Verso l'Alto
Welcome to Verso l'Alto, Faith on the Field Podcast. Join Fr. Burke Masters, priest of the Diocese of Joliet and chaplain to the Chicago Cubs and Bishop James Wall of the Diocese of Gallup, while they explore the Catholic Faith through Scripture, the saints, and the thrill of sports.
Verso l'Alto
Nats, Tats, and Tribes, with guest Trevor Williams
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Bishop Wall, Fr. Masters, and Mike Sweeney speak with Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams about his MLB career and Catholic faith.
Links:
Sing the Hours: https://open.spotify.com/show/5MvuGtXFIbfej3dz8cKBVp
Theme song: "Rock Star" by John Ehrich. Used with permission.
Welcome everyone to episode 36 of Verso el Alto, our Faith and Sports Podcast. My name is Father Burke Masters, Catholic Chaplain for the Chicago Cubs, and pastor of St. Isaac Joges Church in Hinsdale, Illinois.
SPEAKER_03I'm Bishop James Wall, I'm the Bishop of the Diocese of Gallup, located in the beautiful states of Arizona and New Mexico.
SPEAKER_01And Noom Chepi again, right? Mike Sweeney, former Major League Ball player, proud husband, proud father, and proud Catholic. And we have a special guest. No, this is not Jonathan Rooney. Although he does look like Jesus. He throws like a Cy Young Award winner. We have a Major League All-Star pitcher that's going to join us, but also a wonderful man of God. And we'll get into our special guest after our opening prayer.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, let's begin in prayer as we always do. 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 Frasati. 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. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Mike, let's just introduce our special guest today.
SPEAKER_01Alright. Well, years ago, I went on a Catholic men's retreat with Catholic Athletes for Christ, founded by our great leader Ray McKenna. And I met a young man that was young in his major league career. And I can't wait to get into his story. But you know, he's been kind of a leader in the faith for Catholic ball players in the Major League for well over 10 years. And uh he's become a brother and a friend. Annually, we go on a retreat together, and now that I'm retired, I root for him every fifth start. Uh now he's a current member of the Washington Nationals. Uh we're honored and blessed and privileged to have uh our dear friend in Christ uh Trevor Williams join us. So, Trevor, welcome to our podcast.
SPEAKER_00Thank you guys, and I'm sorry it took so long. It took 36 episodes, but hey, I'm glad that uh I could join you guys.
SPEAKER_02The first one, but uh I'm sure it won't be the last one.
SPEAKER_03We had to work out the bugs. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02It's taking us 35 episodes to figure out what we're doing.
SPEAKER_00So you guys are pros now. You guys are pros.
SPEAKER_02So just to start us off, Trevor, maybe a little bit of your background where you're where you're from and your family, and um and then we'll follow up with some questions and things.
SPEAKER_00So sure. Um born and raised in San Diego, uh huge Padres fan growing up. I watched um man countless Padres games. Uh I probably saw over a hundred Trevor Hoffman saves. I saw you know a thousand, two thousand Tony Gwen hits. So it's uh love the game of baseball. Um and thankfully it worked out. I wasn't good at anything else. I wasn't good at math, wasn't good at basketball. Um but uh I went to Arizona State for three years, um, was drafted by the Miami Marlins, made my debut at the Pittsburgh Pirates, um, and been with a few teams, but uh found my home in uh DC for the last few years. I'm uh husband of almost 12 years. We have five kids, um and the oldest of three boys.
SPEAKER_02Nice. And uh so and currently you're uh rehabbing and uh getting ready to get back on the mound, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm close. I'm about to start my rehab assignment. Um I finally got my elbow scar um last year. It took me long enough to finally get it, and uh it's funny when I when I when I I didn't have it, it felt like I had false valor. It felt like it wasn't like a real I wasn't a real pitcher until I got my surgery, but we got it back, everything's fixed, everything's working now. So I'm uh in Florida now. Um I've got like another week or two here, and then I start my rehab assignment with the uh the baby gnats, and then uh meet the team hopefully uh around the all-star break.
SPEAKER_01Hey, I got a question for you. So Father Burke said you're rehabbing for all of our fans out there that are not big baseball fans, they're fans of the face. Trevor, Trevor Williams is not in drug or alcohol rehab. He's a man of God, he had an arm injury, and he had a I think a surgery before that just required a couple orthoscopic ports into his arm, but now he had a full zipper, and um, but now he's coming back uh from an injury, and he's um Yeah, we're still drinking.
SPEAKER_00We're still drinking, so don't worry.
