Episode 3164: God Does Not Wink - He Speaks Through the Church

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Book Recommendation of the Day
The Glories of Mary (1750)
A classic Marian devotional and theological defense of devotion to the Virgin Mary. It includes extensive citations from Church Fathers and offers prayers and meditations
You all may remember Chicken Soup for the Soul type craze.
While these books are marketed as “inspirational,” their message often promotes a sentimental, emotional, and therapeutic worldview rather than one rooted in objective truth, virtue, or the supernatural life of grace. Here’s why they fall into the same category of concern as “God Wink” theology which I will get into in greater detail.
Why Chicken Soup for the Soul Is Problematic from a Traditional Catholic Perspective

Issue Explanation
Subjective Sentimentality The stories are built to stir emotions joy, sadness, nostalgia often appealing to feelings more than moral formation or truth. This leads people to equate emotional comfort with spiritual growth, which is a false equivalence.
Lack of Catholic Moral Framework These books are religiously indifferent. They pull stories from all backgrounds Protestant, New Age, secular blurring the lines between true and false spirituality. There's no doctrinal standard.
Emphasis on Self-Help Over Grace Much like “God Wink,” these books suggest that inspiration, positive thinking, and inner strength are the keys to transformation not divine grace, the sacraments, or mortification.
Disregard for Supernatural Truth There’s virtually no reference to sin, the Cross, the need for repentance, or eternal salvation. Instead, the focus is on being happy, feeling good, and getting through life’s challenges pure naturalism.
New Age Influence Many contributors to Chicken Soup books embrace New Age principles like energy, intuition, universalism, or "the power within." These are opposed to the Catholic understanding of the soul, grace, and God’s Providence.
Crisis of Discernment Catholics who consume this material regularly may begin to confuse emotional consolation with spiritual truth making them more susceptible to error, false apparitions, charismatic excesses, or moral relativism.
The Catholic Alternative:
Instead of sentimental self-help stories, Catholics are called to feed on Scripture, the lives of the saints, and the Catechism of the Council of Trent. These sources form the conscience, purify the soul, and orient the heart toward Heaven not just temporary comfort.
As St. John of the Cross warned:
“God does not communicate Himself through feelings, but through pure faith and self-denial.”
Now let’s get into the principal reason for this morning episode.
"God Does Not Wink” - He Speaks Through the Church"
We hold fast to what the Church has always taught, and reject the novelties that seek to undermine it.
Today, I want to address a phrase that’s been floating around more and more in casual Christian circles: “God wink.” You may have heard someone say it perhaps after something pleasant or serendipitous happens, like finding a good parking spot or receiving a kind word from a stranger. They’ll say with a smile, “That was a God wink!”
But is this phrase harmless? Or is there something deeper, more concerning at play?
Let’s explore that together, from the lens of Sacred Tradition, Holy Scripture, and the unchanging truths of the Catholic Faith.
The phrase “God Wink” was popularized by SQuire Rushnell, a former ABC television executive, through his 2002 book titled:
"When God Winks at You: How God Speaks Directly to You Through the Power of Coincidence."
Rushnell, a Protestant and motivational speaker, coined the term “Godwink” to describe what he calls a personal, direct communication from God, typically in the form of a coincidence or unexpected event. His goal was to encourage readers to find comfort and affirmation in daily occurrences that seem to align “just right.”
Since its publication, the phrase has become popular in evangelical and non-denominational Protestant circles, and even made its way into Hallmark movies and mainstream Christian self-help culture.
From a traditional Catholic perspective, however, this kind of thinking leans dangerously into:
• Emotionalism over doctrine
• Subjective interpretation over objective truth
• Private signs over sacramental grace
It’s a byproduct of modern spiritual individualism disconnected from the authority of the Church, the Sacred Liturgy, and centuries of theological tradition.
