Dear Souls and Hearts Members,
Last Sunday to open his Angelus address, Pope Francis said:
In recent days we have been shaken by something tragic: war. Time and again we have prayed that this road would not be taken. And let us not stop talking; indeed, let us pray to God more intensely. For this reason, I renew to all the invitation to make 2 March, Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine. A day to be close to the sufferings of the Ukrainian people, to feel that we are all brothers and sisters, and to implore of God the end of the war.
Given the distress so many have experienced as a result of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, I am offering you this Internal Family Systems-informed experiential exercise to help you connect with your parts internally and to care for them in this 35 minute audio. When we love our parts, we are loving ourselves, as our Lord commanded in Luke 10:27. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” When we love ourselves better, we are so much more able to love others and God as well.
The exercise proper begins at the 8:15 mark after an introduction. I am encouraging you to share this with anyone you think may be helpful — it’s my gift to all people in this difficult time, the spiritual work of mercy of consoling the afflicted. So after listening to it, please forward the audio to any clients, colleagues, friends, family members, post it on forums, get it to anyone you think it may help.
Feedback is welcome, too, at my email crisis@soulsandhearts.com.
In Christ and His Mother,
Dr. Peter