Jesus' Miraculous "Spitball"

Bishop Wall, Fr. Burke, and Mike Sweeney give early bracket and college baseball predictions and discuss the Gospel story of Jesus curing the blind man. 

Theme song: "Rock Star" by John Ehrich. Used with permission.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Nunk Chepe. Welcome everyone to episode 23, my favorite number, of Versual Alto, Faith on the Field, a podcast combining faith and sports. My name is Father Burke Master, who is the pastor of St. Isaac Jokes Church in Hinsdale, Illinois, and the Catholic chaplain for the Chicago Cubs.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

I'm Bishop James Wall, I'm the Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, located in the states of Arizona and New Mexico.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

And Mike Sweeney, husband to Shara, father to six beautiful children, and a retired Major League Baseball All-Star.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Let's start with prayer, brothers. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the joyful example of your servant, St. Pierre Giorgio Fersati. Pierre Giorgio never tired of striving boldly to go higher and deeper in faith, prayer, and love. He cherished your presence in his family, friends, the mountains he loved to climb, the poor he visited, and especially in the Holy Eucharist. May we too go toward the heights of our Catholic faith and by example bring others to your church through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, it's good to be back with uh your brothers. Mike, uh glad to have you back. I know you've been spring training. We want to talk about that. So a few things we want to talk about today are the we have the world baseball classic going on, United States with a big win over Mexico. Uh maybe catch up on Royal Spring Training and what's happening there. And maybe look at a little college baseball and March Madness prep. So uh we'll see how much time we have to cover those things. So uh let's begin with the world baseball classic. I know we've got uh uh Mike, you've probably got some Royals play. I know you have uh Bobby Witt Jr. made some incredible plays last night uh against Mexico. Somebody told me to, I didn't see the game live, but two I mean, all out diving stops into the six-hole and just threw one from his knees, and the other just came up fire and unbelievable. Both plays were unbelievable and in the same game.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

Yeah, it's been a joy to uh to mentor Bobby Witt Jr., both on and off the field since he was 18 years old uh with the Kansas City Royals organization. And I've been telling everyone about Bobby since he was 18, and now the world knows who he is. And I I love the reaction from Paul Skeens, who is arguably one of the top pitchers in the world. He you can see him throwing the ball and the ball's hitting us in the hole, and he kind of shrugged his shoulders like, ah, face hit. That's it. And he looks up and Bobby dives in the hole, goes on his knees and throws one 97 miles an hour off his knees across the infield. And Paul Skeens was like smiling, saying, Are you are you serious? Like this just happened. But yeah, I've been loving the WBC. And you know, as a major league player, you know, my kids asked me, Dad, did you play in the WBC? And the first year of the WBC, I believe was 2007. And if they had had, if they had had it three years before, I would have played in it. But I was coming off an injury and I didn't have the opportunity to play. But for a major league baseball player, this is the closest that you'll ever get to representing your country, like in the Olympics. Why? Because Major League Baseball is played during the summer, and it's hard to pull you know 30 Major League players away from their teams in the middle of the summer when the season's going on to go represent your country. So this is kind of the closest you get, and uh I love it. It's it's been super exciting. Um, seeing USA and you know, I'm cheering on some of the guys with um Team Italy. Um the Kansas City Royals actually have the most players on the WBC rosters of any organization in baseball. I believe we have 16 players. So about a week and a half ago, we had a robust uh locker room, and then the last 10 days it's been pretty bare, and you know, every most most all the stars are out representing their countries, um, which is a cool thing. So Bishop Wall, what do you got on the WBC?

SPEAKER_01 4:16

So I was just I haven't I haven't hardly had any chance to watch it. It'll be mission appeals. I'm on retreat, another mission appeal and another mission preaching a mission. But I was listening to people talk about the Dominican Republic. I guess they're they're kind of over the top on their celebrations. I guess they're they're I hear they're they're pretty entertaining and they kind of try to uh they try to one-up each other on their celebrations. I guess I've I I gotta see if I can find some time to sneak away and watch a little bit, a little bit of it. You know, I uh Venezuela always root for Venezuela just because there's a couple D backs on and Marte and Perdomo, but obviously USA. I'm hoping we win it all this year. I think this might be the year.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

And uh and our buddy uh Rolando Vallez, the coach from the Rolando's on the coaching staff for Venezuela, and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Yeah, Venezuela amazes me. I mean they just played baseball down there. Lots and lots of baseball. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

A lot of these countries, it's uh it's a way out of poverty, and uh boy, some of these guys sign when they're 16 years old and you know, can make a lot of money in the big leagues. Um it's uh it is fun to watch there. Last year, was it was it last year when it came down to the USA and Japan?

SPEAKER_02 5:34

Yeah, Mike Trout versus Otani. Yeah, Otani closing out the game, throwing 102, and Mike Trout trying to hit a home run, and uh Otani got the best of them, didn't he?

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Yeah, yeah, he did. And so it it could come down to the same two teams again. I know they're both undefeated so far, and uh, but there's there's some other great teams, like you say, like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. So it's gonna be gonna be fun to watch.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

What was the eventually? Don't oh go ahead. What are we talking about? The the Italians? What's one of the guys for the Italians when they celebrate?

