Saints of Poland (TTH ep. 218) Transcript

00:00 - Deacon Bob (Host)

This week on They That Hope. I went to Arizona. I had breakfast with Father Dave's brother and got to speak to youth ministers.

00:05 - Father Dave (Host)

I went to Poland, prayed with Kolbe, St John Paul, and prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet in the backyard of St Faustina.

00:13 - Deacon Bob (Host)

These stories and many more on this episode of they that Hope, Father Dave and Deacon Bob Seeing humor and hope in a crazy world. And I am Deacon Bob and I'm Father Dave. We're celebrating the Jubilee Year 2025, a Jubilee of Hope. It's a very hope-filled episode today, by the way.

00:47 - Father Dave (Host)

A Hope-themed episode A.

00:49 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Hope-themed episode. That's fair. Somebody didn't put their phone on something, it was probably me, it's not me. Okay, I guess it was me.

00:56 - Father Dave (Host)

So that was me. Yeah, it's good to have a little bit of hope, because just looking around and wonder if there is any, you know, this is what happens when we take a week off.

01:05 - Deacon Bob (Host)

That's right. The world goes to poopstown, that's right.

01:10 - Father Dave (Host)

This is a great segue.

01:12 - Deacon Bob (Host)

This podcast is sponsored by Franciscan University of Steubenville in association with OSVpodcast.com, and check out cool content at faithandreason.com. And I missed you. Yeah, it's good to see you. It feels longer than two weeks.

01:28 - Father Dave (Host)

It's been two weeks.

01:30 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Well, I guess it's been one week, but well, that means two weeks.

01:34 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, two weeks, yep.

01:35 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, it's been two weeks. Yep, I went to Arizona and I had breakfast with your brother. Yeah, how did that come about? Well, tom is an avid listener of the show, your brother? Yeah, how did that come about?

01:45 - Father Dave (Host)

Well, tom is an avid listener of the show.

01:46 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yes, he is Big fan of the show, big fan, and he heard on the podcast that I was going to Arizona. So he texted where in Arizona and I'm never quite sure where I go Like I go to airports and I'm always hoping when I get in the car I say so how far are we from the hotel? And if they're like 20 minutes I'm like that's great, and sometimes they're like two and a half hours.

02:03

I'm like, okay, I don't need the small talk that whole time, do I? Um, this was a. I was right by uh, where your brother lives.

02:12 - Father Dave (Host)

Uh, I was at the grand Arizona, which is it nice by Tempe, or was it Mesa?

02:19 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, I think it was by Tempe and uh, it was Life Teen conference and they get a great rate to go to a resort in June. Yeah, it was 108 degrees. Nice, Nice To dry heat.

02:35 - Father Dave (Host)

So that means it only felt like—.

02:36 - Deacon Bob (Host)

It only felt like 102 degrees.

02:38 - Father Dave (Host)

An oven's dry heat.

02:39 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, exactly, but I had a great time with him. Yeah, it was just nice that he reached out. We went to the Bigsby Breakfast Diner.

02:47 - Father Dave (Host)

All right, he's never taken me there.

02:48 - Deacon Bob (Host)

No, he hasn't. Well, he doesn't like you much.

02:51 - Father Dave (Host)

We talked a lot about you, In fact almost exclusively about you. That's fitting Our favorite topic.

02:57 - Deacon Bob (Host)

But it was actually, it was a gift, it was a joy to catch up with him.

03:00 - Father Dave (Host)

That's great. Yeah, we had fun. Tom's a great guy. Yeah, good dad, good husband, good brother. Yeah, he's an older brother. No, he's younger. Okay, yeah, tom will. I just turned 60,. Tom will turn 59 in July.

03:14 - Deacon Bob (Host)

You lost his children in New York right On the subway Children you make yeah, yeah.

03:17 - Father Dave (Host)

So 50%, that's not bad. That's not bad, that's not bad at all. That's not bad for a celibate man yeah, 50% is not bad you just got to look on the bright side. Yeah, and lost, I mean misplaced, distracted New York two hours by himself 12 years old, he gets on a subway, you know, and you're still on the railway. There it happens, that happens to everybody All the time. There's no parent that hasn't lost their son or daughter at least once.

