STOP Saying these 5 Christian Cliches! 

As a dad who loves terrible Dad Jokes, this was possibly the best opening monologue I've ever heard in my life.

My mother often says, "God never gives us more than we we can handle." I cannot handle my my schizoaffective disorder. I can only offer up my mental illness to God for Him to handle for me. God can handle what I cannot. I can only ask my Father in Heaven to take care of my pain, suffering, and anguish for me.

That opening is truly a work of art.

1. Jesus Take the Wheel 0:38 2. Everything Happens for a Reason 1:58 3. Nothing is Impossible with God 4:09 4. God Needed Another Angel 5:45 5. God Never Gives You More than You Can Handle 7:12 You're Welcome.

My child is sick with an, as of right now, incurable life-limiting illness and people, even Christians will say this happened because God wanted to teach me a lesson. While our experiences do teach us things I refuse to believe God intentionally makes children sick to teach their parents.

"Don't say nonsense, just because it's sounds nice."- Father Casey 2020

“Well A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God.” Some good advice from St. Faustina ✝️

the only time i ever heard 'jesus take the wheel' was when my dad was teaching me to drive...

0:40 - Jesus take the wheel⚙️ 1:58 - Everything Happens for a Reason😯 4:08 - Nothing is Impossible with God😮 5:44 - God needs Another Angel 👼 7:15 - God Never Gives You More Than You Can Handle

Everything happens for a reason. God never give you more than you can handle. These 2 phrases hit me like a truck. My only brother and youngest in the family died from disease last October 4, he was only 4 yrs old. I am glad I have watched your video Fr Casey. As a family we are in our faith in God and I offer our sufferings to Him. I continue to pray for my brother and to God that He may gives us joy and peace especially this coming Christmas and New Year's Celebration. Thank you Fr and God bless you all Franciscans!

Cringe is a consequence of the fall.

"spontaneously turning my head into a watermelon" lol dude, you must be funny at meetings and I don't mean it in a sarcastic way. I really laughed when I heard you say that.

That intro was the most elaborate use of clichés I’ve ever heard in my life! 😂😂😂

“God never gives you more than you can handle” That phrase is probably what drove the first wedge in my relationship with the church. I mean in my young life (think kindergarten to fourth grade), this phrase meant that God thought I could handle being bullied every weekday. At a private Christian school. I even still remember that I was taught to go to a adult when things happened and one day when I was bullied I went to a teacher and the teacher berated me and told me to grow up. I was a kid, barely ten years old and this teacher at a “Christian” school was telling me to grow up and not bother her because I was being bullied. To say that it scarred me would be a understatement with the effects that place had. I ultimately had to split off on my own from Church, to be honest even organized religion as a whole because it felt like this “god” that I was taught about just wanted me to suffer and be hated everywhere I went. I started looking for answers in every religion and just seeing more and more wholes. My old church turned me from a christian into a antitheist (antitheist = someone that believes in god but hates god) and from what I studied from all religions I turned myself from a antitheist into a theist (theist = someone that believes in god) and I ultimately just dropped organized religion and lived my life as the old phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” and started asking myself that more seriously and going from there.

"When something is lost and can't be found, please St Anthony look around." 😄

“Jesus I Trust in You”. Not a cliche.

“Hail Mary full of grace, help me find a parking space” has always actually worked for me

["God Never Gives You More Than You Can Handle"] Horrible Thing: "How much can you handle?" St. Maximilian Kolbe: "Yes." Key point is, that those lines are often thrown around, because one doesn´t know what to say combined with the massive urge to say something. But fill some of those cliches with real faith and things will happen, especially if you say them honestly and with prayer to GOD and yourself.

The one I hate the most is "That which does not kill you makes you stronger" an convoluted quote from Frederick Nietzsche....who died in an insane asylum.

I started studying for my CDL class B renewal so I can help people get from point A to point B across state lines in large busses. You have no idea how much I needed to hear this today 🙏💞!

“Offer it up” is one I absolutely can’t stand. As a person who suffers chronic physical pain, this is literally the LAST THING I want/need to hear. I’ve heard it many times when asked “how are you?” and I give an honest answer. This not only makes me regret being honest about how I feel, but it makes me wonder why people are asking in the first place, because they don’t seem to care. I am already offering up my sufferings, you don’t have to tell me to. Stop saying this! Also I agree, the angel cliche is one of the worst. I always want to gently correct, but it’s not a good time, usually.