SPEAKER_02 6:07

I don't know if you guys have seen this. This is great. So one of the our Royals first baseman, Vinny Pascuantino, last year he had 30 homers and 100 RBIs. Uh, one of the premier players in the game. Um, he he had a he had a chance to represent America, but three years ago, you know, he was a rookie or second year in the big leagues, and he's a heck of a player. And uh USA wasn't calling, so he went to represent his motherland, um, Team Italy. And uh he's he's the heart of the team. So he went back again, and this is awesome. Number one, he came up to me and said, Hey, Swings, uh, you wore the C on your jersey, right? I said, Yeah. And he he asked, What was it like? You know, you know, what was it like to be walking around and everyone knew that you were the captain? And I said, Well, when you're crowned a captain, it's not who they hope you to be, but it's who you've already been and who you who you have been for years. And I said, they've already crowned you the captain. So this is just simply declaring who you've been. So I said, go out and enjoy it. And so I don't know if you've seen the home run celebration of Team Italy. So Vinny Pasquantino, he's known as the captain or the godfather for Team Italy. And at the end of the dugout, when when Team Italy hits a home run, he'll be over there. He has a he has an espresso machine in the end of the dugout. He brews up a quick espresso, and and and in honor of Team Italy and Vinny Pasquantino, I got my espresso. So Vinny gives it to him. The player pounds the espresso shot, and then he gives them the godfather kiss, one on one cheek and one on the other. It is beautiful. So, you know, I'm rooting for Team USA, but you know, Puerto Rico's got a great team, Dominican, Venezuela, Japan. But I love seeing just the excitement of Major League players getting to play for their country or their parents' country or their grandparents' country. It's it's something spectacular.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

Do you see I one thing I did see um a couple Seattle players uh in the USA and uh Mexico game? And uh the batter came up and he went to shake uh what's what's uh what's Seattle's catcher's name? Big Dumper.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

Big Dumper. Tom Raleigh.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

I let you say that. And uh and he and he went to shake his hand. He's like, nah, we're not shaking hands. You're on the other team.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

Hey, did you guys see the USA? Did you see the USA game? I thought this was so cool. It brings out patriotism and love for country, which is which is beautiful. Even like Bishop's saying, not shaking hands with your teammate because he's playing on another country's team, but great love for country. Um, there's uh Paul Skeens who started for um Team USA uh last night. And then is it um Mason Jax, Father Burke?

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Griffin Jax.

SPEAKER_02 8:53

Griffin Jacks, so great reliever for the Minnesota Twins. Now he's pitching for Tampa Bay, throwing 100 miles an hour. Both of them went to the Air Force Academy, and they had probably 50 to 75 guys wearing United States Air Force Academy shirts and hats and in the crowd. And I love to see the way that they were honored. Um, the captain, Aaron Judge, hits a home run, and as he's running the bases, he looks back and he salutes our our wonderful military men and women. And then Roman Anthony, the rookie from the Boston Red Sox, hits a home run, same inning. And as he's running around, he looks back and he salutes uh the Air Force men and women. And it was just it was beautiful to see. Just, you know, the patriotism, the love for country. Um, yeah, I and using baseball to do it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Yeah, that it's great to see. And how much of an of an interruption is it to the major league uh clubhouse during spring training? What do you what do you see the effect of it to be?

SPEAKER_02 9:54

So I I think it's it's good, but it's it is very disruptive. You know, for about three or four weeks in maybe three weeks in spring training in Arizona, we did a ton of team building things, starting way back in the offseason, bringing the team together, establishing leadership values, um, just really bringing the team to become one. And right around the first of March, all of our stars kind of went off. And like I said, we have the most stars in all of Major League Baseball representing their countries. So there was almost a dismantling um of that core because they're going out representing their countries. Now internally, we're we're rooting for you know the guys to go out and play and be healthy, but we're kind of also rooting for the teams to go 0-3 and get our stars back. Um because what we don't want, what we don't want is, you know, 15 of our guys, our core players, to show up, you know, March 18th and be, you know, hey, we just we just played to the finals of the WBC. And then by the way, in two days, we're breaking camp here in Arizona and we're heading to Texas for a couple exhibition games in Atlanta for opening day. Because there is in baseball, there's something special about spring training, about coming together as a team. And uh, Father, you've talked about it in your spiritual spring training. There's something magical about a team grinding and pushing and doing you know fun things together to become one.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