03:53 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Not like that.

03:55 - Father Dave (Host)

Like I said, no parent, no parent right?

03:58 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, you don't fall in that category, so that's great. Well, before we talk more about our personal lives, we have some sports updates. Sister Mary Beth hangs, you know, I was just before. We talk more about our personal lives.

04:08 - Father Dave (Host)

We have some sports updates. Sister Mary Beth hangs. You know I was just. We'll talk a little bit about the where we did your retreat, my pilgrimage. But somebody said to me a female and they were great, very grateful. They said I'm always grateful about your sports updates, so it gives me things to talk about with my husband and my son.

04:23 - Deacon Bob (Host)

So there you go, nice.

04:24 - Father Dave (Host)

But this is going to be short because there's not a lot going on.

04:27 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yes, well, there are, and there's not much to say about it. Nba is.

04:32 - Father Dave (Host)

the finals are amazing actually yeah, I think what there is to say about it is it's going better than people expected. Oh, it's going way better as far as the tournament.

04:41 - Deacon Bob (Host)

You know the only silver lining in this. I'm still not going to root for the Indiana Pacers, but at least you know, when the Pacers beat the Cavs, everybody was like wow.

04:51 - Father Dave (Host)

That's it, cavs really choked.

04:54 - Deacon Bob (Host)

You know, cavs were just a horrible team, and then they beat the Knicks, and then they—.

04:58 - Father Dave (Host)

They're holding their own.

05:00 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, and they came in and they are really playing Oklahoma City. So on Monday, as we're recording this, it is a split 2-2, probably go to game seven.

05:08 - Father Dave (Host)

And they play tonight. Right, I do believe they play tonight. I've not seen five seconds, so I'd like to watch a little bit tonight, if I can.

05:14 - Deacon Bob (Host)

And then in NHL news, I believe the Panthers, the Florida Posers, are up on the Edmonton Oilers, I think 3-2. I thought it was 3-3. Up on the Edmonton Oilers, I think 3-2.

05:24 - Father Dave (Host)

I thought it was 3-3. I don't know.

05:26 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I think so Okay, I think it's 3-3.

05:29 - Father Dave (Host)

I think the next one's it Edmonton. The next game is it. The next game is it game seven? I think so.

05:47 - Deacon Bob (Host)

By the time you hear this podcast, you might already know who has won the NHL. It'd be interesting to go oh, let's go see what's going on with the NHL. What would you say?

05:53 - Father Dave (Host)

six Gosh, that's like over half of our listening audience.

05:54 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I wouldn't say that many.

05:55 - Father Dave (Host)

But it is a fun time if you don't watch hockey. A game seven of the Stanley Cup? Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's just you just got to.

06:00 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Playoff hockey. I'm not a huge hockey fan, but playoff hockey is the best. Do you know what? I watched on a treadmill. This was exciting and I texted you about it. Is it still called the French Open, the Roland Garros? The Roland Garros yeah it's the French Open, but why do they keep calling it the Roland Garros?

06:12 - Father Dave (Host)

Because that's where they play.

06:14 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Okay, but I didn't see the word French Open anywhere. I don't know what to say to that. Okay, well, move on then. You're right, best I was where I was I was in poland, yeah, yeah, you're, because I was texting you, I didn't know what time zone it was crazy, longest french open ever final in the ever uh, sinner was one of them. Yeah, he's the one, aren't we all? He's the one that met with holy father okay, janik sinner, and gave him, and then carlos alcatraz, alcaraz, yep, yeah, okay, who is?

06:41 - Father Dave (Host)

spanish, I believe. I think he's spanish. He's a spaniard, he might be. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was fantastic, and those two guys are the head and shoulders above everybody.

06:50 - Deacon Bob (Host)

And so if you don't know much about tennis and I don't know much about tennis Sinner came out and he won the first two sets. If you win three sets, you win, and he was one point away from winning the third set. And then Carlos came back and won the next three.

07:08 - Father Dave (Host)

It was amazing. It was amazing he had Matt's point several times and couldn't get it done. Yeah, yeah yeah, again, I jumped in, I think at the very end of the fifth set. Yeah, it was five and a half hours, I mean that's grueling?