The Problem with “God Wink”
The phrase “God wink” originated in Protestant circles particularly in popular spirituality and self-help books. It attempts to describe moments when God, supposedly in a cute or playful way, gives us a “sign” that He’s with us. It presents God as a sentimental companion who expresses approval through coincidences or sweet, emotionally comforting gestures.
But here’s the issue: the expression reduces God’s majesty and sovereignty to a humanized, emotionalized figure. God does not “wink.” He commands, teaches, chastises, and blesses with purpose, not whimsy.
In Sacred Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, when God speaks or acts, it is never trivial. He parts seas, shakes mountains, sends prophets, and establishes covenants. In the New Testament, Christ true God and true man suffers, dies, and rises from the dead. He teaches with authority, not with vague sentimentality.
The Dangers of Sentimental Religion
Expressions like “God wink” are not merely linguistic errors they reflect a theological error. They domesticate God, turning Him into a mascot of positivity rather than the Holy and Just Creator who deserves reverence and fear.
This is the fruit of Protestant individualism and emotionalism, which has sadly infected much of modern Catholic thinking since the Second Vatican Council. Modernism thrives in vagueness, in soft spirituality, and in feel-good interpretations of grace.
But God is not vague. He has revealed Himself definitively in Jesus Christ and through His Church. As it says in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today; and the same forever.”
To turn Him into a character who “winks” at us is to strip Him of the dignity and awe due to the Divine Majesty.
We Are Not to Change the Church She Must Change Us
Another critical point we must reflect on is this: phrases like “God wink” come from the modern tendency to reshape religion around our emotions, preferences, and interpretations.
But the Church is not ours to customize.
The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, founded by Him, preserved by the Holy Ghost, and entrusted to the Apostles and their successors. She is Mater et Magistra Mother and Teacher. As St. Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind: that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God.”
We do not change the Church. We do not soften her doctrines, or trivialize her truths with modern expressions. She changes us.
Through her sacraments, through penance, fasting, spiritual discipline, and reverent worship she sanctifies us and brings us into union with Christ.
Why So Many Novus Ordo Catholics Are Taken In
Now you may be asking: “Why is this expression so common among Catholics today?” Why do so many in the Novus Ordo parish environment adopt phrases and ideas that originate in Protestantism?
The answer is not a mystery. Since the changes of the Second Vatican Council and the widespread implementation of the Novus Ordo Missae, the Church’s approach to liturgy, catechesis, and spirituality has shifted drastically from God-centered sacrifice and mystery, to man-centered participation and emotion.
When you remove the altar rails, when you face the people instead of God, when you turn the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass into a “community meal,” you create a space where subjective feeling replaces objective truth. People are no longer being taught to worship in fear and trembling, but rather to “feel good” and seek consolations.
Expressions like “God wink” fit perfectly into this new environment, where the faith has been reduced to:
• “Feeling connected”
• “Being positive”
• “Finding personal meaning”
Instead of:
• Offering sacrifice
• Doing penance
• Worshiping God in reverence and awe
The Novus Ordo liturgy with its vernacular prayers, guitars, hand-holding, and clapping conditions the faithful to expect experiences, not transformation. When spirituality becomes horizontal, and not vertical, people seek signs of God in coincidences, not in the tabernacle. They look for “God winks” instead of kneeling before Christ in the Eucharist.
This is what Archbishop Lefebvre warned us about. He said:
“They have replaced the God-centered religion with a man-centered religion. They have changed the truth of God into the lie of the world.”
So it’s no wonder that modern Catholics fall into these trends. They have been deprived of proper formation, and given novelty instead of nourishment.
The solution is not to “reimagine” the Church. The solution is to return to Tradition to the old Catechisms, the Latin Mass, the sacramental life rightly lived. In Tradition, God is not sentimental He is Sovereign.
A Word from the Saints
Let us also remember what the saints have taught us:
• St. Teresa of Avila warned against spiritual consolations that are too focused on emotional sweetness. She said: “Do not seek the consolations of God, but the God of consolations.”