I wonder what it does to the pitchers. I I was listening to Paul Seawald uh talk the other day, they're interviewing them, and I guess they're always very methodical about their kind of ramping up and getting in there, especially the starters. And uh I wonder what it does for the pitchers, pulling them out of that and putting them into this environment, and then they're gonna go back to their their regular and major league baseball environment.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Yeah. I do know that there have been some documented cases of um, you're right, Bishop Wall, uh during the spring training, it's very methodical. Hey, today I'm gonna go out and throw 40 pitches. Um, I'm I'm throwing it, I'm throwing in front of 5,000 people in Surprise Arizona. And it's pretty, you know, 85, 90 percent. There's a little adrenaline. But like Team USA, uh, they get they're they're building up, and all of a sudden you're you're playing it in in Houston in front of 45,000 people, sold-out crowd. Half of them are cheering for team Mexico, and you can't throw at 80%. You have to go the adrenaline's gonna kick in. And I know we have um pitching for team Puerto Rico, Seth Lugo. He'll probably be our number one or number two starter. His nickname is Cuerto Rican. I love it. But uh Cuerto Rican, um, because his I think his his grandmother, his grandmother is is Puerto Rican, so he's he's known as Cuerto Rican. And uh but but he goes from a very methodical, savant mindset of I'm gonna carve people up to all of a sudden he's pitching against you know Team Israel and games on the line. He's gotta ramp it up a little bit. So that's what we're hoping for is all of our guys do come back. Very good point, Bishop Wall. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Come back healthy and ready to go. Yeah. You'd hate to see somebody get hurt this early in spring training and ruin a season, you know. Um yeah, it's good for good for baseball and and rough on major league baseball teams, I think, in the clubhouse. So some give and take. Let's switch gears a little bit from the the major leagues to to college baseball. And then we'll get to college basketball.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Someone's team is doing well. Somebody's team is number three in the nation.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

We'll we'll get to the Arizona uh what is their nickname? Are they the uh Wildcats?

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:42

I did not. We had a lot of nicknames for them, and I'm sure they did for for us as well. Um, some of those will be left left off the air. So yeah, uh we uh coached Brian O'Connor, uh, brand new coach at Mississippi State this year. They uh hired him from Virginia, where he coached, I think, 22 years and uh good Catholic guy, and he won the national championship for Virginia, and now we're hoping he can bring a second national title to Mississippi there. 14 and 2 to start the year, number three in the nation behind UCLA and Texas. Um and so obviously, as a college baseball player, I keep a close eye on them and maybe hoping to go down and see uh maybe a couple games this this spring if I can get away from the parish for a little bit. You guys are you guys following college baseball at all?

SPEAKER_02 14:41

Uh I'm follow uh I'm Bishop Wall, I'm following the Wildcats basketball team. I understand they're gonna be getting the number one seed for March Madness.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Yeah, they are. The question is will they get the number one overall? So I think you know you've got what uh you got Michigan, you have Duke, you've got Arizona, who's the fourth that's in there. And it's always a question of who's gonna get the number one overall seed. You know, I think those are kind of locked in for that right now. Uh, but a lot has to do with what they do in their conference tournaments. So if the Wildcats won their regular season in a stacked Big 12, and so uh now it's a question of how they end up doing in their their conference uh championships. Yeah, so this will be fun.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

So I'll be rooting for them. I'll be rooting for them, Bishop Wall. But uh regarding college baseball, I do root for Mississippi State. Coach O'Connor was great. He reached out to me um recruiting a couple kids that I've coached uh on my San Diego Saints program, and just seems like an outstanding, young, outstanding young man. And uh I'm rooting for Texas, and I have a nephew playing at the University of Texas. But the number one team that I'm chairing for in college baseball is a little school down in Wichita, Kansas called Wichita State Shockers. And um, our oldest son, MJ, is playing there. And over the last couple weeks since I've been on, he sustained a knee injury, and it was pretty, you know, disheartening to see we're in Hawaii, uh, cue ball spinning. He he breaks one way, the ball spins the other, and he thought he was gonna be out again with uh this would have been his second knee injury. But by the grace of God, you know, he's he's back on the field showing some grit and toughness, and he played really well. Uh, he just came back after two weeks of being out and had a really good weekend, but I could care less of what he did on the field. I was most proud of him Sunday night. He played first base, both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. First time he's played in two weeks. And then he played Sunday. And after the game, you know, calls me about nine o'clock at night and I said, Son, how you doing? I'm so proud of you. And he goes, Oh, dad, I'm doing great. I just got out of mass. I'm and and I'm I'm I left mass and I'm going back to the clubhouse. I'm gonna go lift some weights tonight. And I said, Son, I'm I'm proud of you for your grit, but I'm most proud of you for your faith and the way you're celebrating it in in this time of your life. So yeah, I'm rooting for Wichita State, but man, I I'm rooting for my kids to get to heaven, and that's that's most important. Yeah, amen. That's great.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

How's their team doing, by the way?

SPEAKER_02 17:15

I think they're doing pretty well. I think maybe maybe 10 and 4 or 12 and 4, 13 and 4, something like that. They're off to a good start.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

So nice. Uh we'll see how they go, but I don't even know which tough state.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Is it uh is it USA, Comfort USA, or hmm? I should know these.

SPEAKER_02 17:32

I need to be better about that. We'll have to. I don't know my I don't I don't know my I don't know my sixth grade kids homeroom teacher's name. So I'm trying to keep up with it. We got six kids. Well we got we're juggling chainsaws over here, Bishop Wall. So by next week I'll know I'll know my I'll know Quinn's teacher's name and I'll know um what conference MJ's playing in. Little by little. Pokewa poca.