SPEAKER_01Don't worry. Every once in a while we can have one together. Thanks for clarifying that. Uh on your recovery, on your recovery from your from your arm injury. Uh talk about, let's get into it, man. What's your faith played and how are you practicing your faith through the storms of of Major League Baseball?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think um it's it's funny. People have asked me, like, doesn't this like this is like a big turning point in your career? And it's like, man, like if my career ended tomorrow, I'm in such a good spot. Um this is these these these elbow injuries are more devastating for guys that are just coming into the league. Um I can't imagine. I mean, I I'm in I'm in rehab right now with like the rookie ballers and guys that are like on minor league rehab, and it's depressing. Like it's it's really if you've I mean most people haven't experienced this. Mike, I know you're around the complex a lot. It's not a fun place. Um you try and bring as much joy as possible. The first time I was down here, I'm looking at with like with the PT that travels with me, and I'm like, I didn't see anyone smile for a week. You know, you have to you have to like you have to like really and like we're buying ice cream for them, right? We're trying to get them to smile, and it's like it's like thanks for the ice cream, Trevor, and they just like will like slouch to their car. But um, it's for the for the guys that are early in their career, i I can imagine this is devastating. Um, I'm in, you know, I I've made it to the big leagues, I've played thankfully for a while. And it's where it's like if the surgery ends my career, I've I've experienced the pinnacle of this of my career. Um not that it, you know, I'm not taking this seriously, and this is has been hard. It's the first time in my life where like I'm on the bench and I know I can't pitch and I can't play, and like the baseball was taken from me. Um and I'm not ready for it to be done. I don't want it to be done. Um but it's been a really good um kind of reset for me where like what is what what is important to me? Like, is baseball important? Like, why are you still playing this dumb game? Like what where are you putting your time and effort into? And it's and it's it's helped me fall in love with the game again. Um not that I fell out of love with it, but it's just more like I fell back in love with with the process and with just because when when I've been healthy throughout my entire career, and that like the monotony of every fifth day, you're getting ready for a start, you're getting ready for something, you're getting ready for something, where it came to like a screeching halt. Um so it's been um it's been good for me. Um I'm thankful for the time off. Um I'm thankful that I got to see you know what minor league rehab looks like for guys that are really struggling. Um it's been good. It's been a good journey so far. And I'm I'm excited to get to get on the road and finally like fall. Like I threw my first live BP the other day, and like the whole team was out in DC. I threw 10 or 15 pitches, so it really wasn't that exciting, but like to dig into the mound on the game mound and for like my teammates to be there, it was the best. It was better than like opening day jitters. Um that's great. So like so like to find those little joys again is has been huge. It's awesome.
SPEAKER_03And you you you you didn't you didn't have you didn't have Tommy John, right? No, I just had Tommy John.
SPEAKER_00It's called yeah, it's called uh just the Tommy, same scar, same scar, just a different. Um I had what's what was called an internal brace. So um my UCL, my ulnar collateral ligament, the Chomi John ligament, yeah, um, wasn't completely torn, it was just partially torn. So instead of taking it out, they put like it looks like a shoe string and they laced it up, solidified it, put some bolts in there, um, and it's good as now. So it's a miracle surgery, yeah. It's like it's a fraction of the time recovery time. I mean a fraction, it's it's less than 12 months instead of 15 months, 16 months. Um and you know, it's I'm thankful that they made this surgery. So it fixed the problem.
SPEAKER_01Trevor, you talk about a shoelace and a bolt. It sounds like a trip. I know you love wearing van shoes. Sounds like a trip to the van shoe store and over the Home Depot across the street. 100%.
SPEAKER_03Duct tape and bailing wire. That's not true. Yeah, there we go.
SPEAKER_01Trevor, um, you're a man of the word, man of faith. I I know in the book of James it says, consider it joy, my brethren, when you are do when you endure trials of any kind. I know you are experiencing joy, and the world has seen you experience joy. Um, and you're you're kind of getting a peek into identity. And man, I'm my career is getting at the tail end of my career. It's a long major league career you've had. But let's go back to the beginning. One of my favorite stories, and I cry every time you say it. Tell our viewers about your first major league win and why it was so special to you.
SPEAKER_00Because I cried, yeah, I cried too. Uh, and like with look looking back on it now, it's like, man, if that if that was my only experience as a major league baseball player, like everything was worth it, um, without a doubt. Every, you know, little league game, every travel ball tournament to Las Vegas and Phoenix and wherever, just to have that one moment. Um, to contextualize, I made my major league debut in 2016, September 5th or 6th, I forget exactly the date, but um in 2015, October 2015, my son, my first son was born. Um, my wife and I were ecstatic. Um and I was he was born and then I was sent to what's called the Arizona Fall League, which is it's cool, but it's kind of stinks. It's the Arizona Trade League, it's the Arizona Get Hurt League, it's the Arizona like you just it's a it used to be this like prospect thing, and it probably still is, but everyone just kind of goes, ah, I really don't want to go there, you know. So we got son was born two weeks later. We had to go to Phoenix um to start the the league, and I was already stressed. We just had our first baby. Um, and then when I get there, I was told not to pitch, which is insane. Like, why would you get me to this place and have me not pitch? I was shut down for about a week. Um, come to find out I was then later traded, and I was shut down for the week because they were still working on the trade. Um, and thanks be to God, I was we were praying this novena to like get closer to San Diego to be with family, right? We just had our son, we were in, I was with the Miami organization, and then when I was traded, it was like we were traded to Pittsburgh, and I'm not a geography expert. I went to Arizona State, but like that's not very that's not much closer to San Diego. Um, but our Lord, you know, our Lord works in mysterious ways. And um when I got that when I got that call, the first call obviously goes to my dad, it's not to my wife, it's going to my dad, and he doesn't answer the phone. Um, and he always either answers the phone or he'll call back immediately. This was at like two, three in the afternoon. Didn't call back. I didn't get a call back till like eight, nine at night. Um, and he's like, sorry, Missy, what's up? Not like jovial, not happy like he usually is. I'm like, okay, what's going on? Um, I told him I was traded to the pirates. He was like, Well, that explains a lot of things. I was like, Where were you all afternoon? And he goes, I was at the hospital, I had a surgery, um, they found cancer. Um, and being the good dad that he is, he