Humility, Silence, and the Art of Really Listening
What if the most radical thing a Catholic family can practice is simply learning to shut up and listen? Father Augustine Wetta joins Jim and Meghan for an episode packed with laughter, vivid storytelling, and hard-won monastic wisdom. Drawing from encounters that range from classroom rap battles to an unexpected night with LA gang members, Father Wetta reveals what genuine humility looks like when it is lived out in the messiest corners of real life.
What’s in this episode:
The Kendrick Lamar lyric that echoes Father Wetta's first piece of monastic advice
Silence as the hidden key to real humility and genuine human connection
Father Wetta's creative approach to teaching Theology of the Body with humor and AI
A rugby teammate whose quiet attention made the girls think he had beautiful eyes
Why a monk ended up drinking Coronas with LA gang members until sunrise
The Black Lives Matter protest encounter that launched an unlikely friendship and podcast
Chesterton's invitation to present Catholicism as an exotic near-Eastern religion
The crisis of beauty in modern culture and how art can heal the imagination
One resource every Catholic family should know: The Rule of St. Benedict
Book he is currently reading: The Hidden Hindenburg by Michael McCarthy, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, and Why I Am Not an Atheist by Christopher Beha
Advice to his younger self: Don't bother trying to be popular
Final wisdom for listeners: Spend five minutes a day in complete silence and listen with the ear of your heart
Resources Mentioned:
jaugustinewetta.com – Father Wetta's website and books
Disagreement Podcast – Father Wetta's podcast with Umar Lee, where unexpected common ground unfolds
The Hidden Hindenburg by Michael McCarthy – A New York Times bestseller written by a St. Louis Abbey alumnus with a Catholic lens
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson – A witty and wide-ranging guide to science and the world
Why I Am Not an Atheist by Christopher Beha – A philosopher's honest account of his journey from atheism to faith