SPEAKER_00 17:54

Pokwa poka. And the conferences change every year, so it's hard to even, you know, when I played in the SEC, we had 10 teams, and now they're how many? 18 or something like that. I I can't keep keep track of them all. So um yeah, so uh Bishop, yeah, going over to the uh college basketball arena, yeah. They're saying they think it's a three-team race for the number one overall seed, the teams you mentioned. Duke, Arizona, and Michigan, and uh they think Duke has the inside run for the number one seed, but conference tournaments could could change things.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

I think that's it. It's all gonna I think it's gonna come down to, you know, if they yeah, I think if they all if they three if the all three win it, uh they uh Duke's ranked number one right now, that um they'll get probably the number one overall. You never know. I mean, like I said, the Big 12 is stacked in basketball right now. Really, really is that's a that's uh a lot of fun to watch. Move from when we had the Pac-12, it was kind of like Oregon, UCLA, and Arizona, but now in the pack the Big 12, we've got everybody. It's always something big.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

We have uh we have one here at the office. We have a little traveling traveling trophy uh that uh I was lucky enough to win pure luck. Uh I I love college basketball, but because of the NFL and college football and then baseball starting, I really only focus on it during March Madness. So um, unless Mississippi State is in for a good run. But uh I don't think they're gonna make the tournament this year unless they win the SEC tournament.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Yeah, we never know, huh? You never know.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Yeah, I'll be yeah, Bishop Wall be cheering for those cats, those kiddies from Arizona, the wild cats. And but but I understand uh Coach Bill Self might be retiring. That's kind of the rumor going through Kansas City. Really? So um I'd love to there's a rumor going around that this might be his last year. So uh I'd love to see them and and uh University of Arizona Wildcats in the finals. That's gonna be my kind of my blind uh March Madness um bracket.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

Yeah, I always do one with my head and then one with my heart, and uh and then one I should just do with darts because you're just about as yeah. I always pick a 12 seed over a five seed, right? There's always at least one 12 seed.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Yeah, there's always an upset. I need to re redeem myself from a horrible college football playoff picks.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

Uh we didn't want to bring that up, but since you did, uh well, you were 12-0 before we started keeping score.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

I was, that's the thing. College basketball.

SPEAKER_00 20:49

So uh anything else you guys want to touch on sports before we head over to the scriptures? We're good.

SPEAKER_02 20:57

I I just want to highlight what a joy it's been. Um, you know, getting to be with you all out in Scottsdale a couple weeks ago at St. Bernard of Clairvaux. It was awesome getting to talk baseball with you know, three or four hundred people there. I don't remember how many, but the church was packed, and Father Fred and Bishop Olnstead showed up. And then the week before, Coach Giff Smith comes on, and you're getting comments and you know, stuff's going through the roof as far as people giving feedback. And I'm just super excited to uh to be a part of this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yeah, it it it felt so uh great just to be together and and speaking one after another. We you probably heard our podcast last week, Mike. Uh you were on fire uh preaching the word there at St. Bernard's, and uh it was it was fun to fun to be there with you.

SPEAKER_01 21:45

Yeah, when you're you're not here, it's like a three-legged stool without that third leg. So yeah, uh, we're a little wonky when you're not here.

SPEAKER_00 21:51

Yeah. And we're gonna be getting the same way when I'm without you. We'll be getting some other guests to join the three of us. Uh Maybe during the baseball season and it's gonna be fun. Yeah, but Coach Giff, uh uh, we wanna have you back on, and he said he'd be willing to join us. People loved hearing his story and uh were really blessed by the words that he shared. So uh let's let's go over to the fourth Sunday of Lent already coming up. We've got the story of the man born blind, and uh in the church we we do what's called the second scrutiny for the catechumens, those about to be baptized. And these readings are so appropriate for those coming into the church, but but for all of us. So, Bishop, you want to kick us off?

