and comments:



Email: irish@wwgproductions.org

Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738



Links to More Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions



Wrestling with God Show: http://WWGShow.com

A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Father Len traces the history and traditions of the Church Jesus founded back 4000 years and explains the relationship between Judaism and Catholicism.



Support Wrestling with God Productions here: https://www.GiveSendGo.com/WWGProductions



Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom



The Catholic (Universal) Church Jesus founded is the longest running institution in human history.

History teaches us wisdom if we are open to it and willing to learn.

The Catholic Church is the branch of Judaism that believes that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah.

Jesus is the fulfillment of Judaism.

Jesus came to reform religion and fulfill the prophecies of opening it up to the Gentiles.

Jesus wants a church that is a family that includes everyone.

Jesus starts an institution, a church, which “the gates of hell will not prevail against.”

Tradition, everything Christ handed on to his apostles, is a big deal in Catholicism.

Jesus picks 12 apostles from among his disciples to lead his church. He leaves them a structure, stories and a way of worshiping to guide them. These traditions and principles have continued unbroken for 2000 years.

Jesus commanded the 12 leaders of his church to go out and baptize the world in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Jesus didn’t leave anything written. He didn’t write any books.

The Bible was written by the Church, the second-generation of disciples, as the 12 apostles began to die off. It’s written so Gentiles can understand the religion of Jesus.



We welcome your questions and comments:



Email: irish@wwgproductions.org

Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738



Links to Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions



Wrestling with God Show: http://WWGShow.com

Life Lessons from Jesus and the Church He Founded: http://LifeLessonsfromJesus.org

A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Father Len explains that God became one of us to establish a different religion because 2000 years of religion based on laws, regulations, and teachings from the prophets on how to love wasn’t working so well.



Support Wrestling with God Productions here: https://www.GiveSendGo.com/WWGProductions



Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom



Father Len shares a fun story about a student’s reaction to his teaching in a class on Jesus and the point of God taking on human flesh.

Christmas celebrates the love that created the universe taking on human flesh and becoming one of us to establish a different religion to help us love like God.

God’s standards for life and the religion of Jesus are unconditional forgiveness and sacrificial love.

The only way for us to live God’s standards for life and love is to let Christ live in us.

Father Len explains how “religion” kept everyone in Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem from opening their hearts and homes to Mary and Joseph in their time of need at the birth of Jesus.

Religion based solely on laws and regulations doesn’t create love in the world.

In the Eucharist, Holy Communion, we feed on the love and life of Christ so that Christ’s influence and power grow in us more and more.

Father Len tells the story of Grandmother Spider to illustrate how the light of Christ should inspire each of us to form a web of light and love over the earth to protect everyone’s life.

Father Len explains the meaning of the symbols swaddling and army of angels present in the story of Christ’s birth.

Father Len explains why in spite of all the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah only the humble showed up for the birth of Christ.



We welcome your questions and comments:



Email: irish@wwgproductions.org

Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738



Links to Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions



Wrestling with God Show: http://WWGShow.com

Life Lessons from Jesus and the Church He Founded: http://LifeLessonsfromJesus.org

A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/

Father Len explores what Jesus and the Bible have to say about friends and friendship and why friends are vital to growth, survival, and discovering and becoming who we’re meant to be.



Donate to Wrestling with God Productions here:



https://www.GiveSendGo.com/WWGProductions





We welcome your questions and comments:



Email: irish@wwgproductions.org

Text or voicemail: 208-391-3738





Links to Additional Podcasts from Wrestling with God Productions



Wrestling with God Show: http://WWGShow.com

A Priest’s Life: https://idahovocations.com/resources/video-podcasts/