didn't tell me how serious it was. Um, he didn't tell my brothers how serious it was. We came to find out over the next couple weeks that he was given like 60 to 90 days to live. Um and it's just my brothers and my dad. It's just us, it's us four. And um that whole year he went through chemo. He uh we didn't think he was gonna make it. He surpassed the 30-day mark, he surpassed the 60-day mark, the 90-day mark. And through that whole season, I'm in triple A. Like, I know I'm close to the big leagues, but I it it's hard to like to know that. Um and guys, I was pitching well, and guys, someone else we had called up. Pitching well, someone else got called up. And I think it was like 12 or 13 guys got called up before me, which is unusual, which is very unusual. Um, that we had that many guys. And we were a good team. Like, we weren't like a we weren't like a revolving door major league team where we had guys going up and down AAA a lot. Um, we were a good team. And uh in this whole time, all year, I'm just like, God, please let me experience the big leagues with my dad. Like, he's dying, he's actively dying. Um, I would love to share this moment. And the the prayer that I would always get back, and what I would hear from our Lord, is this whisper like, just wait, just wait, just wait, it'll be perfect. And in my brain, it's like, no, it's gonna be perfect now if you call me up in on June 3rd and have me pitch in Kansas City, right? That's that's perfect, that's perfection, right? But our Lord promised me, like, just wait, just wait, just wait. So I finally got called up in September. He's um done with his chemotherapy, he's well surpassed the 60 to 90 days. Um, still sick, going still, still going through his chemo. Um made my debut. Um he was able to be there. I came into the game as a reliever, we were up by one in the uh sixth inning, and I'm not a high-leverage guy, I don't have high leverage stuff, but I came in in a high-leverage situation. My first big league pitch was to Yadir Molina, which is so sick. Um, and it was like 95 as center cut as it gets, like right down the middle. And uh it was an E9, like a legit right fielder in and out of his glove. And that's nightmare fuel, obviously. Um that runner gets a second, he ends up scoring to the tie game. I throw three innings, um, I get taken out in the top of the ninth. We hit a homer to go, or the bottom of the eighth, we hit a homer to go ahead. Top of the ninth, our closer gets the save. I get the win in my major league debut. Um we celebrate as a team. Mike knows this when you go inside after this, you get the first win, you do your whole, you know, you get the whole beer shower, you get the catch-up shower, you get everything right. And I didn't I didn't know this, so I was making my way into the the dugout and I see my dad down the line, and I'm like, I'm gonna go see, you know, I'm gonna go out share this moment with my dad. And we embrace. It's you know, he's hugging, he's crying, I'm crying. We can share this like this raw emotional thing because A, I just got my major league win, and B, like I didn't think he was gonna be standing there and experience that with him. And uh, we caught it on camera. The ESPN caught it on camera. Um, it was not like we didn't know cameras were running, like it was very much a this happened, and my teammates were pissed that I took so long because I didn't I was supposed to celebrate with them first and then go out and see my family. But um, you know, thanks be to God, I got to see my dad out of the corner of my eye. And um, and then the video went out the next day, it went viral for obvious reasons, and then the context behind the uh came out and made it even more raw. And um yeah, we we shut our phones off that night, woke up the next morning, and it was as viral as it gets. And um, my teammates, when they realized that's where I was, they weren't as mad at me that I made them wait for my beer shower. But yeah, um such a cool moment. Um, you know, like I said, if that was the only that was that was the only experience they got in the big leagues, man, like that would have been that's it's overwhelming, and it's uh it's just so much grace um through that year um with my dad and with his with his health, and like you know, just for us to share that moment and like our Lord promised me it was gonna be perfect, and um it was so and it happened on Roberto Clemente night. Um so I like to think Roberto Clemente swatted the ball out of our right our right fielder's mitt so that so that the run can score so that I could so that I can get tied and we can go ahead and I can get the win. So um it was great. Um and he's still you know he's still alive today, he's as healthy as a seven-year-old man can be.
SPEAKER_02So that's great. That was uh it was 2015, you said 2016. 16, so 10 years ago 30 to 60 day sentence. That's awesome. Yeah, praise God. We've had a chance to meet him, and you know, uh you you got to play for the Cubs uh for a time, and I know your dad, if I remember right, he he was a vendor or an Usher or something like that.
SPEAKER_00Usher, yeah, Usher at Rickfield, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was super cool.
SPEAKER_00It was uh yeah, it was fun for my family to uh to make that decision to go to Chicago and uh to play for the Cubs for a little bit. And I still have voice a voicemail from my grandma when I uh when I signed, she's calling me saying, like, oh honey, I saw in the newspaper you signed with the Cubs, how wonderful. Um and she got to see me pitch my last start um as a Cub. Um and then she passed away uh about two years ago, but she got to like she got to see me as a cub in Chicago, and it was great for our family. It was great for my dad, it was great for you know his extended film with the family that were in Chicago, and even though it was just for half a season um in 2021, it was um it was very, very special to my family and I.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I remember uh waking up to the news that you were traded with Javier Baez, right? Mm-hmm and uh and you know Baez at the time was a rising superstar when you know the Cubs had they got rid of Baez and Bryant and Schwarber and those guys.
SPEAKER_00It was the Black Friday of 2021, everyone got traded. It was uh it was sad on that clubhouse. And as as the chapter we got PCA. Cubs got PCA, you're welcome. You're welcome.
SPEAKER_02Was he was he in that trade?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was me and Javi for uh Pika Armstrong.
SPEAKER_02Wow, wow, I didn't know that. Um I'd forgotten it. But I can tell you as a chaplain, I I didn't not that I didn't care about Javier Baez, but I was like, Trevor, you know, as as a chaplain, you know, you were the guy in the clubhouse, you know, inviting guys to mass and evangelizing. And you know, that's I know Mike had that role with the royals as well. It's such an important part because as chaplains, we don't have a lot of time with the guys, you know, we come in and we leave, but to have a guy like the two of you in the clubhouse is such a gift to draw people to mass. And so uh we had to start over after you got traded.
SPEAKER_00Uh well I remember I remember I saw you guys, you had the summer camp like three or four days before the trade deadline. I think I saw you guys right before it happened.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was like the end of the end of July was the camp, and then uh three days later, uh, you were traded as like, man.
SPEAKER_01And you you brought your son, you brought your son out with you about the baseball camp. Yeah, he came out. Is that Jude?