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Sure, sure. I was just this past weekend, I was at uh St. Thomas More Parish in Glendale, so shout out to the wonderful people there and Father John Eric. And uh they had about 5,000 people at mass on a weekend, three masses, 5,000 people. They're just they're hitting it out of the park. So anybody in that area, highly recommend to go over and check out the the good things they're doing. But um, so I got to do one of the scrutinies last week, which was great. I generally as a bishop I don't get to do them, so I felt like I was back in my old pastor role. And the scrutinies are neat. You do there's a what we we uh refer to as an exorcism. Always think about this whenever we bless something. Out with the bad, in with the good. So uh we're out with the bad, so that's what a really an exorcism does, and then an in with in with the good, a blessing. And this period of of Lent for the people who will be baptized is a what they call a period of purification and enlightenment. So out with the bad and in with the good. So in every scrutiny, there's what we call a minor exorcism. I know when we say exorcism, immediately people go to the movie. Get that out of your mind. That's that's that's Hollywood. But um there is there is a whole notion of you know turning away from sin and embracing and embracing the gospel. So um this one, when you if you're at a mass with a scrutiny, you're gonna hear how the prayers really line up with this gospel, with the the man born blind. So talks about uh as Jesus was passing by, it says he saw a man who was born blind, uh, and so he's blind from birth. And then the question is put to Jesus, they call him the rabbi, so they acknowledge him as a teacher, and they said, you know, um, who sinned? Um uh this hit this man or his parents because he was born born blind. And so the question is, is this a cause of sin? And Jesus gives a very direct answer. A lot of times when people ask questions, he'll kind of I don't want to say an indirect, but he'll he'll expand his uh answer so they can have a uh a much deeper understanding of what's going on. And he just simply says, Neither. Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it's so that God's glory might be manifested through him. And so how is how is it going to be manifested through him? It's going to be manifested through uh the healing of this blindness, and then so the people who knew him perhaps before when he was blind, and the people who know him after he was blind, uh they can come to believe Jesus uh through this, through the this miraculous healing. So that's one thing I think to look at. And then the the way that Jesus heals him is also different. Yeah, Jesus could have just touched him and he he could have um you know received his sight, or he could have just said, receive your sight. You know, Jesus, Jesus divine, he could have done that. But the way he does it harkens us back to the Old Testament and the creation of man. So what's happening is a new creation. So it you know, it says he he spits on the ground, he he he takes the dirt, he kind of makes uh um a kind of a bit of a clay, and then he puts it on the man's eyes. Now remember that the man hasn't seen Jesus, and then he tells him, go wash in the uh pool of silowam, which means sent. And so when he goes, he washes in the pool of silowam, and then he immediately receives his sight. And so he's never seen Jesus, he's only heard about Jesus, and he's only heard Jesus' voice. Uh, but what he does is he he goes on and and uh sends him and he's he's healed. So think about in uh the creation of man uh from the clay, right? Adam from the clay. And so think about with this what Jesus is doing a sense is a new creation, he's making things new. Behold, I may I make all things new. And then there's also a question about isn't this the one who was born blind? And somebody say, Yes, it is, or maybe they see it's a his doppelganger, somebody that looks like like and and then there there comes this whole back and forth with with a religious leader. So I think I probably talked a little bit enough, and maybe you guys have a little more to talk about it, take it from there.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Sure. I I I like to talk about the sight here. Um you know, think about when we are born in the state of original sin, we're kind of spiritually blind, right? And uh our baptism is what gives us new sight. So this uh, you know, this Jesus reforming this man, like you say, the a new creation, uh, especially as we're going toward the Easter vigil, those who are going to be baptized, you know, are going to be new creations in God and uh they're gonna be able to see things in a different light. And if I could bring in a baseball analogy, you know, they say the best hitters always have the best eyesight. Mike, I don't know what your eyesight is, but uh, you know, they say Ted Williams had 2010 vision, and uh, you know, he's the last hitter to hit over 400 in a season. And it was so great, you know. I I looked this up, he 1941, he was batting 399, 5'5. So it would have been rounded up to 400 with one day left in the season, a doubleheader. And he could have sat out and hit 400, rounded up, but he decided, no, I'm gonna play both games of a double header. I'm not gonna sit this out. And he went six for eight in the doubleheader and uh ends up hitting 406 in 1941. But his eyesight was so keen, you know. He he denies it, but many said he could just pick up the spin, the seams, the you know, the fingers right out of the pitcher's hand. And uh so you know, I've been using these sports analogies as as followers of Christ, as people who've been baptized to people who are his disciples. Our one of our goals is to be able to see the enemy and how he works, like Ted Williams would see the opposing pitcher, pick up those pitches. You know, the enemy is always throwing us curveballs and and change ups and trying to get us to swing at those temptations that he's offering. Um, but when we start to see, ah, that's that's the role of the enemy, that's not of God. The more that we see with God's eyes, the more that we have this 2010 vision from God that comes from the sacraments, the scriptures, uh, you know, spending personal time in adoration, then we start to see, and that's what wisdom is. Wisdom is seeing as God sees. Now, none of us can see perfectly like God, but the more that we live in his grace and are involved in the different ways the church offers us to follow Jesus, um, the more we're able to see uh the tactics of the enemy and to only swing at those fastballs that are meant for us to knock out of the park. So Mike, what are your what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02 30:04

