{"id":7638,"date":"2017-09-28T09:19:18","date_gmt":"2017-09-28T13:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=7638"},"modified":"2017-09-28T15:59:15","modified_gmt":"2017-09-28T19:59:15","slug":"catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html","title":{"rendered":"Catholic commentator Greg Willits on untying the knots of your life."},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s this week’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith and culture.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

\n

The wisdom of silence.<\/strong> This interview with author Greg Willits<\/strong> hit my inbox this morning. In it the the former co-host (with his wife Jennifer<\/strong>) of the SiriusXM<\/strong> talk show The Catholics Next Door <\/em><\/strong>offers advice for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves caught up and sometimes immobilized by knots of anxiety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

QUESTION:<\/strong> You share some personal details about how you have been tied in knots in your life. How did you get the idea to share your story and practical advice in Tied in Knots<\/em>?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GREG WILLITS:<\/strong> My wife and I have long had a devotion to our Blessed Mother, who was the direct inspiration for the Rosary Army apostolate we\u2019ve been running since 2003, as well as other websites like NewEvangelizers.com<\/a> and TotalConsecration.com<\/a>.\u00a0 But it was in 2015 when my wife challenged me to paint my own version of\u00a0Mary Undoer of Knots<\/i>, which we then hung in our bedroom, that our devotion to our Lady under this title flourished.\u00a0 A few months later, when I was rather stressed out due to multiple factors, I was asked to lead both a parish staff retreat as well as 3-night mission at another parish.\u00a0 As I prepared the talks for both of these events, I kept getting drawn back to the idea of how so many of us are stressed out and unhappy in the world, and how that seems so counter to the joyful and peaceful lives we\u2019re called to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Though I initially intended to give a series of talks about a completely different topic, I couldn\u2019t escape the undeniable pull to share times from my own life when I\u2019ve been entangled with anxiety and twisted with trepidation so as to provide illustrations of how \u2013 time and again \u2013 Jesus and his mother were constantly present to either untangle those knots, or to reveal to me how the knots in my life may actually be a blessing waiting to happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

QUESTION:<\/strong>\u00a0There is so much noise, confusion and anxiety in the world, be it world events, a barrage of negative news on the TV and yet, peace can begin with us individually. How have you found that peace amid all the noise and things that cause anxiety?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GW:<\/strong> My BOSE sound-cancelling headphones certainly help! But seriously, we often invite the barrage into our lives through constant notifications on our phones and an addiction to binge-watching and news consumption.\u00a0 In many cases, it is our addiction to technology that makes it harder to escape all the noise.\u00a0 Having said that, I love technology and my house is full of gadgets.\u00a0 But I call the shots and choose how *I<\/b>* will use the technology, and not how the technology will use me.\u00a0 If negative news stresses you out, fast from it for a day and see if you feel better.\u00a0 If you feel an endless pull to always respond to email, set an auto-responder for a few days letting people know you\u2019re taking a break from email.\u00a0 Delete social media apps from your phone and only check them from your computer.\u00a0 Set timers every time you sit down to surf the net.\u00a0 Take action to be in control of what you allow in your brain.\u00a0 This is the attitude of self-mastery, and we\u2019re called to this in all areas of our lives and not just technology.\u00a0 We\u2019re called to master our emotions so that we don\u2019t lash out at others.\u00a0 We\u2019re called to master our passions so that we don\u2019t fall into sin.\u00a0 We\u2019re called to be disciples of Jesus Christ, not disciples of this world.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

QUESTION:<\/strong> What are some of the practical ways that people can begin to become untied from the “knots” in their lives?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GW:<\/strong> I\u2019m tempted to say, \u201cBuy the book and read chapter two!\u201d\u00a0 But that would be the easy way out.\u00a0 The truth is that there is no single silver bullet to find peace and to be rid of anxiety.\u00a0 But there are quick ways to seek relief \u2013 whether it be as simple as going for a brisk walk or skipping junk food for a day (you\u2019d be surprised how much our diet affects how we see through troubling times).\u00a0 To that point, one of the quick-fix emergency room solutions I suggest in the book actually has roots in 12-step recovery programs that use the acronym H.A.L.T., which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. These four conditions alone can cause significant anxiety.\u00a0 When combined with genuine stressful situations, they can make matters even worse.\u00a0 If you\u2019re hungry, eat something healthy and filling instead of a bowl of ice cream.\u00a0 If you\u2019re angry, read Philippians 4:4-7 and take the challenge of thanking God for your current difficulty and be assured that in doing so that the peace of God will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.\u00a0 If you\u2019re lonely, get off of social media and go somewhere where people actually are.\u00a0 Go to the gym, the library, or spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at your local parish.\u00a0 If you\u2019re tired, go take a power nap.\u00a0 Take care of the easy problems so you\u2019re more mindful and ready to tackle the bigger ones.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

