When handling uncomfortable conversations or confrontations with family members or strangers related to beliefs, Dr. Tod Worner suggests finding the courage to proclaim the Gospel of Life and dignity for all with kindness and clarity. He also suggests that the faithful may need to resurrect “a moral squint,” something he said Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, as portrayed in the film “A Man for All Seasons,” accused Thomas More of having. But More stuck to his beliefs in Christ and his teaching.
A moral squint does not mean haughtiness, condescension or Pharisee-like piety, but something rooted in truth, courage and ultimate peace in doing the work of God, Worner said.
Dr. Tod Worner
Worner, a parishioner of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata, recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss how to best handle those uncomfortable conversations. A writer, speaker, professor and internal medicine physician, Worner is leading a talk June 29 at the Church of St. Paul in Ham Lake titled “St. Thomas More’s Moral Squint: Courage to Speak Truth With Grace.”
The three pillars on which the June 29 talk is based are rooted in the way More lived his life: truth, courage and peace, Worner said. To say something is true in the modern era of relativism and a certain amount of decadence is, “as a famous Polish dissident would say: ‘like firing a pistol in a quiet room,’” he said.
“It seems controversial, and yet, that’s what we’re called to do,” Worner said. “We’re called to speak the truth, sometimes quietly, sometimes firmly and loudly enough for people to hear it.” But in order to speak the truth, the faithful need to know the truth, he said.
Worner recalled Pope John Paul II’s remarks on the notion of forming one’s conscience. “We need to be steeped in Scripture,” Worner said. The faithful need to be steeped in the practice of the sacraments, attending Mass, praying, reading and being inspired by saints and great thinkers of the faith, he said. “And we need to form our conscience by hewing ourselves forever closer to the truth.” Once the truth is known, “you start to run up against what the culture has to offer in its version of the truth,” he said. And much in today’s culture runs counter to what God’s truth is, Worner said.
To hear tips from Worner on how to respond when met with vitriol, and in a way that upholds the dignity of the person disagreeing, listen to the full interview on the 9 p.m. June 24 “Practicing Catholic” show, which repeats at 1 p.m. June 25 and 2 p.m. June 27 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. To learn more about Worner’s presentation June 29 at 7 p.m., visit churchofsaintpaul.com. A Q&A and reception will follow his remarks.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father Tom Margevicius, director of worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who describes Mass entrance rites for his second episode of “Mass Class,” and a reprised interview from 2021 with licensed financial advisor Susan Wieneke, who shares financial tips for young people and couples.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
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