Well, um, I I love this chapter in uh the Gospel of John, chapter nine. Um, a couple things really are I'm drawn to. Bishop Wall did a real good job explaining that Christ had the power simply to heal him with word. But I love that he drew him, he he drew the elements. Um, he drew dirt from the earth and and his saliva, and then that could have cured him. But then he told him to go wash. And I think you know, that blind man, he's you know, he had said he'd been blind since he was born, so he's never seen before. And, you know, in that time, uh, number one, I think about the word humility, right? It's St. John Christendom said it's the root of all virtue. And I think the correct me if I'm wrong, father and bishop, the word humility means of the earth, right? Hummus or yeah, and Christ used, you know, what we were just reminded on Ash Wednesday, from dust you came and dust you shall return. He took the dust of the earth, or the hummus, or the humility, and he spit into it the divine saliva, mixed it, and then he rubbed his eyes, and then he called him to almost that spiritual washing or the baptism. And and afterwards, I love this blind man, the boldness. So you think he's been sitting down begging for years, and the Pharisees, the ones that were most respected, are quizzing him, saying, you know, uh, give God the praise. We know that this man who healed you is a sinner. And he's like, and he has this boldness. He's like, whether he's a sinner or not, I don't know. But one thing I know, I was blind and he healed me. And then they give it to him again, and he's like, Well, do you want to become his disciples too? Like, I love the just the boldness of the blind man. I think, God, how come, how come we aren't more like him? We've been, we've been rescued of blindness and we've been given sight, spiritual blindness and um and physical blindness uh to this blind man, but like more so the spiritual blindness that we deserve death, but yet God has given us life. Why don't we have the boldness of this beggar? Even to look at those that are most celebrated in the culture, and they are you are you a Catholic? Well, well, you're doggone right, I am. Uh do you want to become one too? To not shy away from our faith. And like I love the fact that you know, he was shunned by by the community for years, ever since he was born. And yet he has come alive, he's had sight, and his spiritual blindness was awakened, and he has this boldness to even look at the most special religious leaders and give it right back to him. Do you want to be a disciple of him? So I that's what I was drawn to, the disposition of the man that was made clean. And, you know, by God's grace and the sacraments, especially that at baptism and um reconciliation, we too are made clean. And may we have the boldness of the blind beggar, the blind man, to go out and be that bold witness of Christ to the world. That's that's what hit me.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Yeah, much like the uh Samaritan woman, right? Last week, she after she encountered Jesus, she went jumping for joy into Samaria, telling everybody about this man who had told her everything about her life, even though it was all of the sin that he knew, he changed her life forever. And this is this way too. And so we're called once we have that encounter, yeah, to be bold and and share. And you know, I think in the first reading from the first book of Samuel, it's the story of the calling of of David. You know, Jesse has these really handsome, strong sons, and you know, and one after another, um uh the prophet says, not him, not him, not him. You know, do you do you have another son? Well, the youngest one's out in the field tending the sheep, sent for him, Samuel says, and of course it's David. And uh, so the one that was least likely to be chosen is the one that's chosen. And that's, you know, the line says, Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart. And I was thinking uh Bishop Dennis, who both of you know, my buddy, he always says, Every person I see as a treasure chest. You know, sometimes on the outside they might be hardened, they might be tough to get to know, but inside is a treasure. And I'm always looking to pull that treasure out and get to know that treasure and think, wow, that's that's how God sees everyone, and what we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to Christ.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

And in Matthew's gospel, when we have a Sermon on the Mount all the way to the end, if you follow, you know, Jesus is always talking about the heart, right? He's always talking about what's what's going on in the inside of the person as opposed to the outward appearance or what other people see. The Lord sees us for who we are, he sees sees to our heart. And um, yeah, I think that's a that's a great little connection. Uh, there's a oh is it uh Amazon Prime did a uh series called House of David. I saw the first one, but they have a good depiction of when they come and they they call David. So this is this is kind of depicted this whole this whole thing by the the calling of David.

SPEAKER_00 35:35

I never did see that, but I know you said that was a good uh good series.

SPEAKER_01 35:40

It's good. I keep trying to watch uh season two, but um I uh I can't remember my pin, and so I don't know how to unlock it to watch it. I need to ask one of my my my great nephews, not my nephews and nieces are all too old for me now. The my great nephews and nieces, we gotta probably find like a 12 or 13-year-old, and they'll do it in a matter of seconds for me, but I can't can't figure it out.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

That's crazy. Uh Father Burke, I know on your podcast you speak a lot about the chosen, and it's awesome. And the the Catholic actor who plays Jesus, Jonathan Roomy, he uh recently got together with Kevin James and they did a movie called Solo Mio. It's uh one of the better movies that I've seen out in the theaters right now. A bunch of wonderful Catholic artists, uh Hollywood actors got together. They made this movie on a$4 million budget, and it is just true, beautiful, holy. It's something you can take your children to, and it's it's one of the best movies that I've seen. Um, I went with one of my teammates, Reggie Sanders, uh, in Arizona. I'd heard such good things about it from the men in my Bible study, and we're cuddled up. We got little mini bags of popcorn that we took from the clubhouse and we're eating, and there's a real special part in the movie, and it's very Catholic. I mean, it's a and I look over, I'm like, Are you crying too? And he's like, Yeah. So we're eating our little mini bags of popcorn, we're wiping tears away, and it's beautiful. But I came home, it was so good. I took Shara, my wife, on a date, and uh, it is such a beautiful, holy, Catholic-centered movie. It's uh Angel Studios picked it up and they're running with it, and I think it's doing really well. Like Rotten Tomatoes gives it like a the audience gives it like a 98% approval rating. Wow. But it's it's on a shoestring budget, so it's not getting much advertising. But if you want to watch a great movie during Lent, um, you can take the kids. It is it's called Solo Mio Meal and um Jonathan, Solo Meo, Kevin James, Jonathan Rooney. I don't want to tell you any of the other actors because it'll ruin some of the movie, but it's something you should definitely check out.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

Bishop, next weekend here in Arizona into the movie theater. Did you just need to pop into the movie theater? I was trying to move. I somebody kind of moved past that. I'm thinking I'm a bit of a little follower. I don't I don't jaywalk or anything.