I have always considered "Jesus take the wheel", as our giving up control letting God be back in control. Changing our will to His will. Our ways, to His ways.

"love the sinner, hate the sin" gets an honourable mention.

I don’t like to use the everything happens for a reason .

"There is nothing that God can't ultimately overcome" This is a very reassuring message.

The Angel line was surely influenced by Movies/TV-Series in which dead people "become" Angels who protect their family. The same thing as dead people in horror movies, who will become haunting Spirits. Thank you for the insightful video!

I do believe "everything happens for a reason" to a point but I also believe God accounts for our stupidity and fallen nature in His will. All things work for him in the end. Thinking of Dwight Schrute's quote, "There's not always a lesson in failure Ryan. Sometimes you just fail."

The cliche I hear the most these days is from Protestants to Catholics: "You need to have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus." "What does that mean exactly?", I ask. And they look at me with a blank look. So I say, "I eat Jesus and drink His Precious Blood." Then they make a horrified face. And I say, "I don't think it gets any more personal than that, do you?"

I absolutely love this video!! Right on the mark!! A major problem in our world today is the “blame game” people play; never taking personal ownership nor responsibility for their own actions. Thank you for this! 👍

Your take on 5 common cliches we take for granted at their face value is wonderful. Interesting analysis how our words should also be true from all angles, not only empty sounds to comfort and console but biblically and theologically sound here and now and here after. Congratulations. Thanks.

BRAVO! Drop the mic! Thank you for the intro and knowledge. Loved it.

No cliches. Just thank you for your courage. I hear your videos are coming every two weeks. Fine,as long as you keep them coming.. Count on my prayers from Buenos Aires.

"Don't say nonsense just because it sounds nice" That Angel on has always bothered me too.

Pax et bonum, Father Cole! Thank you for this reflection! God bless you! Warm greetings from the Philippines! 😇

On point. I agree with your annoyance, specifically about the angels cliche. I actually got on my dad about it this past week. I reminded him God made angels all strange looking and with no physically predetermined features for this Realm, but He made Humans in His image and that's what makes us special and different from the rest of His Creations.

Thank you for this, Fr. Casey. I'm guilty of making these mistakes myself. Will try to be more mindful from now on.

One I dislike is often said after a loved one has passed. "They're in a better place." My mother was killed at only 46. I was inconsolable. There was no better place than alive next to me, then only 27. I've also often heard " See... God punished you." My sister said that to me when she was mad about something and it just so happened there had been a storm causing a big tree to fall on my house. Another that sounds presumptive, judgmental and retalitory is "God don't like ugly."

I have heard "Everything happens for a reason" so often it makes me want to scream. Someone said that to me after my daughter in law's mother died of cancer. I said no, there was no reason behind it. Rain falls on good and bad alike. We live in an imperfect world.

I’ve been a caregiver for my mom for over a decade, until she passed. Whenever I got stressed out people would often tell me “God never gives us more than er can handle.” I always give the answer my mom taught me “sometimes I wish he had a little less faith in me” or “maybe he should try this for a week because I need a day off.”

Your comments are thought provoking - and that's a good thing!! Keep it up!!

The “everything happens for a reason” statement very much bothers me - we have the ability to speak out against injustices. I love this explanation! 💙

I've learned so much from this video, thank you!!

I remember shortly after becoming a Christian I used the "God never gives us more than we can handle" line. I must've picked it up from other Christians. After I heard myself say it I realised that I didn't actually know where I'd gotten that from and didn't remember reading it in the Bible. It's so easy to pick things up from each other (nothing wrong with that) but we so often then muddle up Biblical truth with stuff we heard someone say!

Enjoyed this video very much ❤️❤️❤️

Another one may be "The Bible teaches...". This one is not really like the rest, but I feel like people sometimes rely on this without elaborating. They want to rely on the authority of Scripture when the thing they're arguing for may not even be a teaching. Probably the worst thing about these cliches is that non-religious people tune out when hearing them.

Made so much sense this did... You really explained everything so well

Thank you Fr. Casey! Keep it up!

Great video as always Fr!