07:20 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, thankfully I didn't. I watched the end of it and you know what was sweet. At the end, Carlos immediately ran into the stands and hugged his family.

07:26 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, it was really beautiful yeah it was very, very cool. But yeah, and Carlos ended up winning. So if you're a tennis fan, that was amazing. Not a lot going on in the sports. The Colorado Rockies are still horrible. We'll keep you posted if anything changes there.

07:39 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Who won the? There's a golf thing in Pittsburgh. Yep, JJ Spahn Is that somebody we've heard of before, Not?

07:45 - Father Dave (Host)

really, in fact, no, not really First time winner. As far as the major, I think he's won, maybe once on the PGA.

07:52 - Deacon Bob (Host)

That's cool, though I heard he sank like a 62-foot putt to win it, or something.

07:57 - Father Dave (Host)

Well, he sank a 62-foot for the last putt of the match. He was already up, so he could have missed it and then made the next one and still win, but it was a nice finish for him.

08:08 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, I mean it was in Oakmont. The weather's been horrible these past few days.

08:12 - Father Dave (Host)

It was in Oakmont, which is in Pittsburgh, so I should have planned that a little bit better when I planned my whole approach, yeah, it's one of the toughest courses. I think he ended up two under. He might have been the only person. Maybe there was one. No, the other guy was one under, or maybe he was even. But yeah, so, yeah, nice guy, actually really cute. He's got two little girls, so he got the trophy and it was on Father's Day.

08:34

Yeah, and his wife and his two kids were there and one of them says Daddy, we need to hurry up, it's my bedtime and he says he says, uh, this is all recorded. He says you get to stay up late tonight and she goes yay, so it's really.

08:48 - Deacon Bob (Host)

It's a great kind of a great scene. Yeah, right, so the other thing that's going on.

08:52 - Father Dave (Host)

That has nothing to do with sports or nothing to do with anything like that, that, but you are doing oh, no, no, no, no, oh sorry we're still in this. Oh, you're doing an audiobook I am.

09:01 - Deacon Bob (Host)

yeah, this is so exciting. So my so the youth ministry book I wrote, sharing the Gospel with Our Lives, was published by OSV last year. And I've been telling OSV for a while let's do an audio book, let's do an audio book. And I would try to explain to them. My youth ministry audience aren't really known as readers, so to speak. So a couple months ago they said all right, we talked about it, because they don't automatically do audiobooks. I don't think they do many audiobooks, we'll find out.

09:32

And they said we decided that we would put yours up as an audiobook. And I was like woo-hoo. And I said so when can I start recording it? And they said, oh no, no, you don't have to worry about it, we're going to take care of it. And I said what do you mean? They said, well, we have like a production company doing all that stuff. And I said, well, I'd like to read, could I read it? And they said, well, we'll just connect you with them and you can audition. So I got to audition and I sounded just like Bob Rice.

09:57

The trick is to speak through the nose.

09:59 - Father Dave (Host)

It's all in the nose, the nasal resonance. That was the sound they were going for.

10:03 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, I do an incredible Bob Rice impersonation. So I got the job and I am driving to Columbus tomorrow. Then I said I have a microphone, can I just do it at my house? No, you have to do it in Columbus. And I thought it was going to be a studio and I just got the address today. It's in some guy's house. I'm like come on. I'm like come on, there you go.

10:22 - Father Dave (Host)

No, no, it's.

10:23 - Deacon Bob (Host)

But I'm sure it's going to be great, so I'm actually looking forward to it.

10:25 - Father Dave (Host)

So there are two audio book stories that go with this One was you'd asked if I'd ever done one, so one of mine we did, and it was in Cincinnati. Actually, I had to drive for Cincinnati for it. You just read it, it's fine. Oh, that is true. Okay, but what I also didn't know is you only get to listen for a certain number of hours, 14 hours a month.

10:52 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Okay, I was literally listening to an interesting book.

10:57 - Father Dave (Host)

It was written by the Navy SEAL who went after Osama bin Laden.

11:02 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Okay. There was literally 15 minutes left in the book and it goes beep.

11:09 - Father Dave (Host)

I just started this. I'd never used audiobook before it goes. Beep. You have used your time for this month.