SPEAKER_00Uh Isaac. Isaac was there. Um Jude was a Jude was a baby, Jude and Jojo were babies. Um it's it's so crazy. Like looking back at photos of like how old the kids were during like the baseball seasons, we like my wife and I joke like 2021 was so hard because we had two kids under one, then we had Isaac, who was four, and Jackie was pregnant with Lucas, and then I got traded, and it was just a it was just a little bit of a zoo of a year, but what one of the things people notice, Trevor, when they get that you have you have tattoos, um, and uh you know I remember asking what I think we met at the the CAC retreat, and uh they said you used your tattoos to evangelize.
SPEAKER_02Can are you comfortable sharing any stories about that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um I'm not good with words really. I'm I like sharing stories. I love um I love the tattoo culture, as weird as that sounds, as a suburban white kid from Southern California, right? Um but I've I've always fallen in love, I've always loved um tattoo culture, and I knew when I turned 18 I knew exactly what I was gonna get. I knew I was going which tattoo shop I was gonna go to. Um and it was funny when I turned 18, my dad took me to uh the casino in San Diego, it's uh Indian reservation, Verona, and he puts we went, we went on uh on like a Thursday or whatever it was. No one was there, and he looks at me and he goes, How much is your tattoo gonna cost? And I'm like, Ah, it's gonna be about you know 500 bucks. So he puts $100 in front of me and $100 in front of him, and we played Five Hands of Blackjack, won the money, and got out of there. And I went to the tattoo shop the next day. It's great. So I got uh I knew exactly what I wanted. I got um St. Michael on my left arm. Um it was a parish that I grew up in. Um it was a parish where I was formed, it was a parish where I had an experience with the risen Lord. Um, and I knew it was going right here. Um, and then under it I have James, James 1, 22 through 25, where it says he says, be doers of the word, not hearers only. Um when you become when you become just a hearer, you forget. What you do, or you forget who you are. And when you do what you're called to do, you'll be blessed in that. So at St. Michael here, under it, I have my birthday and my brother's birthdays, just in case I forget. And we have we all have uh we all have brothers for life in Latin because we love each other. Um and then uh under it I have um the Holy Spirit window from St. Peter's The Dove. Um when I got when Jackie and I got married um immediately right when we got back from our um honeymoon, I got uh my arm done and I have St. Joseph's Lily rods because I needed help as a husband and as a father. Um but I don't think she knew she was getting into like she didn't think that I was like that into tattoos. I think I kind of tricked her a little bit. Um so I went full sleeve, full sleeve as soon as we got married. Um I have on my right arm I have a uh raven um as an homage to uh Saint Benedict of Nurcia. Um the Benedictine spirituality to me has always um spoke to me. Like the the simplicity of the aura at Labora, the work and pray, the like put your head down and do the rule of your house, do the rule of your um team, do the rule of your family, um, has spoken with me a lot. Um I have the Immaculate Heart of Mary um tattooed. I have my entire leg is the four evangelists. So um what's how St. Jerome like depicted them um with like the winged ox, the winged lion, the uh the winged man, um, and the eagle. Um and then this offseason I got my entire back done. It was supposed to be my torso, but my wife said absolutely not. So I got my whole back done um of the uh the the christogram of the pelican in adorote devote. So an Aquinas' hymn um where the stanza goes, Oh sweet Jesus, oh loving pelican, where one drop of blood can save the whole world. So um that image to me is so beautiful. Um I got it on my back this year. So um I have a lot of people.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, the words and the pelican.
SPEAKER_00No, just the just one sec. If you have kids, if you have kids watching, you know, turn it, just avert their eyes for a little bit. Let's do the unveiling.
SPEAKER_01Let's go. Ah, beautiful. Can you come a little closer? Come a little closer, my friend. I can't hear if you're in an holler and stuff.
SPEAKER_03The Pelicans is one of the ancient symbols for Christ. Yeah. And you see a lot of them on the front of the altar because it will pick from its breast to feed its young. So it gives up itself for his young. So it's one of the it's one of the it's one of the ancient images of Christ. Yeah, and the interest too, right? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Isn't it be doers? Be doers of the word is your motto.
SPEAKER_03That's my episcopal motto. I'm sitting over here doing all kinds of stuff. I'm like, that's my episcopal motto. You talked about the window at St. Peter's. I've got those socks on today. I'm pointing at my socks as you're saying this. See, how many, how many tattoos I can match up on you today trying to see that? That's funny.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, Bishop Wall, you and Father Burke won't go to the casino tonight, and you won't go get a tattoo. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02They're all around us. We're we're recording this on Monday. We just got here to see that I'm in Gallup with Bishop. Uh we have a uh a youth group doing a mission trip here. We passed about five casinos from Albuquerque to to Gallup. Who knows? By the end of this podcast, we might be inspired to let it ride.
SPEAKER_01I'm sure that's a good one.
SPEAKER_00We'll bring a next uh this retreat. I'll bring a tattoo gun so we will get CAC tattoos maybe under our eye or something.
SPEAKER_03The prison ones. We'll do a new comedy.
SPEAKER_02That's what we'll do anything.
SPEAKER_01I got a question for you. You uh you obviously have a great love for our Lord. It's shown in the art, um, the tattoos on your body. You touched on it's your dad and you and your brothers. Um, where did where did you get so well formed? Who who are your spiritual heroes in life? And how did a young man growing up with the dad and brothers, you know, San Diego boy, turn out to be this hero in the faith?