I'm totally addicted to this amazing channel, congrats! Haha

Thank you Fr. Casey for this teaching.

That's for sharing your wisdom Fathe. I'm new to your channel unlike it all so far.

I think you are very deep. sometimes, I wish I could ask you questions. At any rate, I'm learning a lot. I think you should lecture around the country and world. The church needs confident speakers like you

Fr. Casey, you explain all of these so fantastically, God bless you! I was just thinking about a couple of these the other day, and this video really helped with a sense of perspective. That being said, I thought the phrases in the opening monologue were idioms instead of cliches. Idioms are the spice of language, they make it vivid and colorful and help to convey certain ideas more clearly with less words. Aren't cliches full statements? That said, the phrases in question are absolutely cliches.

I am so glad you made this video. I hear these cliches all the time and they make me cringe. This is the first time I've heard a really good explanation on why they are not Biblically correct and we shouldn't use them in our daily language.

Nice job! I think you did a really good job explaining these. And thank you so much for mentioning the Holy Spirit, twice!

Love it..i have felt bad personally after saying and hearing some of these.

I'm agnostic/atheist but grew up around several Pentecostal family members. I heard #5 a lot and it always bothered me and comes across as insensitive to suffering that is genuinely harmful to people. I appreciate that you differentiate between divine power versus human agency and responsibility. Praying for divine support and comfort may very well be helpful and meaningful, but it doesn't negate human actions.

At long last someone addresses religious clichés. Thank you, Fr. Casey.

Very well put. Sometimes it is better we keep silent than confuse people with pop theology and psychology

Hey, you forgot - "God works in mysterious ways"! I can't believe you didn't include that one!!!

I’m a new subscriber! Love the channel. 🙏🏼

The opening monologue was excellent!

I just wanted to say "Thank you!" for sharing this video. It's helpful in so many ways, and I was able to utilize it in a class I'm facilitating covering Pastoral Counseling. I wanted to share my response to one forum in which we are discussing the hypothetical of a couple dealing with the death of a child - I'd honestly like any feedback you might have on this, Father Casey. . . "If I might provide just a little bit of pushback to something you said above - I'd steer clear of any talk of "God's plan" in all of this situation. What a situation like this is portraying is that we continue to live in a fallen and broken world. Is pain, sin, and/or death ever part of God's plan? I would suggest it is not, now, I know, someone will say, "what about Jesus's death on the cross?" Yes, we see that the salvation plan of God sending one final and ultimate redeemer to earth was put into motion early on in scripture (see Genesis chapter 3), but was sin, death, and the fall of our first parents part of God's plan? Or, was that the result of human freedom ? God is not the author of sin, and does not will or plan for anyone to fall - James puts it this way, "13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, 'God is tempting me.' God is never tempted to do wrong,[a (Links to an external site.)] and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death." I think there is meta-level God's plan and micro-level. At the meta-level, yes God's plan of redemption did/does include the suffering and death of His son - who also promised that we, as His followers, will endure much the same treatment. At the micro-level, though, does this mean that every instance of pain, suffering, and death has been planned out and foreordained by God?"

Thank you for putting the problems with the Angel cliche into words. It's a huge pet peeve of mine as well.

It feels good to one of the first to see this video

Thank u very much ⚘ 💓 Blessings from 🇦🇪( UAE) Blessings 🌷🌷🌷

Hello Father. I'm definitely with you there on #5. My husband die 1 week ago and now my house is in foreclosure. I don't believe any of this came from God and certainly can't handle any of it. The evil one is winning here. 💔💔💔

Thank you for covering a topic like this, it may seem minor, but when said to people at such important moments in their lives it's very important not to oversimplify things to the point of essentially telling a lie and then alienating them in their relationship with God.

Really funny intro - thx.

Ok but the quote saying heaven gained another angel is also "non sense" like the "God needed another angel" quote😶

This intro is giving me life.

My favorite take on "Jesus, take the wheel" is where one of the car's four wheels flies off and our reaction is, of course, "Not THAT one!"

Very insightful... great takeaways.

Excellent! Thank you! Good to have one in Spanish too.

