A Psychologist looks at Scripture
In this 8-10 minute podcast, I as a psychologist and a priest use my training and skills to examine the Gospels. I will present alternative interpretations and insights into the meaning of Scripture for men and women in the 21st century.
I can be reached at peter.dohertyomi@gmail.com.
Episodes
151 episodes
C 20 OT Mt 15.21-29 Aug 16-26 Finding Jesus beyond the Fold
In this Gospel, Jesus is approached by an unnamed Canaanite woman who asks him for help. At first, Jesus responds in a way that seems unusually critical. In biblical times, the Canaanites were regarded as outsiders and rivals, but that alone do...
MT 14.22-33 Aug 9-26 “Fear Brought You Here—Now What? Lessons from Peter on the Water”
Today’s podcast focusses on the Gospel of Matthew 14:22-33. It will be read in churches on August the 9, 2026. This Gospel is unusual. The Gospel focusses on Jesus’ walking on water and when asked by the disciple Peter, Jesus ...
Mt 14. 13-21 Aug 2 26 “Co-Creators or Bystanders? Rethinking Your Role in God’s Work”
Today’s Gospel is one of the two stories of Jesus feeding a large crowd. I have spoken about this theme before. I invite my listeners to check out my podcasts released on June 15, 2025, and another on July 21, 2024, for different re...
C OT 17 Mt:13.44-52 Jul 26-26 “Letting Go to Enter In: The Counterintuitive Psychology of God’s Kingdom”
The Gospel for July 26, 2026 continues with the theme of describing the kingdom of God. Again, the kingdom of God appears to be something we live here on Earth. Jesus is not addressing what Heaven will be like but rather teaching us...
Mt 13:24-43 July 19, 2026 Inside the Kingdom: Life Reimagined
In this Gospel, Jesus presents three parables that illuminate God’s plan for creation. The first is the parable of wheat and the weeds. A farmer’s field is deliberately sown with weeds by an enemy. When the plants begin to grow, the laborers of...
July 12, 2026 Mt 13.1-23 Seeds Everywhere, Roots Nowhere: Why Faith Fails to Take Hold
In the Gospel today we hear one of the most famous of parables. Jesus uses a well-known event to describe people’s faith experience. People would be familiar with gardens especially vegetable gardens. Most people did not have ...
Mt 11.25-30 Not Just for the Wise: How Scripture Undermines Spiritual Elitism
This passage is distinctive in that Matthew presents Jesus offering a prayer of thanksgiving. Jesus praises the Father because understanding has been revealed to the “little ones”—those without status or power—while remaining hidden from those ...
June 28, 2026 Mt 10.37-42 God or Everything Else: Why He Refuses to Be Second
At first hearing, this Gospel may seem somewhat jarring. However, its central theme is not unfamiliar. It echoes the foundation of our faith. Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, an...
Mt 10.26-33, “Anxious Faith: When Jesus Tells You to Calm Down”
The early Christian community lived with significant fear—fear of rejection, persecution, and uncertainty about God’s presence in their suffering. That experience remains familiar today. While Scripture frequently refers to the “fear of the Lor...
Mt 9:36-10-8 June 14-26 Go, But Not There: Unpacking Jesus’ Confusing Commands
In this Gospel, Jesus sends out his disciples to minister to the people. We don’t know exactly at what point in Jesus ministry did he send out the disciples. We have many references to Jesus sending out his disciples to evangelize p...
C Mt 9:36-10:8 Jun 7-26 When God Becomes Food: The Intimacy That Confuses and Terrifies Us
Today's reading needs to be unpacked to grasp the full meaning of the Gospel. Likely, this Gospel is of the same caliber as many of Jesus' statements that were meant to challenge the people and focus on the passion of the teachings. Other examp...
John 3:16-18 May 31-26 Love Without Exception: How God’s Love Transforms the Human Heart
Love is a defining theme throughout John’s Gospel. Not only does John emphasize God’s love for us, but he also stresses our call to love one another. In John 13:34–35, Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you...