QUESTION:<\/strong> There is a rare title of the Mother of God as Mary, Undoer of Knots that is becoming more widely known since Pope Francis began promoting devotion to Our Lady Under this particular title. Her feast day is today, September 28th…could you describe this devotion and how she has helped you? How she can help others?<\/strong> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GW:<\/strong> In the book I describe how each of us has a \u201cribbon of life.\u201d\u00a0 Like the historical timelines we used to draw in school to illustrate world history, each of us could draw a timeline of important events in our lives.\u00a0 Sometimes those events are joyful ones.\u00a0 Other events may be the source of ongoing agony and pain, such as abuse, betrayal, and abandonment.\u00a0 Those negative events in our lives could be seen as knots in the ribbon of our lives.\u00a0 These knots muddle the way we look at the world, how we interact with other people, and even how we see ourselves.\u00a0 All of these things \u2013 and more \u2013 can keep us bound up and unable to experience the freedom God desires for each of us.\u00a0 And this freedom is absolutely necessary if we are to also experience the peace that can only be provided by God.\u00a0 Because Mary continually points us back to her son and our savior, she wants to take the ribbon of our lives into her own hands and undo those knots of pain and sadness so that we may once again have a smooth ribbon of life free of burdens and turn our gaze back to Jesus.\u00a0 For me, the greatest lesson that has come from sometimes being tied in knots is that it is often from the difficulties of life that Jesus brings the greatest joys.\u00a0 The adage of \u201chindsight is 20\/20\u201d is so true, and I challenge people to look at past difficulties and to acknowledge how often God has brought blessings from pain.\u00a0 Mary, Undoer of Knots, wants us to ask, \u201cWhat blessing could come from the current knots in our lives?\u201d And then turn that knot over to her.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to do.\u00a0 Surrendering always is.\u00a0 But every time I\u2019ve abandoned myself to Mary, Undoer of Knots, while in the midst of pain, she always turns my gaze back to Christ, and from him I always experience peace once again.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

QUESTION:<\/strong> You are really bold in your testimony to share personal examples of perceived failures or set backs to show God’s plan and glory in your life. Could you share some of the feedback you have received from people who have read your story and reactions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GW:<\/strong> My wife and I have been podcasting or doing radio since 2005 and the number one lesson we\u2019ve learned is that people are more greatly affected by testimonies of weakness rather than being preached at with seemingly unrealistic expectations.\u00a0 Whenever we\u2019ve gone through a painful experience and shared it on our show \u2013 whether it be miscarriage, unemployment, death in the family, or serious illness (all of which we\u2019ve shared over the years) \u2013 we\u2019ve learned that someone else out there listening has most likely gone through the same thing.\u00a0 And in hearing someone say, \u201cIt hurt when that happened,\u201d often lets someone honestly acknowledge their own pain for the first time.\u00a0 Having heard from thousands of listeners over the years, I know that so many people are walking around with knots.\u00a0 Having dragged my own knots behind me for so much of my life, I don\u2019t want others to experience the same life of pain.\u00a0 That\u2019s why in both our podcast as well as in Tied in Knots, I have faith that someone will be helped just by knowing someone else can understand their pain.\u00a0 So far, from the reviews on Amazon and from countless emails I\u2019ve received, that comfort is the main thing people are finding with Tied in Knots.\u00a0 You\u2019re not alone.\u00a0 Those knots can be undone.\u00a0 And even if you\u2019re called to live with that knot for quite some time, you\u00a0can<\/i>\u00a0experience peace in the midst of the knot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

QUESTION: Tied in Knots<\/em> is a powerful book for all people, not just the faithful…is there anyone that you would like to read your book in particular?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