I'm on board and agree - but I tend to want to avoid saying "Jesus can't" about anything. He invites, he intends, he designed things to work best when... but not "can't" when it comes to something good and right. And it's appropriate to point out the verse behind the "nothing you can't handle" cliché: 1 Corinthians 10: 13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" which is speaking of being drawn into sin - that we don't have to go along with that and are empowered to resist and take the out indicated in the verse. But this has been turned into the same sort of thing as "I can do all things," a misunderstanding of the verse's meaning and full implications.

"Don't say nonsense because it sounds nice".... I felt that 😂

Thank you! Agreed!!🙏💞, makes me ponder my words more for sure

...God willing and the creek don't rise... had me cracking up 😂

I hate ALL OF THESE. My dad died in 2019 of hereditary colon cancer, and I cannot tell you how many of these I heard in a period after his death. More than anything, they just made me more angry about his death. These clichés exist for the person saying them, not the person receiving them.

Well said Fr . If I could , I would like to add a couple more clichés ,which don't figure in your list , although they are not religious : STAY POSITIVE This one really drives me crazy . It is the outright denial of the fact that sometimes life is horrible and hard to endure . People who normally use this cliché, conceive life as a pursue for happiness and "feeling good" experiences . In my opinion , it is a very superficial way of living that lacks any perspective about deep questions in life . DO WHATEVER MAKES YOU HAPPY Similarly to the first one , this cliché reiterate the idea that our vocation in life has to do with .... feelings!!! So what do we do when on the long run , those fuzzy warm feelings are not longer there???

I read something the other day that said God gives us more than we can handle sometimes so that we will rely on him and grow stronger in our faith..

As I was listening to this, my 10yo. boy was in the next room and he would just keep saying: Mom, that's what you always say! 4/5!!!!! OMG!!! But thank you! Still a lot to learn! Embarrassing but humbling! Blessings!

Your intro made me lol irl. Well done father

Awesome as always

#4 gets me. In the case of my eventual death I hope no one says this. What’s more is I hope they don’t assume I’m in Heaven. We really should pray for the dead.

3:40 Some awful things happen for reasons that have nothing to do with our free-will. Some people are born with disabilities that stop them from enjoying life the way other people do. Sometimes plagues happen. Like you said at around 8:00 There are some horrible accidents that we cannot prevent. So they must be beyond our free-will.

I've heard of the "God never gives you more than you can't handle" saying being not the best. The RU-vid channel That Catholic Couple did a video about that and said a better version of the quote is, "God never gives you more than you can't handle on your own." We have to trust in God to help us get through it together.

Here are a couple more things to not say:" He/she is in a better place." To a parent who has lost a child, "You're young, you'll have another child."

I am so glad to hear a priest say this! I have reflected in this in my own but never found any eco in those who I shared it with

Hello! I was wondering if you could make a video about angels hierarchy ,because the information I found was confusing. You have very informational videos,great work.

That opening was amazing!

I have favorite Catholic RU-vid sites such as: The Thomistic Institute's Aquinas 101, On the Journey with Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley, The Journey Home with Marcus Grodi, Ascension Presents with Fr. Mike Schmitz, and Pints with Aquinas. Breaking in The Habit is close to the top. It is in my top 5 to recommend to non-Catholics--the humor is mostly good : ) ... well, even your bad jokes make me laugh. Thank you for all of your wonderful posts!

One of the best thumbnails on YT lol 😂

Very interesting video, as always ! About the 5th cliché, I've heard from a priest that "God never allows that we are tempted above our strength". I suppose this cliché comes from a twisted version of this statement. Clichés share a common point whith heresies, as they both come from a twisted or simplistic or narrow view of the truth !

I swear, the description of this video is the most metal thing I've seen on BITH

When my mother died, someone got me the angel thing, you know? Many people try to be so nice, tellin me the exact reason why that happened, I know and appreciate that they try to comfort me but it was weird, I would rather prefer a sincere "I'm so sorry"

As a teenager I had doubts about my faith because of those clichés. Not because I believed them to be true, but because I though it was actually what the church taught these superstitions, and I couldn't agree with that.

will this video have a part 2? Also, a cliche I'll share is, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I turned on Christian praise radio the other day and that line appeared in one of the songs.

This is good. Lots of well-meaning Christians use these cliches because they are trying to help and trying to be wise. The nicest thing a person ever did for me in a time of great grief and sorrow was come sit on my sofa and hold me in silence.

Thank you Fr.Casey. I just know these cliche from your video.