John 20:19-23 “The Fire and the Psyche: What Pentecost Means for Inner Transformation?”
We have the disciples gathered behind lock doors. There they are processing their experience of crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. That is all they can do. Then God’s mysterious presence in the form of the Spirit moves the...
Ascension Mt 28:16-20 "The Ascension and the Ache of Letting Go: Why Goodbyes Shape the Soul"
Like many goodbyes, the Ascension is bittersweet. Jesus has completed his ministry on Earth. He can have a sense of accomplishment. Yet he is saying goodbye to his disciples. There were likely many positive memories of c...
Jn 14:15-21-May 10 26 "Truth: The Raw Foundation of Divine Love"
As Jesus introduces the spirit of Truth as part of our relationship with God. Truth is absolutely foundational for spiritual growth, not just an optional “nice‑to‑have” accessory. In Christian teaching, truth is what God uses to convert and set...
Jn 14:1-12 May 3-26 The God You Picture Shapes Your Mental Health—Is Yours Healthy?
In today’s edition there is a lot going on in this Gospel which is typical in John’s Gospel. The Gospel starts with Jesus trying to reassure his disciples. He speaks about providing a place for them and returning to come and get the...
A 4 East Jn 10.1-10 Apr 26-26 Faith’s Breaking Point: Surviving the Crisis of Trust
One of the techniques that Jesus used was using situations that the people would be familiar with. The readings today are no exception. The people would be familiar with the gate keeper for the sheep. To give you some backgrou...
Lk 24.13-35 Apr 19-26 Burning Hearts, Blind Eyes: Why We Miss the Divine in Plain Sight
In today’s edition from Luke 24 we hear about two disciples on a walk from Jerusalem to a village 7 miles away called Emmaus. While it seems like an innocent walking excursion, there is so much going on. We gain insight into ...
Easter John 20:19-31 Apr 12-26 Beyond Pacifism: Unpacking Christ's Radical Call to Peace
Jesus greets his disciples with "Peace," the first words he speaks—signaling its central place in our spirituality. Amid world events and ongoing wars, this topic feels especially timely. Jesus frequently taught about peace: from the Beatitudes...
Easter Jn 20:1-9 Apr 5, 26 The Empty Tomb's Echo: Trauma and Triumph in Early Faith.
On April 5, 2026, we celebrate Easter, the radiant heart of Christianity, with joyful celebrations, family gatherings, and renewed hope. Yet in our familiarity, we risk missing its visceral intensity. We view the full story through histor...
MT 21.1-11 Mar 29-26 Hail to the King: When Adoration Turns to Betrayal
There are many spiritual lessons in this seemly simple Gospel. At the beginning of the Gospel Jesus gives very specific instructions. I suspect Matthew is telling his listeners that Jesus knew what was going on and that this was a v...
5 Jn 11:1-45, Mar 22-26 Awakening the Soul: Lazarus' Story Through Spiritual Psychology
The Gospel for March 22, 2026, is the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This is one of three resurrection stories in the Gospels—the others involve Jairus's daughter and the son of the widow of Nain. What sets Lazarus's story apart?...
John 9.1-34 Pharisees' Blind Spot: Escape Groupthink Today
The Pharisees are fixated on the fact that Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath and missing the more significant and obvious miracle of a man being given the opportunity to see for the very first time. The Pharisees clearly have an agenda ...
John 4.5-43 Mar 8-26 From Trauma to Truth: Jesus' Radical Therapy at the Well
Jesus reveals he's the Messiah only three times in the Gospels (here, to a Samaritan woman; and twice at his trial). He sees her wounds but also her resilience and faith. Despite pain, she's tied to her community. I wonder if these qualit...
Mt 17:1-9 Mar 1, 2026 Peter, James, and John's radiant vision atop the mountain reveals altered states of consciousness, linking mystical experience to psychological transcendence
The Transfiguration stands out from accounts of Jesus' healings and teachings. There's a group of miracles that feel different—perhaps even puzzling—but they're deeply spiritual. Consider Jesus walking on water and inviting Peter to join ...