• St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, taught that we must not reduce our understanding of God to feelings, but rather to obedience, adoration, and sacrifice.
• Pope St. Pius X condemned Modernism as the synthesis of all heresies and what is Modernism if not the attempt to reinvent God and His Church to suit the spirit of the age?
Epistle: Romans 6:19-23
Brethren: I speak a human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity unto iniquity; so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctification. For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from justice. What fruit therefore had you then in those things, of which you are now ashamed? For the end of them is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants of God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting. For the wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Reflection on the Epistle
St. Paul does not mince words: sin brings death, but the grace of God brings eternal life. He appeals to our human weakness, urging us to reflect on our past lives those moments when we served sin and walked far from justice.
Notice how Paul contrasts servitude to sin with servitude to God. There is no middle ground. Either we are slaves to our passions, or we are obedient children of our Heavenly Father. In traditional Catholic spirituality, especially seen in the writings of the saints, this is often framed as a battle between the old man and the new man between concupiscence and sanctifying grace.
So let us ask: what fruit are we producing in our daily lives? Sin leads only to corruption and shame. But a life ordered to justice guided by the Commandments, the sacraments, and prayer leads us to sanctification and finally, to Heaven.
Gospel – Matthew 7:15-21
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not every one that saith to Me: Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Reflection on the Gospel
This Gospel is a warning to all of us especially in our modern age where false prophets abound, both inside and outside the Church. They come with smooth words, soft homilies, and promises of peace, but offer a theology devoid of repentance, sacrifice, and reverence.
Our Lord gives us a simple test: “By their fruits you shall know them.” A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit. In the traditional Catholic perspective, this is why we look to the lives of the saints and the unchanging teachings of the Church to discern truth from error.
Christ warns us that not everyone who cries “Lord, Lord” will enter Heaven. Lip service is not enough. True faith must be accompanied by obedience to God's will, fidelity to His teachings, and a life of virtue.
In today’s modern Church, there is a dangerous tendency to equate emotion with holiness, or to excuse sin under the guise of mercy. But the true fruits of holiness are the virtues, as taught by the saints: humility, chastity, obedience, charity, and fidelity to the Church's magisterium as it was always taught.
Saint of the Day: St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Today, Holy Mother Church honors St. Alphonsus Liguori bishop, Doctor of the Church, and founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists.
Born in 1696 in Naples, Italy, Alphonsus was a brilliant young lawyer who left the legal world to become a priest. Known for his powerful preaching, tender devotion to Our Lady, and especially his zeal for the salvation of souls, he spent his life combatting Jansenism, a heresy that distorted the mercy of God into something rigid and inaccessible.
St. Alphonsus is best known for his spiritual classic, The Glories of Mary, and for his devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist. He emphasized the importance of frequent Confession, Holy Communion, and the daily Rosary as means of sanctification.
He also warned against the dangers of laxity in the priesthood and Church leadership a warning we would do well to heed today.
Let us recall his powerful quote:
“He who prays is certainly saved; he who does not pray is certainly damned.”
His life was a testament to the truth that grace is given abundantly but only if we cooperate with it through prayer, penance, and love of God.
Conclusion and Closing Prayer
Dear listener, let us take today’s readings to heart. We are either living for God or against Him. There is no middle ground.
Let us imitate the good tree, bearing good fruit through grace and virtue. Let us also learn from St. Alphonsus how to live a life of fervent prayer, Marian devotion, and reverence for the sacraments.
Let us close in prayer:
Prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ, grant us the grace to be ever mindful of Thy holy teachings. Make our hearts fertile ground for the seed of Thy Word, that we may produce good fruit worthy of eternal life.
Through the intercession of St. Alphonsus Liguori, help us to avoid all false doctrines and the snares of the devil. Increase in us a love for prayer, a reverence for the sacraments, and a burning desire for Heaven.
O Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, guide us always to Thy Son. Keep us under Thy mantle and preserve us in the grace of God until our final breath.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
“Salve Regina”