Tag Archives: Worship

Ep5 The Purpose of Worship



Father Len explores the history of worship and reveals that all worship and its purpose come from the Bible.

Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

  • The word liturgy means worship or how to worship.
  • We worship not to get something, but to become aware of something.
  • We worship and go to church to remember many things. The past, the present as it truly is, who we’re meant to be and what we’re supposed to become.
  • God tells us in the book of Genesis to keep the Sabbath, gather together as a community, and remember what it means to be a true human being.
  • Worship is not about keeping the status quo, but about remembering to become something.
  • Liturgy is a judge and a criterion on how we’re supposed to order our lives.
  • We go to Mass to see the future. The whole Mass is a liturgy of heaven and getting us ready for heaven.
  • “Today, more than ever, we need a framework for our lives. A pattern of holidays and rotating seasons. Without it, we’re like somebody in a speedboat over a trackless sea with nothing to indicate where we are. You’re moving fast, but you have no way of noticing what the changes are.” – Alan Toffler, author of “Future Shock”
  • God gives us symbols in the Bible as a way to study and understand the Bible and to use in worship and prayer to help us drink in wisdom and put the Bible into action.
  • We don’t worship symbols. We use symbols to worship God.
  • All worship comes from the Bible.
  • The Eucharist began before any of the Bible was written. The Eucharist didn’t rise in the Bible, the Bible rose from the Eucharist.
  • There’s a difference between being a spectator and biblical worship. Worship is not supposed to be entertaining.
  • The Eucharist is not about entertainment. It’s about conversion.
  • Liturgy is supposed to subvert the way the world works. Liturgy is supposed to subvert the way we think. Liturgy is about how we conquer the world by sacrificing ourselves in love for other people.
  • Many people in the United States confuse worship and entertainment. Worship is supposed to give us a vision of the kingdom of God, the order of heaven.
  • Liturgies are commitment ceremonies. The Eucharist is us making a commitment to be like Christ and sacrifice ourselves in love for other people.
  • The lifeblood of Wrestling with God Productions comes from generous donors who support our mission. If you’ve benefited from one of our podcasts, please consider making a financial donation here: https://www.GiveSendGo.com/WWGProductions
  • We welcome your questions and comments;

Ep4 What divides and unites us?



Father Len takes a deep dive into what divides us and what unites us. He introduces us to Communio, the one thing that can unite us forever and where to find it.

Highlights, Ideas and Wisdom

  • Communio is this invisible union between us and God. It’s also the thing that makes us united with each other.
  • Communio celebrates the mystical communion that makes us one community.
  • Father Len illustrates the effect of Communio by telling the story of a former Nazi who became friends with a former member of the French Resistance that fought against the Nazis.
  • Communio is never based on externals like religion, race, politics, ideology or even superficial morality.
  • Real community at its very heart is spiritual. It’s a deep belief that we’re inextricably connected to each other by something greater than us. It’s rooted in love and compassion and can never be severed, even by death.
  • Facebook is a hollow substitute for real community.
  • The Book of Revelation in the Bible describes Heaven as ultimate communion. Like a city where everyone is wearing a wedding dress because they’re all in love. That’s true Communio.
  • We came from community, the Trinity. We are meant to live in community, the body of Christ. We end in perfect community, heaven.
  • The really big issue of life is God.
  • More and more people these days are sorting themselves into ideological bunkers. Nine times out of ten, the only thing these people have in common is they hate the same people.
  • If Christ is Communio, Satan is the opposite. The word devil means divider. Satan is always offering us a substitute communion based on who we reject.
  • Christ came to knock down the dividing walls that keep us separated.
  • At the end of our life, we’ll be judged on what we did to others and what we did for others. How united we were with other people. In the final judgment we’ll be judged on how strong our community was.
  • Perfect worship is done together because it’s in a community where our egos are always challenged. Community challenges us to be more loving.
  • Ego keeps us separated from each other and from our true selves.
  • The Bible tells us God will destroy our enemies because God will form us into a community of brothers and sisters.
  • Religion is supposed to be about community, but often times, people confuse conformity with community. The opposite of community is social conforming. There’s a difference between belonging and fitting in. Conformity is just the appearance of community. In conformity, there’s no communion. You just have to act and dress in a way that’s pleasing to the group.
  • Our deepest need is to be in community and be loved.
  • In the Bible, God is always working to save a community, not just an individual.
  • The book of Proverbs says, in a community we’ll develop new eyes. We’ll see the world differently by living in a community.
  • The Catholic Church celebrates Communio.
  • The lifeblood of Wrestling with God Productions comes from generous donors who support our mission. If you’ve benefited from one of our podcasts, please consider making a financial donation here: https://www.GiveSendGo.com/WWGProductions
  • We welcome your questions and comments;

Ep1 How to Love like Christ



Father Len unpacks three Bible stories about love and illustrates the traits God will help us develop, and we’ll surely need, if we are to love like Christ.

Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom

  • When Jesus began preaching love and pushing the boundaries of love to include loving all people unconditionally, the people didn’t like it. All they wanted to hear was God loves me and people like me.
  • God tells the prophet Jeremiah, people “will fight against you” when you preach unconditional love, but I will “form you into a wall of brass, a pillar of iron, a fortified wall” so “they shall not prevail against you.”
  • “If you call yourself a follower of God, you need to push yourself to try to love everyone.” – Father Len
  • “Some religious people say they want to hear the word of God, but only if it agrees with everything they think and believe already.” – Father Len
  • “When I die and stand before Christ, the question won’t be, does God love me? The question will be, did I love like Christ?” – Father Len
  • Bible stories examined in this episode:
    • Book of Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
    • First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 12:31-13:13
    • Gospel According to Luke 4:21-30
  • Please prayerfully consider supporting the mission of Wrestling with God Productions by making a financial donation here: GiveSendGo.com/WWGproductions
  • We welcome your questions and comments;