SPEAKER_02 38:13

Hey Bishop, how about this weekend weekend uh when you're out in Arizona and I'm out in the spring training after a ball game, you and I could go maybe watch it together. It's awesome. That sounds good. Sounds like that sounds like I'll bring the popcorn. We'll we'll pay for it. We'll pay for it at the theater. Yeah, it'll it'll be good.

SPEAKER_00 38:31

He he is a real follower. When we were we were at uh one of the spring training games, and uh they were directing traffic, you know, we're the walking traffic and all the cars uh before the game, and and uh you know, they were kind of directing us one way, and Bishop's like, nope, the the crosswalk is over there, I'm going over there. And even though they were telling us, like, okay, I thought I was a real follower, but uh he's got me beat.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

When I walk on the Camino with I'm gonna tell on the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, when I walk on the Camino with Archbishop Cochley, he always jaywalks and I just can't do it. I feel like I'm gonna break out the hives. I think he gets a kick out of it when he forces me to jaywalk, you know. Fuck. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

Even though Bishop Wall was all state and football as a wide receiver, he probably was a hall monitor too. Bobby Brady. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:31

That's classic. People get to know uh they're getting to know us better through these uh episodes. It's great. It's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

How's your guys' Lent going? I know we're I know we're inching down towards the last couple weeks of Lent. How how's your guys' Lent going?

SPEAKER_01 39:49

Yeah, pretty good. You know, I I've uh like I said, you know, last week I was at one parish doing a mission appeal for my diocese. This week I'm on retreat in Tucson with my priests. This next weekend I'll be at another place preaching a parish mission uh in uh in Sun City on the west side. And uh, but I think I think overall it's it's it's going uh pretty well. You know, when you when you end up uh writing a lot of talks and doing a lot of stuff and you really focus on Lent, it uh I think it's it's a good opportunity for you to go deeper into the into the season. I I just find it that way.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Yeah, and I I feel like it's going well too. Uh something Dr. Bob said, Dr. Bob Schutz really struck me. It's regarding healing, but he said healing is not the goal, but communion is, and he's not just talking about holy communion, but communion with the Trinity. And so that's what I've been trying to focus on is not so much, I mean, I am fasting and you know, watching what I'm eating, but more than that, it's like, am I spending time in prayer and am I focusing on being in union and communion with God? And uh, in that respect, it's it's been going great. And I always tell people, remember, it's not just about white knuckling something for 40 days and then letting it all go. It's you know, how am I gonna be a better disciple come Easter Sunday and how am I gonna continue that after Easter Sunday into the long season ahead? How about you, Mike?

SPEAKER_02 41:23

Yeah, it's probably been one of maybe my favorite Lent that I've been through. Um, I'm kind of on the third, third or fourth quarter of Exodus 90, and as we're inching towards the end of Lent. My uh my anchor came to me about maybe a week ago and said he's a Protestant when we started Exodus 90. And um he came to me a couple days, maybe about a week ago, and said he wants to become Catholic. He's been going through OCIA, but he was on the two-yard line, and uh God brought him through uh the end zone, and uh he asked me to be a sponsor, and it's just it's such a joy like when you walk with someone and to see God do wonderful things. And then lastly, um it's been neat, just my goal for spring training was not to just blend in with the crowd, and I'm I'm gonna be confessing here to our audience, but at times, you know, I go to spring training and you know, you you hear a joke and you know you shouldn't laugh at it, but you do. You hear language and that you know you shouldn't say, but then you participate in because everyone else is doing it, and you just you get in a rut of just trying to fit in, or you end up in you know, unintentionally fitting in. And it's like God doesn't call us to fit in. So my goal for spring training was that you know, through my asceticisms and prayer, that I could fill it with Christ, that he would go before me. And it's probably the first time in my life that um I can say the Holy Spirit is about a second and a half ahead of my mouth. Usually he's about 30 seconds behind it. So I say something, and then 30 seconds after I'm convicted of the stupid things that I but the fruit of it has been, man, we had 25 guys come to Ash Wednesday Mass. Guys are coming to Mass. Um, I had three Catholic guys on our team. Um, thanks to your guidance, Bishop Wall and Father Burke um asked me to help them go through pre-Kana. So we we've been meeting for dinner and going through the book by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Is it three to get married? Bishop Wallet. Three to get married, yeah. Three to get married, and then Father Burke mentioned uh the five love languages by Gary Chapman and just the fruit of um you know our witness, right? Uh we have all the we have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit that lives within us through our baptism and the Eucharist to be Christ uh dwellers and to be that uh fragrant aroma. But at times, man, my pride just screws me up and I'm not a good example. But by the grace of God, it's it's been a great sp spring and lent and um. Yeah, the fruit of it's been you know seeing you know guys coming to Christ through a broken down, sinful guy that screwed it up more often than not in the past, um redeemed the work from the cross, and it's just been a cool, cool limp. Beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 44:21

