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.
A Psychologist looks at Scripture
Luke 16: 1-13 Sept 21-25 The Narrow Path of Loyalty: When Hearts Are Divided
Today's Gospel highlights the importance of consistency and faithfulness, even in the small things. I find Jesus’ teaching about serving two masters particularly thought-provoking. Often, it feels like we have more than two masters competing for our time and energy. From my perspective, many people drift away from their faith not out of rejection of God, but because other responsibilities and distractions take priority. Family, career, and community are just a few of the demands that require our attention. While dedicating ourselves to these is certainly valuable, there are additional aspects of our lives that also deserve careful consideration.
Hello, and thank you for joining me on “A Psychologist Looks at Scripture.” I’m Peter Doherty—a Catholic priest and psychologist—and I’m delighted you can join me.
In this podcast, I draw from my background in psychology and scripture studies to provide fresh insights into the Gospels. The Gospels consistently invite us to deepen our faith, find new wisdom, and grow spiritually. There’s always something more to discover together.
Each episode runs about 7 to 10 minutes. I know my listeners are busy, so I keep my podcasts short. If you have time and are interested, please check out the earlier episodes listed on the podcast website and on YouTube. Please let me know if you have questions and comments, they truly matter—they help this podcast grow and flourish.
I have a brief announcement and invitation. Next month on October 10th, I want to acknowledge that this podcast will be two years old. Anniversaries are a time of reflection and looking forward. So, I am inviting all the listeners to write a comment in the comment section saying where you are from and what you like about the podcast or what you would like to see more of. I have learned the difference between writing a podcast or writing a homily or sermon is that during the homily or sermon I can see the congregation. I can tell by their facial expression whether they are understanding my point or not. I can adjust my homily on the spot. This is not true for podcasts. Unless you get direct feedback, you have little opportunity to know how effective your podcasts are. So, please leave a comment!
Today, we’re focusing on the Gospel according to Luke 16:1-13. This Gospel will be read in Churches on September 21, 2025.
Today’s Gospel focusses on a parable where Jesus talked about a dishonest steward. The steward is about to be fired for mismanagement but by acting proactively he is able to reduce the impact of his soon to be unemployment. The dishonest steward is being praised for taking the initiative. To clarify, remember for example that money lending functioned differently than today. When someone borrowed money let’s say 100 dollars, the loan might be for 150 dollars, 25 dollars was added for interest and other 25 dollars went to the steward as his commission. The steward in this case gave up his commission to win favour of the one paying their debt. The Master benefited by getting the loan back with interest and the one owed money got a break. Likely, Jesus used the example of the dishonest steward because the people at that time would have been familiar with the system and with money lenders in particular.
This is not unusual with Jesus who consistently turns the tables if you will. The point of this parable is not simply about dishonesty, it is also about taking initiative, being aware of one’s environment and being consistent.
Our behaviour reflects who we are. Now before you think that I have become a behaviourist I do believe behaviours reflect our thoughts and values. When we are not living our values the disconnect leaves us susceptible to anxiety. In our effort to reduce this anxiety we tend to try to justify or blame someone or something for our bad behavior. Psychologists refer to this as cognitive dissonance. Let me give you a simple example. The person who brings home their companies office supplies may try to justify their actions and silence their conscience by saying that the company will not miss these pens, paper or pencils and that somehow, they deserve to supplement their income by helping themselves to the office supplies. They may even claim its no big deal. Well, it probably isn’t a big deal, its not like they are embezzling their company, however it is still stealing. How can we say we are honest when we are making compromises. Where do we draw the line? Our faith is inconsistent when we try to justify our less than honest actions. We are being lukewarm in our faith. The New Testament reference about not being lukewarm is found in the Book of Revelation, specifically in Revelation 3:15-16, where Jesus addresses the church in Laodicea: “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth”.
So, today’s Gospel speaks about being consistent and being faithful even in small issues. I find it interesting the comment Jesus makes about serving two masters. Sometimes I think we have more than two masters tugging away at our time and energy. It is just my personal opinion, but I suspect most people drift away from their faith not because they are rejecting God, but rather other responsibilities and preoccupations seem to take precedence. Family, career, community are just a few examples that demand our time and energy. Focusing on one’s family, career and community are good things but there are other factors we need to address.
The Gospel invites the listeners to look at their priorities in life. We can look at our stated priorities and we can look at the amount of time we spend in these priorities. I acknowledge that sometimes we spend time when we would prefer to be doing something else. A great example are parents of young children who spend a lot of time with family responsibilities, but they might want to be doing something else. It might be difficult to find the time to keep up with the practice of their faith.
I have often noticed young couples with young children who are distracting not only their parents and other parishioners as well to say the least. Yet I see them being faithful even when I suspect they are not likely getting a lot out of the service. They are demonstrating their commitment even when they are not getting anything from the service. They are an inspiration to me.
I have come to realize its not about doing more but rather how we live our faith. We live our faith by daily gestures towards one another. We might not have the time or resources to do great things but the little gestures of kindness towards others can quickly add up. Do you know the names of the people who provide you services? Do you take time to greet people? Do we make the effort to try to understand someone rather than jumping to conclusions. Several years ago I tried an experiment on the President of the university. He would always greet me by saying How are you doing? I would answer fine, and he would say great and walk away. One morning I thought I would try something different so when he asked how I was doing I said, “I am having a terrible day”. He responded, “Great” and walked away! He was on automatic pilot. He wasn’t listening.
Try this experiment. Ask someone who knows you well to list the top 5 qualities you have. Are you surprised at what qualities they noticed or just as surprised as to what qualities are missing?
So, in conclusion, Jesus wisely warns us of the danger of divided loyalties on our spiritual lives. Fortunately, there are ways to live our faith in our lives. It’s not about doing more but it’s how you do it!
Thank you for being here today.
Next Sunday I am releasing a podcast from Luke 16:19-31 about the importance of social responsibility for living our faith.
If you’re new to the podcast, I invite you to check out previous episodes on major podcast platforms or YouTube. Regular YouTube listeners, please consider subscribing and sharing with friends who have an interest in Scripture. A new episode is released every Sunday, focusing on the week’s Gospel, and your feedback is always welcome and essential for the continued growth of this community.
A special thanks to Heather Patel Doherty and Richard Coulombe for their invaluable assistance in preparing each episode.
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to reach out at peter.dohertyomi@gmail.com.
May God bless you abundantly.