SPEAKER_00Uh, through a lot of grace. Through a lot of grace. Um I uh we we went to mass every Sunday. Um my dad prayed the rosary every Sunday, but it's funny, like when I was a kid we never prayed it together. I always just saw him uh praying it. And it wasn't until man, uh Pro Ball where we like prayed a rosary for the first time. And then like I'm like, all right, the first mystery, the first glorious mystery. And he goes, What? I'm like, like, what have you been doing my entire life? Have you just been fiddling with the rosary pizza? I'm like, what have you been doing? Um but no, it's it uh I had a I had a tremendous youth group uh growing up in San Diego. Um I had a tremendous uh mentor who's um non-denominational, he led like our um FCA Bible studies in high school. Um and it's a funny story because I was so naive growing up, I only thought there was Catholicism because all my friend groups were like from CCD. We didn't really talk about faith in baseball, um, like with my with my teammates and whatnot. So when I was invited to this Bible study um in high school, I was like, yeah, dude, of course. So it'll be just like CCD. And uh the the one of the first conversations I had with him, I was getting confirmed, and Bishop, you'll love this because I was getting confirmed on Thursday at St. Michael's, but we had a game, we had a CIF game on that Thursday. So I'll just go get confirmed on Friday at St. Gabriel's. It's lot it's logical, right? And I'm and I'm asking, and I'm asking him, and I'm like, and I'm like, Sean, like it's not gonna matter where I get confirmed as long as like I received the sacrament. It's not gonna like it'll be great to be with my friends at St. Michael's, but like we can make it happen at St. Gabe's. And he's looking at me and he's like, what are you talking about? Like, what is confirmation? So that was like the that was like the first, that was like the first moment in my life where I was like, oh my gosh, there's something, you know, there's you know, the tree of Christianity is gigantic, right? And um so he was he he really challenged me um in high school where he was like, Man, two things like you're every decision you make is either gonna destroy the kingdom of God or build it up. Every decision you make, there's no there's really no gray area. Um it challenged he challenged me with that, and then right before I went to college, he challenged me with be who you say you are before you get to college, don't let other people decide, don't figure it out, don't don't like wait and see what happens. It's like, no, if you're calling yourself a child of God, like mean that and take that with you to Arizona State. So that stuck with me um tremendously. Um the youth group in um at St. Michael's was incredible. We had um great youth ministers, uh, we had great friends there. It's where I met my wife. Um and then when I got into college, it was um formative for me. Um I was attacked a lot, not like maliciously, but it was like my like my first day at on campus. I'm praying to the Lord, like, please like connect me with a group, please connect me with someone. And then the first person I meet, of course, he's a Bible study leader at some church, and I'm like, great, we're locked in. Um I played the dr I played the drums. I was in like a punk band growing up, and they wanted a drummer for their new band. And I'm like, done, dude, this is the best. Like, thank you, Jesus. Um but then we start going and we start stuff starts happening, Bobby Slades start happening, you know, you're attacking the church, you're attacking my faith. We need if you're gonna be a drummer for our band, we need you to not be Catholic anymore. So it was the first time in my life where I'm like, they didn't love me for me, they just wanted to take me out of Catholicism. Um they wanted me to like abandon the faith that I knew and loved. Um so I started like getting into apologetics, you know, why do I believe what I believe? Um not that I ever had a faith crisis, but it was more so like, man, if I if I say I love our Lord in the Eucharist, like show me where that is in the Bible. Show me what our church fathers said about that and how you defend these things. So in college, I took um all my related area classes. I studied history in all my related area or religious study classes just so I could take out some apologetics. Um and that was great formative for me. And um, you know, I've been with my wife since uh I was a senior in high school, and like she's been along with me every step of the way in our walk and my walk. Um, and she's really been my like lighthouse for everything where it's like we did it with the intention of marriage, we've got married, thanks be to God, and like everything was always back to our Lord, and everything was always back to like our marriage and our children and our family. Um, so like believing the faith or even like straying from the faith was never an option. Um, and I'm just super thankful for the grace um from mentors young in my life, um, and uh and knowing that it can be done. And like knowing guys like you, Mike, like I went to St. Michael's and Philip Rivers sat in front of me every single Sunday. Okay, and it was the first time in my life where I could see, man, that guy's at the top of his game, and he still has a faith. It's still possible. You it it's they're not they're not separated, like you can do both. Um Mike was in that uh video Champions for Faith, and that made it around that made its rounds through Arizona State Baseball, it made its rounds through you know all the college baseballs, man. And uh so seeing that um and knowing that you can be at the top of your sport, you can be at the top of your job, and you can still have a faith. It's um it's it's it has to happen together. You can't do it. Um they're not mutually exclusive. So um just a lot of grace, I think, at the very end of it. A lot of grace.
SPEAKER_03That's great. That's great. Did you did you get involved in the Newman Center when you were at ASU?
SPEAKER_00Yes, when I was at ASU, um, that was the that was the second day, you know, when I got away from Hope Protestant Church. I went to Hope Protestant Church um to drum for their band, and then they're like, actually, you should go to the ASU All Saints Newman Center um and got plugged in there and still uh still have a lot of great friends from that from there. Um great place.
SPEAKER_03They have a great great pastor there, Father Rob Clements.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Father Rob was there when I was there. Um Father John Muir was there when I was there. Um and the it's boomed. I think they had like 40 or 50 baptisms off uh visual this year, so um it's a great place. I loved it. I loved it there. Um yeah, it's a beautiful new church.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it is beautiful. Yeah, the old church, you know, and then they they built the new one. The new one's incredible. And uh Father Father Rob, too, kind of has a little bit of an eastern lean, so they have the beautiful icons and everything. It's just it's a gorgeous, gorgeous church. And I love it too because it shows that we can still build things that are beautiful for the for the greater glory of God. Yeah, yeah. Father Rob's good man. Yeah, really good man.
SPEAKER_02One last thing, Trevor, before we dive into the scriptures. You've touched on it uh when you were talking there. Like as as people are listening, uh you're you're balancing a marriage, five children, major league baseball career. Um what advice would you give to we have a lot of women who listen to the podcast as well, to husbands, wives, people are trying to balance all that. How how do you and Jackie keep Christ and your faith at the center?