GW:<\/strong> Whenever I write a book or produce some other kind of media I always try to imagine the audience that will pick it up.\u00a0 Though Mary, Undoer of Knots, has a prevalent place in the book, I wanted this to be book that will help everyone at any stage of faith development.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s why it was so important to me to include not just prayerful and spiritual solutions, but also tangible \u201cquick-fix\u201d solutions for many of the daily trials that everyone experiences.\u00a0 This includes your fallen away family, or your co-worker in the next cube who has had a bad week.\u00a0 I wanted this book to be realistic, hopeful, and invitational to those who may not know \u2013 or believe — just how much God loves them.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

QUESTION:<\/strong>\u00a0Will there be a follow up to Tied in Knots<\/em>?<\/p>\n

GW:<\/strong> It\u2019s impossible for me to not be working on the next project.\u00a0 While I can\u2019t say if it\u2019ll be a direct follow up to Tied in Knots, I can definitely say that my wife and I will continue producing our Adventures in Imperfect Living podcast at\u00a0www.gregandjennifer.com<\/a>\u00a0where we chronicle other ways that Jesus and Mary can take our imperfections and knots and turn them into amazing blessings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> Greg Willits is the editorial director for Our Sunday Visitor<\/strong> and the author of\u00a0The New Evangelization and You: Be Not Afraid<\/em><\/strong>. With his wife, Jennifer, he founded the New Evangelizers<\/strong> and Rosary Army<\/strong> apostolates and wrote <\/span>The Catholics Next Door: Adventures in Imperfect Living.<\/strong> <\/span><\/em>In addition to raising their five children, Greg and Jennifer also produce the weekly Adventures in Imperfect<\/em> Living podcast at\u00a0<\/span>www.gregandjennifer.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Encourage one another and build each other up \u2013 <\/em>1 Thessalonians 5:11<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s this week’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith and culture. The wisdom of silence. This interview with author Greg Willits hit my inbox this morning. In it the the former co-host (with his wife Jennifer) of the SiriusXM talk show The Catholics Next Door offers advice for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,9,13,7192,5375,28,1],"tags":[9230,9232,9231],"class_list":["post-7638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-catholic-church","category-christianity","category-family-matters","category-freedom","category-mental-health","category-radio","category-uncategorized","tag-greg-willits","tag-mary-undoer-of-knots","tag-tied-in-knots"],"yoast_head":"\nCatholic commentator Greg Willits on untying the knots of your life.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Catholic commentator Greg Willits on untying the knots of your life.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here’s this week’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith and culture. The wisdom of silence. This interview with author Greg Willits hit my inbox this morning. In it the the former co-host (with his wife Jennifer) of the SiriusXM talk show The Catholics Next Door offers advice for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith, Media & Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-28T13:19:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-09-28T19:59:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51AIIIcyKZL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John W. Kennedy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Catholic commentator Greg Willits on untying the knots of your life.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Catholic commentator Greg Willits on untying the knots of your life.","og_description":"Here’s this week’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith and culture. The wisdom of silence. This interview with author Greg Willits hit my inbox this morning. In it the the former co-host (with his wife Jennifer) of the SiriusXM talk show The Catholics Next Door offers advice for those who, for whatever reason, find themselves…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html","og_site_name":"Faith, Media & Culture","article_published_time":"2017-09-28T13:19:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-09-28T19:59:15+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51AIIIcyKZL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg"}],"author":"John W. Kennedy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html","name":"Catholic commentator Greg Willits on untying the knots of your life.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51AIIIcyKZL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg","datePublished":"2017-09-28T13:19:18+00:00","dateModified":"2017-09-28T19:59:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/e5d5ef9caeb6b01bcbf08ca6de6591c2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51AIIIcyKZL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51AIIIcyKZL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2017\/09\/catholic-commentator-greg-willets-untying-knots-life.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Catholic commentator Greg Willits on untying the knots of your life."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/","name":"Faith, Media & Culture","description":"Beliefnet Voices - John W. Kennedy","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/e5d5ef9caeb6b01bcbf08ca6de6591c2","name":"John W. Kennedy","description":"John W. Kennedy is the founder and Dir. of Development of The Creative Universe Entertainment\u2122, a media consultation and development company focusing on the creation, development and support of high-quality mainstream entertainment that upholds positive timeless values, including trust in God. Current projects include \"Bryant Park\" (an uplifting romantic-comedy) and \"Photo Finish\" (an award-winning sci-fi TV pilot). He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media & Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations & Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. He can be reached for writing, producing and consulting services at 516-640-1182.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/author\/jkennedy"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7638"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7646,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7638\/revisions\/7646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}