Yeah. Yeah, we it we're preparing for uh you know Holy Saturday the other day, and uh we have I think 56 people coming into the church, which is amazing. Just the uh the logistics of where we're gonna put everybody and how we're gonna do it is it's a fun problem to have. And we had our beh we had our men's behealed retreat this past weekend, and uh this gentleman came up to me after at the end of the retreat and he said, uh, Father Burke, this put me over the edge. I'm like, what do you mean? And he said, uh I'm I'm joining the church after this retreat. And uh he said, I was questioning, but this is exactly what I needed to experience to know this is this is home for me. That wow.

SPEAKER_01 45:13

Um, I think Catholic. Some people think when they come to the, if they go and you join OCIA, it's a done deal. But that's really not that's not how it works, you know. Um, you know, once you once you get in the door, it's not okay, I'm gonna become Catholic. It's a real discernment period. And what we do is we we teach you, we help you to pray, we help you to discern. But we believe that that everybody should be Catholic because Christ founded the church. And um, but I think sometimes people think, well, the second I walk in, then I'm I'm stuck. Um, but it's uh really is a time of discernment, uh to receive the teachings of the church, to ask all the questions you want to watch or ask, that's important as well. And um, but that's that's great that this guy that's what put him over. That was uh a big big discernment. Sure, sure he did a lot of praying that week this last weekend.

SPEAKER_02 46:07

Yeah. And and Father Burke, you said 50 53 brothers and sisters are coming in to the Catholic Church at your parish alone.

SPEAKER_00 46:15

Yeah, like 56, I think.

SPEAKER_02 46:17

Oh, praise God.

SPEAKER_00 46:19

18 people being baptized, and then another 38 or so that are getting confirmed and you know, coming into full communion from other Christian faiths. So it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 46:31

Yeah, we I think we have about 50 at the cathedral in Gallup, which is really exciting. These are these are numbers we're hearing all over the world, not just the United States, but all over the world. And then this pair shows up this week, and there was just like a a mob that came forward for the the right. So it was it was it was great. It was great to see the Lord working in people's lives. Yeah, it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 46:53

Yeah, amen.

SPEAKER_01 46:55

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 46:58

Bishop closes this in prayer. Um, just to put in a word for our our Catholic uh sports camps this coming summer. I know people are probably planning those this summer, and uh, you can go to catholicsportscamps.org. Um, we have baseball, softball, pickleball, track, and hockey so far. No curling yet.

SPEAKER_01 47:22

Uh second you do curling on there.

SPEAKER_00 47:25

Although uh there is a prisoner here who is involved in curling, so when Bishop comes, we're we're gonna go get a uh a lesson on curling.

SPEAKER_01 47:33

I want to learn. I I get uh glued to the TV when they when they have curling on. There's it's such a you know, it's skill and strategy, and it's just fascinating. I love how they yell at the thing all the way down. Well, they're given, I guess they yell at each other, but it's great. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 47:53

Yeah, who is it that got accused of cheating?

SPEAKER_01 47:56

Was it the Canadians that they said they yeah Canada they pushed and look what happened they lost the the gold in hockey in uh to us, both teams, uh two to one in overtime. See? What do they say? Cheaters never prosper?

SPEAKER_00 48:12

I don't think Japan beat us in baseball because baseball is our sport, so just like hockey is Canada's sport, uh, so we've gotta we've got to hold the line in baseball. So, Bishop, would you would you mind closing us in prayer? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 48:30

In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Well, St. John Paul, from the window of heaven, grant us your blessing. Bless the church that you loved and served and guided courageously leading her along the paths of the world in order to bring Jesus to everyone and everyone to Jesus. Bless the young who are your great passion. Help them dream again, help them look up to the heavens again, to find the light that illuminates the paths of life here on earth. May you bless each and every family. Be warned of Satan's assault against this precious and indispensable divine spark that God lit on earth. Saint John Paul, with your prayer, may you protect the family and every life that blossoms from the family. Pray for the whole world, which is still marked by tensions, wars, and injustice. You opposed war by invoking dialogue and planting the seeds of love. Pray for us so that we may be tireless sowers of peace. O Saint John Paul from heaven's window, where we see you beside Mary, send God's blessing down upon us all. Amen. Amen. The Lord be with you, with your spirit. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_00 49:47

Amen. And um thanks, guys. Great to be with you. And uh for those uh listening and watching, please put your comments in the comment section. Um and uh please share this podcast. Like, subscribe, and share with uh anybody that you think this might uh edify them and their knowledge of sports and and of our faith. And as St. Pierre Giorgio Fersati reminds us, the higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ. So keep striving Versual Alto and your faith and pursuits. And until next time, God bless you.

SPEAKER_02 50:21

Well, shout out to my mom. She's one of our big fans listening to our podcast. I love you. I love you, mom.