SPEAKER_00Um the biggest thing for us as a family, uh, we try and pray morning prayer every morning together as a family. You know, sometimes it's just the uh just the first psalm, right? Sometimes it's just the first song. Um sometimes we make it through all together. Um we try and pray night prayer together. Jackie and I will pray night prayer together if the kids are in bed. Um but really like it sounds so silly and it's so easy, but it's like you you just you have to go to church, you have to go to mass together, you have to do like you've gotta bring the kids along. Um and because the whole point is you have to have a interaction with the risen Lord, and the own the way that you can have that is at Mass. Um and uh for us, that's what we do. Um we go out on dates, we try to go out on dates every um off day that we have, and we know that's we know that's a you know it's hard for a lot of people um to get the time off. Um but even if you're not going out, like it's easy to stay up 10 extra minutes or 15 extra minutes, it's easy to wake up 20 minutes earlier just so you can have that one-on-one time with your spouse and just do it. Um you can sleep when you're dead, you can wake up and be together because because when nothing's more important than your relationship with your spouse. And your kids will have better relationships with you, they'll have better relationships with each other, um, and they'll have better relationships with the Lord. So um but as something practical, morning prayer is easy. It's a few psalms, a few hymns.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And go from there.
SPEAKER_03That's great advice. Yeah, official it's the official prayer of the church. Yeah. And to know that people are doing it throughout the entire world is really cool. You're connected connected with everybody in the church by praying the psalms.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a lot of people think it's just for priests and religious, but I tossed him. You can get an ibrevere app on your phone and there's too many apps.
SPEAKER_00You have no excuse. You have no excuse for not doing prayer.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, there's one that he'd praise it for you. Yeah. Right, right.
SPEAKER_00Sing the hours is what yeah, sing the hours is what uh we listen to in the car. Um that guy's great.
SPEAKER_02I I I haven't heard that one. So Sing the Hours.
SPEAKER_00Um I forget his name, but he it's Sing the Hours on um Spotify, and he does uh Louds and Vespers every day.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Didn't check that out. Yeah. Yeah, there's sometimes when you're traveling or something, and it's nice just to you know listen to it and and pray along. Does it count? Well, we'll let we'll let the canon lawyers uh deal with that. It's it's like uh your guardian angel.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's like your guardian angels finish your finishing your rosary, you know.
SPEAKER_02Your rosary, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Let your garden angels work. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02Well, it's just gears uh, as we always do, we finish up with the readings for this the Sunday. Uh we've been through the Easter season, uh we've you know, Pentecost, Ascension, Corpus Christi. Now we're going back. You know, two solemnities outside of Easter. Going back into, well, we've been in ordinary time, but we've had a couple solemnities on Sunday. So we're 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time. So uh you want to kick us out.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so and and we said this before, the 11th Sunday. 11th is is uh those are ordinary numbers, it's a way of ordering the weeks. So when we say ordinary, it doesn't mean kind of ho hum. You know, every Sunday is a solemnity, every Sunday is the day of the Lord, every Sunday is the day of the resurrection.
SPEAKER_02And we're walking through the public ministry of Jesus, yeah.
SPEAKER_03And we're sort of Matthew's gospel, and um I I love this is one of my favorite ones because what happens at the at the very beginning. You know, Jesus is this comes from Matthew 9, Jesus sees the crowds and says his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd. And so then he he gives he gives the um the recipe for that, the answer to all that says the harvest is abundant, but the labors are few. So ask the harvest master to send labors into the vineyard. I there's another translation I even like better when he says beg the harvest master. And the reason why I like that is because Augustine says that in prayer we are beggars before God. And if we think about if you've ever had to beg for anything, or if you see a beggar, they'll take whatever, whatever you can give them. And I think that's our that's our posture with God. Lord, whatever you give me, I know is precisely what it is that I need. And so, you know, he gives this instruction harvest is abundant, labors are few. Ask, beg the harvest master, send labors into the vineyard. And I I think especially this Saturday, I'm going to be ordaining uh Deacon Luciano Diaz, and your your youth group will be there to be able to see this man or ordained a priest. And I I think that what this gives us is this gives the answer to everybody. It's everybody's responsibility, you know, the the clerics, the religious, the laity, to pray for vocations, you know, specific vocations too. But I think in in the in this is one we always connect with the priesthood too. So to to pray that the Lord will continue to call men forward into the vineyard, but also that they'll have uh ears that listen, but also courageous hearts, hearts that will say yes to the Lord and and to be ordained. So then, and then he goes and says that he summons the twelve disciples. So this is this is going to go back to the Old Testament, right? We have the twelve tribes, and remember, Christ, all things are fine, their fulfillment in Christ, and Christ makes all things new. And so he's doing something very new, and so he's establishing something new with the 12 apostles, and then he'll also know that that he's going to establish an uh in the church. And so we sing all those things fulfilled in Christ and in the church that he establishes. So that's kind of kind of the you know kind of maybe a leadoff for us, but put you guys on I'm on base, right? I guess that's what I'm trying to say.
SPEAKER_02I'm on base, and I see if you guys can bring me all I always bet at second and uh hit and run, bunt, move them over. Um so as we get back to ordinary time, we think so. Thematically, the first reading, the Old Testament reading and the gospel, usually have a thematic connection. And then the second reading from the letters of St. Paul, we we do what's called like a semi-continuous reading. Uh, it's not always connected to the same theme. Uh so now we're gonna be going through uh uh St. Paul's letter to the Romans, but we look in the first reading from the book of Exodus. Um, you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, God says. And so connecting that with then with the gospel of the calling of the twelve, the first priests who were also uh bishops. I love that he says he gave them uh authority over unclean spirits. And so this authority, people say, Well, how do priests, you know, you know, absolve sins, or how do priests confect the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ? How did how do priests anoint the sick? And it's all grounded here, you know, in scripture. And this really made me think of um, you know, he says, cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. This is not something just of Jesus' time, we should be doing that today as well. And I think back, you know, over the last you've been a priest twenty-eight years, just celebrated. I've been a priest twenty-four years, and uh, you know, we've seen miracles, we've seen these things happen. And it's not because we're, you know, that holy, we try to be holy, you know, but it's Christ working through the priesthood. And uh the power of the priesthood, this authority, that word, you hear author and authority, right? So Jesus, who is the author of life, just by speaking, the word of God created the universe. It makes sense that that author of life can give he has the authority and he can pass it on. And so I remember when I first got ordained, I wasn't seeing miracles like I had hoped, and I started to doubt, you know. And then uh, you know, I write in my book about this 12-year-old girl that the doctor said she's gonna be dead in a few days. I anointed her, I didn't have the faith, it was her mother that had the faith, but God used me, and she's now that was twenty two years ago or something, you know, and she's a healthy young woman. And so it's like God was saying, I'm alive, you know. I I'm I've risen from the dead, and I'm I'm still working through the priesthood. And so I never celebrate a sacrament doubting whether God is active. I I may not see immediate miracles all the time, but I know that the Lord is there, and so um we just ordained six people in our diocese this past weekend. We get to see uh what's this for Sam again? Luciano Luciano ordained this Saturday, and so let's pray for our priests. And I think the Lord, you know, we're seeing all this, all these people coming into the church. Yeah, I think we're gonna see a wave of vocations to the priesthood and religious life following this because I know just on this trip alone, I was telling Bishop, we have I know we have some young men and women who are discerning priesthood and religious life, which is there's an exciting thing coming, I think, uh, through this the power of the spirit.
SPEAKER_01Mike, what are your thoughts? Well, uh, as you guys are talking about the beauty of the priesthood. Um, one of my heroes, you know, we always talk, Trevor's talking so beautifully about his father and his brothers. Uh we're we always talk Talk about family here. And I think last epic last episode or last podcast, I was talking about my mom being the heart of the family. And when I look above her, I look at the the one that was really the heart of our family tree was my grandma Claire O'Shea. She grew up in Brooklyn, all her family's from Ireland. My grandfather came over, he was in seminary in England, uh, from Dublin, Ireland, went to seminary and fought in World War II, and um, you know, met and got engaged within about a week and a half to um the the love of his life, like Trevor with Jackie, right? When you know, you know. But my my grandfather passed away about maybe 10 years ago. But my grandmother is coming up on 97 years old, and she's probably the most wise, faithful person in my in my world. And she prays three rosaries every day. She prays by name everyone in our family, and she even prays for my in-laws. She she I called her uh maybe a couple weeks ago and she said, Mikey, you know, um, how's Jim and Carol doing? And I said, You mean my in-laws? Like, how do you remember them? You have over a hundred and something grandchildren, and yet you're praying for Charlest Parents. And I said, Why would you be praying for them? She said, Well, because I love them and they're part of our family. And she said, Mikey, I pray for everyone in our family by name in my in my rosary. But she, the reason I bring up Grandma Claire O'Shea is she told me some things that really rocked me about about five years ago. She said, number one, um, the name of Jesus, like Trevor talked about having an encounter with the risen Lord. And Jesus is everything. Without Christ, we don't have our faith. But she also said, you know, every time the name Jesus is mentioned during Holy Mass, you should you should bow. Because without Christ, we don't have a savior. Without Christ, we don't have a church. Without Christ, you don't have faith. And she's so I've I've been I've adopted this from my grandmother who's praying that she can see our country's 250th anniversary as a 97-year-old woman here in another month. But the second thing that she said, she said, Mike, um, our priest, without our priest and our bishops, we don't have our church. So she said, I want you to know, like every time you see a priest walk by, she said, you bow your head, son, and you bless yourself and you whisper, there goeth the holy hands of a Catholic priest. She said, Because without our priests and bishops, we don't have the sacraments. And uh something that you know we've we've adopted is at the beginning of Mass to treat it like it's a wedding, because our priests are Persona Christ, and when they walk into our church, it's it's like a bride walking in, being escorted by her father. So maybe about two, three years ago, I started facing the rear of the church at the urging of my grandmother to honor these men, these holy men that have given up their lives to serve Christ. And it's been really neat. There's been a whole movement in our church now to see about half our congregation when the bell rings will um will turn to the back of the church. And and I like to think that my grandmother started that. She's a hundred miles away in Anaheim. But a holy woman, all it takes is one one strong person to be raised up and to give wisdom, and then by the grace of God, like Trevor said, for us to listen. But um, but yeah, my uh our priest are everything, and you know, just this morning I'm sharing with my son Donovan. I'm out here in a baseball tournament and I shared with him about our church fathers, and and I told him, you know, son, so like Bishop Wall and Father Burke, you know, in the same way that St. Peter laid hands on his twelve, and they laid hands on the early church fathers. I'm reading a killer book by Word on Fire right now called The Early Church Fathers. And Bishop Barron has a great reflection in it, but it's the Didiche, all the church fathers, and I shared with Donovan, only in the Catholic Church can we trace the hands of Jesus being laid upon Peter as our first Pope, and then our first apostles, and then all the way through 2,000 years later. So I was like, we look at our priest as persona Christes, men, they're in the person of Christ, administering the same sacraments that were administered 2,000 years ago. So that's what I what I think of, I don't have the theological training, but I have the experiences. I have, like Trevor said, I'm I I have the stories, and and that's my story I wanted to share today. Thank you.
SPEAKER_03Thanks, Mike. Thank you. Yeah, Trevor, what's on your part? We can pretend like we're in the National League like three, four years ago, and Trevor's batting. Yeah. So he's our cleanup show. Showhey.
SPEAKER_00Career 123 hitter. Um if if you're listening and you've never been to an ordination mass, I highly, highly recommend. I know we're we're probably on you probably missed it, or you're if it's not this weekend, you probably got to wait till next year, but um it's beautiful. Um we at our parish in uh Virginia last year, we saw a uh an OP get ordained, and his mom was there, and his dad, his dad was there, and to see the the tradition of um the mom blesses the stole, right? Or the the mom gives the stole, or does the dad give the stole?
SPEAKER_02The dad gets the stole.
SPEAKER_00The dad gets the stole, or the mom gives the stole as what is the mom. Yeah, the mom, the mom was weeping, and they were it was just so like it was so beautiful. And if you've never been to an ordination mass, um I would go out of your wedding and and do your best to get there because the priest needs our prayers, um people that are in the uh that are in the church that are you know discerning the vocations need our prayers as well. Um and it's just it's a it's better than a wedding. Um it's better than a wedding mass. Um and it's amazing. So if you have time, I would highly recommend. Make time to go to the house.
SPEAKER_03So last year we had his his youth group was here last year, stayed an extra day. We had a young man that was ordained last year. So now we've done this two years in a row. And um it's great. You have these young people in high school and college age. They're here, they're serving the poor, they're praying together, they're having a good time together, too. And then they kind of conclude it by watching a man lay down his life and and become a priest of the church. It's it's it's powerful. Yeah, it is powerful.
SPEAKER_00And I'm sure it's tangent, it's tangible for them too, because it's you when you see a priest for the first time, you don't, it's like, how did you get there, right? You've always been a priest, you know. It's like kind of like it's like seeing a teacher out of school. It's like, whoa, what are you uh you're not supposed to hear, right? Like when when you and when you see someone start day one, like where they do lay down their life, and you're like, this is it makes it more real and it makes it more tangible. Um had a profound impact on on my sons um and they're young. Um so I remember it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I'll I'll say this when when we say lay down our lives, like the priest and bishops, they have laid down their lives for Christ. What Trevor's talking about in the ordination mass is they literally lay prostrate on on the tile, on on the floor, on the altar, saying, I'm I'm dying. I'm gonna lay down like Christ, and I'm dying so that Christ can live within me and let me lead in our church. And it's it is the most moving thing I've ever seen in a church.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we sing the sing the litany of the saints at that time and praying for this man who's doing that. And and in in a in a in re in some religious communities, when they do that, they literally cover them up like a funeral pole, and when they finish, they stand up a new person. Wow. Yeah, it's it's beautiful. It's beautiful. Change their name. Yeah, the change of the name, and yeah. It's it's something else. Beg the Harvest Master. Right?
SPEAKER_01Bishop, Bishop, Bishop Wall and Father Burke, thank you. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02I didn't I didn't tell my family what was going to be happening at the ordination because you know my family wasn't, they weren't they weren't Catholic.
SPEAKER_01They weren't Catholic yet.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so here I am. I'm the baby of the family, the only Catholic. And they're in the front row right behind me. And so there at that moment we just you go down face down, and and my brother, who's you know, Mike's size and Trevor's size, like 6'3, big burly guy. He said he just started bawling. And uh he said, if if my brother's all in in this church, I will be too. And he he went home and went through RCIA at the time and joined the church. And it's uh I had another guy when I was vocation director who was getting cold feet going to the seminary, and he's like, Father, I'm not ready. I'm like, that's great, there's total freedom. But I said, I just want you to come to the ordination mass next week. And he came and he sought me out after the mass. He's like, I'm going to seminary, and he's been a priest now 10 years and one of our best pastors. Um, just that when you as you said, Trevor, it makes it real. Like you see these guys doing it, like, wow, this is a I saw this guy just as a normal guy, and now he's he's he's laying down his life. Maybe I could do that too, you know.
SPEAKER_00And uh it's not a handshake, it's not it's not a all right, I'm a priest now. No, it's it's it's real.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, welcome to the club. Yeah, yeah. I bet for you guys too, what you know, you and your wives go to a wedding to see, you know, the two become one flesh. I'm sure every time you do that, it it just strengthens you, your greater resolve and really inspires you. And I know when we go to ordinations, I mean it's for everybody. The sacraments are to witness them or for everyone. We go to ordination, I know it really strengthens you and your your resolve uh to to who the Lord has called you to be and set you apart to be, too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and what Trevor was describing was with the Maniturgium is uh the bishop loads our hands with holy chrism oil. Anoints your hands, yeah, and so so we can then consecrate the the Eucharist. Then they usually go to the sacristy and wipe the oil onto uh uh uh a cloth, a purificator or some type of special cloth, and uh and then they seal that and then that's they give that to the mother, and so the tradition is the mother is buried with that maniturgium, as if to say, I gave my son, I gave my son to the Lord as a priest, and then the father is buried with the the first stole of our of our first confession. And I just went to a first mass yesterday, and uh there was not a dry eye on the church as he was uh giving those gifts to his parents, and uh yeah, it's a lot of sacrifice, but the Lord, as he says, anyone who gives up mother, father, land for my sake will receive a hundred times more in this life with persecution and in the next. And uh that's been and that's been my experience. Amen. Amen. I think we put a bow on it, right? So uh you guys are right.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Trevor, thanks for being on with us. Yeah, count on our prayers for your continued recovery and and uh looking forward to seeing you back on the mound. And uh yeah, but just thanks for being here. Appreciate it. We're gonna we're gonna have you back for sure. Yes. All right, let's let's close in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Amen. Oh, 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 for 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. You 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.
SPEAKER_02And with your spirit.
SPEAKER_03Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_02Amen. So if you're not a Washington Nationals fan yet, we hope that you will be at least every fifth day when Trevor starts pitching after uh the all-star break. Uh please like, subscribe, and share uh this podcast with at least one person today. Put your comments in, we'll we'll read them and answer them if you have questions. And as St. Pierre Giorgio Frasati reminds us the higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ. So keep striving verso lalto in your faith and pursuits. And until next time, God bless you.