11:14 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I said you have got to be kidding me.

11:17 - Father Dave (Host)

Literally 15 minutes left in this, so I tried every way to figure out is there some way around this?

11:23 - Deacon Bob (Host)

There is not. There is not, so I was not aware of that.

11:26 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, well, there you go.

11:33 - Deacon Bob (Host)

And they don't have all of the audiobooks, but they have quitele unlimited yeah yeah, which there's so many free books, and many of them are fantastic.

11:41 - Father Dave (Host)

So when you can also do, the audio book, uh, through the library, I think it's called. What's the name of that? Like streaming yeah, oh yeah, if you, if you have a library card hoopla I think it's hoopla. Okay is an app that you can do.

11:55 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, I'd never before Did you try to do that to finish that book.

11:58 - Father Dave (Host)

Oh, that's a good idea. Maybe that's what I should do. Maybe that's what I should do.

12:03 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I mean, I know the ending.

12:04 - Father Dave (Host)

I mean, let's be honest here.

12:06 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Maybe it's a trick ending. But then I was kind of fascinated you know what I think making the Resurrection of the Christ movie. I've heard that, yeah, that'd be a trick ending. Well, let's make one.

12:19 - Father Dave (Host)

Like he rises.

12:20 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Well, like he rises and then he beats up people.

12:23 - Father Dave (Host)

Okay, All right we'll go with that. Now it's our end.

12:30 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Last summer, more than 60,000 Catholics attended the National Eucharistic Congress, and you were one of them. I was. Now you can hear about the behind the scenes of this historic event in the newest episode of In Person. That sounds exciting. All the infighting, that's right.

12:47 - Father Dave (Host)

All of the Contracts yeah, that's right. Negotiations.

12:52 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, in this, all the liturgical battles. In this episode, father Dave sits down with Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, who helped lead the National Eucharistic Congress and Revival. He didn't help it, he was the dude. Bishop Cozzens talked about the powerful work he saw God do through the Congress, as well as his own deep love for the Eucharist. Bishop Cozzens and Father Dave also share their initial reactions to the election of Pope Leo XIV Pope, pope, pope, pope, pope, pope. It's a fun and encouraging conversation you don't want to miss. Watch in person on faithandreason.com. That's faithandreason.com. God bless America.

13:39 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah Well, Bishop Cozzens.

13:43 - Deacon Bob (Host)

That's a great response, yeah.

13:44 - Father Dave (Host)

Well, Bishop Cozzens is such a good guy he's a great dude.

13:48 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I think we talked about him previously.

13:49 - Father Dave (Host)

Because we gave him a faux doctorate. Yeah, and when we get bishops like that, it's very hopeful Signs of hope.

13:57 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Hope Bing bing b go.

13:58 - Father Dave (Host)

It's very hopeful Signs of hope, hope. Bing, bing, bing it was yeah, so how was your?

14:00 - Deacon Bob (Host)

retreat. It was fantastic, so I went to the Catholic Youth Ministry Conference in Arizona as. I mentioned, it was very hot outside, but it was very fun inside.

14:10 - Father Dave (Host)

Did you see our friend Mark Hart? I did see our friend Mark Hart.

14:13 - Deacon Bob (Host)

How is our friend? How is our friend, he's doing, he's doing.

14:15 - Father Dave (Host)

Good mark in a long time mark is the bible geek is he? What's his title?

14:20 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I think his title is cio like chief innovation he used to be vice president, but he just comes up with great ideas. Uh and just uh, he wrote the foreword to my book, which was a, which was a wonderful gift for him to do and just a great guy really.

14:34 - Father Dave (Host)

So that's great, so I got to see mark hart.

14:36 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I got to see randy Rouse, our good friend Andrew Laubacher was leading the music. Oh, that's great, so I got to spend some time with him. Of course, dan Bozak on bass, everywhere you go, dan. Bozak is on bass and yeah, it was just a gift. They had probably about a thousand people involved in youth ministry, right.

14:53 - Father Dave (Host)

So this was for youth ministers or the teens.

14:55 - Deacon Bob (Host)

No, this was for the ministers, so it was. Catholic Youth Ministry Conference. So these were adults, most of whom subscribed to Life Teen, but it's also just a great youth ministry conference. They do a really top-notch job.

15:07 - Father Dave (Host)

Who are some of the other speakers that were?

15:08 - Deacon Bob (Host)

good Sister Josephine was there which was great, Obviously Mark and Randu Paul George was there. And he got to give a talk as well. He did wonderfully. It's their 40th anniversary.

15:23 - Father Dave (Host)

Is it really they started?

15:24 - Deacon Bob (Host)

in 1985. Okay, and it was just very hopeful. It's fun, having been involved in youth ministry now for 30 years. I had a number of people say I was a teen at the conference that you hosted.

15:37 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, yeah, and here they are now in ministry and doing things Retiring, yeah, exactly.

15:43 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Or they were connected with our Catechetical Institute and did the youth ministry certification and I did most of those videos and it was just actually—for me it was a blessing to—you don't always get to see a lot of fruit in ministry and it was just very honoring. I hadn't been at that conference since a couple years, before COVID.

16:04 - Father Dave (Host)

Oh, really Okay.

16:05 - Deacon Bob (Host)

So I just got my doctorate, but I hadn't yet been ordained. And yeah, just to be there with everybody and just to see the enthusiasm of working with young people, fighting hard to love young people, to advocate for young people you know just whenever you're in a room of people with a similar heart and vision. It's always a very, very blessed event. Cool yeah, and you went to Poland. I did Tell me more.

16:29 - Father Dave (Host)

I went to Poland.

16:30 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Okay.

16:32 - Father Dave (Host)

Go ahead. I thought you were going to say something.

16:34 - Deacon Bob (Host)

No, I mean, we could just stop now.

16:35 - Father Dave (Host)

No, I went to Poland. Have you been?

16:38 - Deacon Bob (Host)

To Poland yeah.

16:39 - Father Dave (Host)

No.

16:40 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Why do you laugh? Well, we've just said the word Poland so many times. If somebody was doing a Poland drinking game, they'd be on the floor by now.

16:46 - Father Dave (Host)

Which is a popular game with podcasts. Apparently no right. So myself and about 70 pilgrims went Myself and about 70 pilgrims went. Noel Merring went with me.

16:58 - Deacon Bob (Host)

You say 70 pilgrims. I immediately think of people with hats with belt buckles on them. That's right, yeah, yeah, okay, do you make them wear that? Yes, that's fair, in little bonnets. Yes, yes, that's the way it should be.

17:10 - Father Dave (Host)

Absolutely no. It during a podcast doing a pilgrimage in Ireland and I was in the sacristy talking to another friar who was hosting us in Galway.

17:25 - Deacon Bob (Host)

An Irish friar.

17:27 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, and we were talking about pilgrimages and he said he goes. Yeah, I used to lead pilgrimages. I said oh really he goes. Yep, there's one in every group.

17:36 - Deacon Bob (Host)

How many were in this group?

17:37 - Father Dave (Host)

No, actually my groups are always fantastic.

17:40 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Oh sure they are.

17:42 - Father Dave (Host)

But it was a really. Actually it really was a great group. We had about 70 people. It was cool. One of the families they brought their kids. So mom and dad and four kids.

17:51 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Oh, how old were the kids In college ages? Okay, yeah, and one had actually graduated Autumn Phillips.

17:56 - Father Dave (Host)

I don't know if you know Autumn Just a great family, but it's always nice to have families and other people, yeah.

18:02 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Do you go to like Auschwitz and Dachau? Yes, oh gosh, yeah, yeah, Dachau, Dachau.

18:06 - Father Dave (Host)

I think that Dachau is in Germany. I think, wow, right Kolbe and Holy Father John Paul all alive at the same time. They actually lived at one particular time, for a very brief time, within about 30 miles from each other. They were all in the same place, but never actually met any of them.

18:27

They never met each other, met each other but if you think about that, I mean, those are three of the most significant saints of the last hundred years and all within this little, no name Poland, insignificant country. So saints of the last hundred years and all within this little, no-name Poland, insignificant country. So it's just a beautiful pilgrimage. We started up in Warsaw and then we went to the friary that Kolbe established, and I mean to be able to celebrate Mass at the altar that Kolbe celebrated. Mass was just a real, a tremendous blessing. And then, the coolest thing, everything I've done on this pilgrimage I've done before, with the exception. We went to St Faustina's hometown at the little church that she was. It was just this little teeny church. I had to laugh because I mean, there was this little teeny church and rather than tearing that down and building a new one, they just renovated and expanded it, much like we've done here. But you look at it and it's like, honestly, they kind of did the same thing we did. They embraced that this is what they had.

19:23

Yeah, I mean because it's two totally different types and looks. But it was just wonderful. But the coolest thing is, then we went to her home and I mean, bob, it's this teeny home. I can't say how small, I mean just teeny. I think there were 10 kids. She was literally born in the home, born in the living room, which is typical, and then it was her niece that actually gave us a little tour.

19:47

So, St Faustina's niece, and then we prayed the chaplet of divine mercy in her backyard. There's just something really beautiful. Just, you know, this is the place that Faustina grew up. She played with her brothers and sisters, so it was just a very, very touching scene. I mean, again, there's the places you mentioned. We went to Auschwitz and it's funny, I would ask pilgrims at the beginning I would say, like, what are you looking forward to most? And fairly early somebody said, well, I mean, I don't know if I'm looking forward to it, but I really so. From then on I would say it's okay if you say you're looking forward to going to Auschwitz because it's kind of like you morbid, why would you?

20:22 - Deacon Bob (Host)

want to look forward to that.

20:24 - Father Dave (Host)

You sicko, but it's profoundly moving. I mean to go to Auschwitz, and it's interesting to think so. One morning or one afternoon we were at Divine Mercy. We went obviously to Krakow, which is where Faustina's buried and that's where the Shrine of the Divine Mercy, and then the next morning to go to Auschwitz.

20:43

And there's a connection between this divine, the mercy of God, and the great mercy of God, and Auschwitz. That's just very, very moving. So to be able to go to Auschwitz. We had this kind of weird thing happen. We don't know still why it happened. So there's Auschwitz, and then about two kilometers away is Birkenau, and Birkenau was an extermination camp. Auschwitz was a concentration camp but for some reason some of the people couldn't get. Auschwitz was a concentration camp but for some reason some of the people couldn't get into Auschwitz. Their ticket didn't work and they wouldn't just give them a new ticket. It was this big drama. So I went to Birkenau with them and Birkenau is what you kind of picture, you know, at the end of Schindler's List, where the train tracks go right to the gas chambers. That's Birkenau. But again, to go there and we all gathered there and pray the chaplet of divine mercy there, it's one of those things you don't enjoy. I mean it's weird to say you enjoy it. You don't enjoy it but-.

21:36

You never forget it, you never forget it and, honestly, it's important. It's important to go and it's important for us to see it, and our guide was sharing with us that she had a hard time going to Auschwitz because that's her job, and she just reminded herself that if you're ignorant to history, you'll repeat it. Now I'd love to say that we're never going to do something like this again, and yet I find myself thinking that that was in the 40s and then, literally 40 years later, you have what happened in.

22:07

Rwanda the genocide of 900,000 people in 90 days. So we can never underestimate or overestimate how cruel we can be to each other. But it was a beautiful pilgrimage just John Paul. The new shrine that they built at John Paul is beautiful. I think our pilgrims had a great time so it was real blessed flight home was great.

22:27

Flight attendants might be maybe the best flight attendants. I think our pilgrims had a great time, yeah, so it was real blessed. Yeah, yeah, flight home was great. Flight attendants might be the I was talking to mom just a minute ago maybe the best flight attendants I've ever had.

22:34 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Wow.

22:34 - Father Dave (Host)

Honestly, they were just so thoughtful and helpful.

22:39 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, so it's great, that's awesome, yeah, but it's good to be home, yeah, and I wonder you what saints might come out. It's right, where there's evil, god can shine the brightest. I mean, you think of what it would have been like in those years to live in Poland when Hitler rolls in and occupies it and the rest of the world goes oh well, okay, I guess so.

23:02

And then all the atrocities that start happening behind when, no, when no one's watching. You know setting up those concentration camps and those execution camps. And then you know today, I mean you know just all the war that's going on. You know, with now Israel and Iran throwing missiles at each other, ukraine and Russia still fighting, and I wonder, you know what saints are present in the midst of those, because there's always saints present.

23:32 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, who's raising up we?

23:33 - Deacon Bob (Host)

don't know those stories right now, just like nobody knew the story of Kolbe at the time of what was going on. But when it's easy to be God, where are you in the midst of it? I think one thing to remind ourselves is if you look, another thing I think you can learn from ourselves is if you look, another thing I think you can learn from history is that God is present there and the stories that come out afterwards are often some incredible stories of hope and faith, and men and women sacrificing themselves and living faithfully in an impossible, what seems to be an impossible situation.

24:10 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, you mentioned those things. When I'm on pilgrimage I'm kind of unplugged, honestly, so I wasn't aware of a lot of that was going on. One of the nights I was just talking to my mom, just checking in and seeing how she's doing. She said, you know, she just kind of mentioned the thing going on in Los Angeles. I said, well, what's going on in Los Angeles? She kind of mentioned the thing going on in Los Angeles. I said, well, what's going on in Los Angeles?

24:30

She goes okay, there's massive riots, and then I guess there were rallies and riots, and it wasn't all riots, it wasn't riot everywhere, but all that was going on. And then I went online just to find out what was going on and then found out about the Iran and the situation there. And yeah, you're absolutely right, who are the people, who are the individuals that the Lord are going to raise up and use to bring peace? I mean, it's oftentimes the one that you don't recognize and, honestly, sometimes the one you think's kind of out there or missing things or naive or something like that, so it'll be interesting.

25:03

Did you watch, catch any of the rally that took place? What was it? Two days ago? It was the 250th anniversary.

25:12 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Right, yeah, it was Flag Day and it was the anniversary of the Army.

25:16 - Father Dave (Host)

Of the Army or something.

25:18 - Deacon Bob (Host)

And it was Trump's birthday.

25:19 - Father Dave (Host)

Oh, happy birthday.

25:20 - Deacon Bob (Host)

So I did catch some of the parade. I mean, I think, at least from what I hear in the news, there was a lot of concern and yet thankfully things went pretty, pretty smoothly because it was. It was about something else. Yeah, and the military really tries to not be political. You know they're. They're here to defend all of our freedom.

25:42 - Father Dave (Host)

And so.

25:43 - Deacon Bob (Host)

I'm. I'm glad it didn't. Yeah, I mean you don't to conflate two things Like the army should celebrate 250 years of history you just think of.

25:52

We are only a country because of our armed forces and it's Flag Day, and those are things we should be proud of, and I think in a sense, particularly when the protests are civil and peaceful, that's a great part of being an American that we can do that. I mean you couldn't do that in Nazi-occupied Germany, you couldn't do that in a great part of being an American that we can do that. I mean you couldn't do that in Nazi-occupied Germany, you couldn't do that in a lot of other places.

26:13 - Father Dave (Host)

But your assertion about it not being nonpolitical is absolutely right. Unfortunately, I think it's become political.

26:18

Yes, yes, my suspicion is that that population there was probably leaning one way. But it's always interesting going to Europe and having conversation with some of the people. There are guides. I always like to talk to the guides just about some more personal things, about, yeah, their thoughts of the united states and this and the other. And you know both of the guys there. You know they said there's the policy and all that, but he said we will forever be grateful to the united states you know, and because you guys sacrificed your men and women to come and to free us and liberate us.

26:50

And so it's interesting that, yeah, they do not have a short memory on that. There's a memory that they realize that their lives, their family's lives, their country's lives would be radically different had the United States not done what the United States did. So it's important, I suppose, to keep that always in mind In the midst of you know, right now, the political turmoil that's going on big picture. There's been a lot worse.

27:13 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, yeah, and we just keep praying for people to be treated with human dignity and for you know the common good to reign in terms of policy and decision making. And yeah, just peace. Yeah, you were talking about.

27:26 - Father Dave (Host)

we're going to talking a little bit about signs of hope. There was one story that was. It was actually happening in LA. It wasn't a priest, but it was some religious figure, I don't exactly remember, and it was just him just kind of caring for people. It didn't look like he was picking sides, but just being present to people, trying to comfort them. And it's again people like that that are willing to just step out, try to move past. It's not to say we don't have opinions or agendas, but those are going to be what ultimately going to dominate us and recognize the people that are in front of us and care for them.

27:58

Yeah, it made me think that today, the reading, the first reading is now is the time of salvation. Now is the unacceptable time that, you know, we can always think about. What could I do or what should I do? Well, do something now, you know, reach out to somebody, call somebody in the midst of kind of chaos. It's important that we were more intentional about doing something good.

28:18 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, absolutely yeah. That's a great sign of hope.

28:21 - Father Dave (Host)

Yep you.

28:22 - Deacon Bob (Host)

My sign of hope would be just the men and women who are doing ministry with young people, and I saw a lot of alumni and I mean, these are the things that don't make news, you know, but in every parish, in every place, there are people who are deciding that serving others is going to be at the core of who they are. And the theme of the conference was Radiant Hope, which tied in very nicely, of course, to our podcast and I got to give a talk on it and they asked me to talk about Radiant Hope in service.

28:57

That was the talk I got because, being a deacon, that seemed like a good thing to do and one of the things is it's fun to get a topic title because it just gets you off your maybe routine if.

29:08

I've given this talk before and, as I was praying through it and something I shared with the folks, there was this idea that, you know, we hope in what we cannot see. That's what St Paul says, for who hopes in what one does see? So how do you see hope? The answer is we see hope in the way other people serve. Like it's, you know, like you can't see light, but you can see what light reflects on. And even, for example, the visitation of Mary. She's told that she is going to be with child, with the Son of God, and her immediate response is and my cousin is six months pregnant and she's old, I need to go in haste to a hill country and you see that hope in her, in service. And it wasn't that she was looking to prove what the angel said. In fact, one of the things that Elizabeth says is blessed are you who believed what was told to you would be true, but I also think, other great examples of hope. Well, I would say, father Dave, yourself or anybody living a celibate life is a statement of hope. You might say, whoa, you've got one life, bro, you've got to live it. And the statement of the celibate is no, we have more than this life, and actually the next life is better and I want to live that life now. I want to be a witness to that life now.

30:28

Or you think of religious orders? I saw a beautiful story of the missionary charity sisters who are taking care of physically and mentally handicapped people in Gaza, and numerous times the army has said okay, you can go, we'll protect you, we'll give you a corridor. And of course, they're like well, can we bring these people with us? No, well, then we're staying. And it was this video interview and they were smiling and they were laughing and they were—it's just like—but that's hope, right. I mean like, why would you possibly do such a thing? Well, it's the hope and the resurrection, and you can't see the hope, but you see it reflected in the way we serve.

31:06

Yeah, that's great and I think, seeing those gifts of service around us and even, just again, priests, religious celibates, all of those we might take for granted, but those really are signs of something better.

31:20 - Father Dave (Host)

Yeah, I think and you and I have said this a thousand times on podcasts is if we pray for eyes that can see there's hope all around us. Yeah, you know, and we can get colored by what the media is saying, or colored what you know Uncle Jim is saying, or whoever, and we need to be able to step back, pray the Lord gives us vision and is able to see it.

31:39 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Yeah, Because we won't see it in the media but, we can see it in the holy men and women, some of whom are hidden figures for now. Yeah, but we can have confidence that God is absolutely present in those places.

31:51 - Father Dave (Host)

Amen and pray for them. Amen and pray for them, amen, you're going to do it.

31:56 - Deacon Bob (Host)

You can do it.

31:57 - Father Dave (Host)

All right. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your light and your Holy Spirit that allows us to have hope and allows us to see hope. May today, in this time, lord, we be hope for someone else. We make this in your name, Jesus, amen.

32:11 - Deacon Bob (Host)

Amen. Thank you, Father Dave, and thank you everybody. We're praying for you. You can shoot us an email at hope@franciscan.edu. That's hope@franciscan.edu. God bless everybody and happy Feast of Corpus Christi.

32:33 - Father Dave (Host)

Merry Christmas.

32:34 - Deacon Bob (Host)

And with your spirit. Amen. They that Hope is a production of Franciscan University of Steubenville and is distributed in partnership with OSV Podcasts.