65 | Freedom demands Self-acceptance

Self-acceptance is one of the keys to life and is indispensable to Christian life. If you want to really change, you need self-acceptance in order to do so: it always precedes real change. Self-criticism is a common but weak alternative practice that many people embrace. Repeat: self-criticism is a bad habit that’s puny and wears you down. Self-acceptance, on the other hand, lets you see the same things in yourself, but without flinching. St. Francis de Sales practiced self-acceptance when he counseled us “not to fret over our own imperfections and to say to ourselves:  Well, my dear friend, here we are again! Let us get up again and call on God’s mercy and hope to help us.  Be of good heart, be on guard moving forward, and with God’s help we will do better!” Listen now and join us!! 

Mentioned in the podcast:

Ethical Excellence; Philosophers, Psychologists, and Real-Life Exemplars Show Us How to Achieve It

by Heidi Giebel

Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter 

by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran