April 15, 2025 • 20 mins
SPONSOR: Briefcase Marketing
Holy Week stands as more than a commemoration—it's an invitation to personal transformation through entering deeply into Christ's Paschal mystery, experiencing both suffering and resurrection in our own lives.
• Entering fully into the liturgies of the Triduum rather than taking a minimalist approach
• The importance of seeing Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil as one continuous liturgy
• Traditional practices like our Holy Night Hike pilgrimage on Holy Thursday, and food blessings that enhance Holy Week.
• Bishop Malesic's pastoral suggestion to personalize the Stations of the Cross by connecting them to our own experiences
• Finding healing in those places of suffering where Christ wants to bring resurrection
• Deacon Mike's powerful story of releasing betrayal before ordination
• The Easter Gospel Readings: how some disciples arrive at faith differently, like Peter and John at the tomb
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St. John Cantius Parish
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Deacon Mike will be at St. Christopher Parish in Rocky RIver for all of Holy Week. He's preaching at the 10AM Mass on Easter Sunday.
Fr. Damian will be at:
Holy Thursday: St. Francis DeSales in Parma
Good Friday: Preaching at the Good Friday Liturgy at the Cathedral.
Holy Saturday: Our Lady of Victory in Tallmadge
Easter Sunday: St. James in Lakewood at 10:30AM
We will both be walking on Holy Thursday for Holy Night Hike in Tremont/Ohio City
Join us next time as we continue exploring questions of faith following the Easter celebration. Follow us online for more content and upcoming episodes.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
On today's Question of Faith.
How does Holy Week make us holy?
Hey everybody, this is Questionof Faith.
I'm Deacon Mike Hayes.
I am the Director of YoungAdult Ministry here in the
Diocese of Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And I'm Father Damian Ferencz, the Vicar for
Evangelization All right.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So if you're watching on YouTube, I'm wearing glasses
because I just came from theeye doctor, my eyes are dilated,
I can't take the light.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
That's the worst.
At least it's not too sunnytoday.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
It's kind of a rainy day, so true, and my eyes are
healthy, so that's a good thing,that's good.
I have a weird optic nerve.
Apparently they have to watch,so weird is okay.
Weird is okay, that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I need to make my appointment with my
ophthalmologist.
My dad was legally blind.
He had macular degeneration,glaucoma and cataracts, so I
need to keep an eye on my eyes.
They say there's four thingsyou do to keep your eyes healthy
Don't smoke, eat a lot ofgreens, exercise and always
protect your eyes from the sun.
(00:59):
So wear sunglasses outside.
So I do all those.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I do all those too, for the most part.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I have to exercise a little more, but other than that
, yeah, maybe once a year I'llsmoke the hookah.
So here we are Holy Weekalready.
First Holy Week for me is adeacon, so I'm getting ready to
chant the exalted.
A cantor will assist me in thechanting, so that's good.
So I don't voice my sort ofmediocre voice on the people of
(01:28):
God.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, it's not so much your voice it's.
Can you read music and hold thetune and make it not sound
terrible?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, our music director Mayumi is very good at
kind of keeping us on pitch, soshe'll play like a chord or two
and then we'll take it the restof the way.
But we've been practicingpretty hard.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
There's some deacons who are excellent at singing the
exalted.
I learned a little bit from mychance of the liturgy class in
the seminary, but I am not greatat it, so it's better that
someone else does it.
And I'm covering in Talmadge onthis Holy Week, the Easter
Vigil, so someone else will beproclaiming the exalted.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Nice.
So how does Holy Week make usholy?
What are ways that you foundHoly Week making you holy?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, I think entering into it with all you
have.
I mean we could be minimalistand just go to Mass on Easter
Sunday and say I met myobligation.
That's one way to do it.
But if you want a minimalisticfaith, that's a good way to do
it.
But if you want to get more outof your faith and enter more
into it, then participate inthese liturgies, because these
(02:39):
liturgies form us to be who weare and we enter in deeply into
the Paschal mystery on HolyThursday night and then
continuing on through GoodFriday and through the Easter
Vigil, which we've talked aboutthis before on this show.
It's one long liturgy thatextends over three days, and I
think that's the way you becomeholy is by entering into the
(03:01):
very life of God, through theliturgical life of the church,
with our brothers and sisterswho also gather at varied
parishes for these liturgies.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, you know, Holy Week's a stretch when you think
about it, right, you know it'sone long liturgy, so it's three
days which, yeah, many of usprobably aren't used to.
And then I think for me too,you know, I'll do two pilgrimage
walks, like we did last year.
I won't be doing the SagradaFamilia one, which I do
recommend people do on GoodFriday.
(03:30):
We'll put notes about all ofthese things in the show notes.
But Holy Night Hike on HolyThursday, after I finish at St
Chris, I'll drive down.
I'll probably have to drive tohalf of them and maybe walk the
ones in.
Tremont to get them all inbefore 11.
But people will walk to sevendifferent parishes and last year
that was actually a stretch forme.
(03:51):
I remember getting up to thetop of the hill at St Wendland
and sort of limping my way intothe church.
So pilgrimages are supposed tobe hard, right, and you know the
seven-mile walk right.
So that was a little much forme but it was good, I did it and
it was a lot of fun.
And you know like you thinkabout this as you're going.
(04:13):
You know we're not just havinga conversation and talking, but
you know how are we kind ofwalking our own road to Calvary?
You know what are the ways thatwe do that with Jesus, so I
think that's good.
St Chris does theirs in RockyRiver, so I'll be doing that on
Good Friday this year, whichwill be great.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah, there's a few places that are doing
pilgrimages.
So I had Mass Sunday night atHoly Rosary at 8 pm and I think
they're doing a pilgrimage afterthe liturgy, maybe it's in the
evening, throughout Little Italywith the cross, a procession.
That way A lot of parishes doliving stations that evening
(04:52):
with their youth groups.
I know that that's the case.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
We did that on Palm Sunday just the other night at
St Chris.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
And if you're listening, on Tuesday the 15th,
which is tax day, know too thattonight is the chrism mass here
in the Diocese of Cleveland.
So this is the night that thebishop gathers all his priests
together.
In fact we gather together thisafternoon.
There'll be a big convocation,there'll be a few talks, there's
confessions available and thenthere's dinner and then mass
(05:21):
with the bishop and the wholediocese at 7 pm.
Those three oils that are usedthroughout the year the oil of
the catechumen, the oil of thesick and the sacred chrism are
made or blessed at this Mass andthen given to the parishes to
(05:41):
go out for the year.
And some parishes, if they want, can take the option of
processing these oils up at theHoly Thursday liturgy,
confessing these oils up at theHoly Thursday liturgy.
And often someone who's beingconfirmed or brought into the
church will have the chrism.
Someone who's been anointedthat week or is still suffering
from illness brings up the oilof the infirmed, and someone
who's a catechumen can bring upthe oil of catechumen.
So yeah, it's a nice thing todo.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
That had not been part of my regular Holy Week
practice in the past Until thelast year I was living in
Buffalo.
I went for the first time andthen I said I should go to this
more often and then, since I'vebeen here in Cleveland, I've
gone every time.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Do they have it on Tuesday night in Buffalo?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
They do.
Yes, Same way we do it.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, some dioceses have it Thursday morning.
So Rome does it that way and Iwent to the chrism mass there
once in Rome.
But it's easier for the priests, especially since our diocese
is rather large, to gather thepriests on Tuesday, because that
makes Thursday, friday,saturday and Sunday very long If
(06:37):
they have off on Thursdaymorning.
You know we all need our rest.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Do you bless food on Saturday or anything?
Speaker 2 (06:46):
My first parish.
We did not have deacons at thattime, so I did, and that's a
very big Slovak tradition.
As a kid we'd always take ourbaskets to the church for that,
but I am not doing it at thecathedral now that I'm parochial
vicar.
I don't know if one of theother parochial vicars is, or
Deacon Matt, but I do believe wedo food blessings there.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah, father Klebo will do it at our place.
I did it one year at NorthOlmstead in St Brandon.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I did it while I was in formation, which was fun.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Cool.
Lest I neglect this, we shouldsay that in the bishop's new
pastoral letter it's on page 12,talking about how Holy Week
makes us holy he has thisbeautiful reflection in here.
He says let's think of thestations of the cross.
There are 14 of them.
They depict the suffering thatJesus endured on Good Friday.
(07:37):
So, yes, most of us arefamiliar with the stations of
the cross and that this is whatJesus did.
And the bishop wants us to bemore personal with the way that
we reflect on these stations,because Christ's Paschal mystery
needs to be united with themystery of our lives.
So then he continues.
Now think of your own life.
When have you felt abandonedand condemned?
(08:00):
When have you fallen?
Who comforted you and wipedyour face?
When did you feel like you werebeing crucified?
Who has helped you carry yourcross?
If you can answer thesequestions, then you can start to
tell your story, because yourealize that Jesus was living
his Paschal mystery in youthrough all these events in your
life.
The mystery of your life isilluminated by the Paschal
(08:24):
mystery of Jesus.
But the Paschal mystery doesn'tend with suffering and death.
It ends with the glory of life,renewed and resurrected.
So I think that's an integralcomponent of this pastoral
letter is that Christ's PaschalMystery cannot remain something
abstract.
It's not like Jesus is acharacter in a novel and we're
like, oh, that's cool, orsomething that happened 2,000
(08:47):
years ago period, it did happenhistorically, but he is risen
and continues to live hispaschal mystery and desire to in
us every day, and it's on us toallow him to do that.
So that's the point of HolyWeek is that we enter into Holy
Communion with Christ himselfthrough his passion and then can
experience his resurrection.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, exactly.
And you know, I think theinteresting thing for me about
Holy Week is, like you said, theresurrection happened.
You know, not only is it ahistorical fact, but it happens,
but we now have to live intothat.
You know how do we experiencethe resurrection?
You know, and I think the waysthat you were sort of pointing
out.
You know, by meditating on thestations of the cross, making
(09:31):
those part of our lives.
I've been trying to kind of getthrough the corporal works of
mercy this Lent, which willprobably fall just a little
short just because I can't getinto the prison just yet and we
didn't have too many funerals atSt Chris so I haven't buried
the dead yet.
So those two I've done thatbefore, though, but still.
But you know, by experiencingthrough that, you know how do
(09:55):
you now live into theresurrection.
You know, what are the waysthat you know you're called to
die and rise over and over againin your own life?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
If you can find those places in your life where
you've experienced suffering,hurt and pain, then go there,
because that's where the Lordwants to heal and bring you
through to experience hisresurrection.
So a lot of times, those partsthat are painful are the parts
that we run from, when, in fact,that's the whole reason the
Lord came was like I want toenter right into that, to your
deafness, your blindness, yourparalysis, your death, your
hunger.
Like, get in touch with thosethings, because that's where he
wants to enter in and do histransforming work and share with
you the power of hisresurrection.
(10:37):
So that's the hope.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
I have to say I really experienced that last
year, not necessarily duringLent, but I think that it was
just before ordination.
We had our ordination retreatand I spoke with Father Dave
Wust, who was our retreat master, and one of the things that I
said to him I said you know, Ihave a really hard time.
(11:00):
Someone really betrayed mytrust in my life.
Right, and I won't get into thewhole situation, but someone
really betrayed my trust and Ireally had a hard time getting
past that.
And he said you know, onordination day he goes I want
you to get to the front of thecathedral and when you get to
the vestibule, give those peoplewho betrayed you to God.
And he goes admit that that'shurtful, right, you know.
(11:23):
Admit that this is it.
Now give them to God and riseto new life and go and be a
deacon.
That was the best advice I thinkI've ever gotten from anybody.
And Deacon Del Sherman and Iboth said that when we walked in
we just felt this huge wavecome upon us and I said you know
, that's really the power of theHoly Spirit in more ways than
(11:44):
one.
You know the way I was able tokind of let all these things go.
And then you know the sacramentof ordination in and of itself.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah, you want to experience great life.
Then certain things have to dieand go, and that's how it
happens.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
So it's good, Exactly again and again.
Do you have a favorite momentfrom all the Holy Week ritual?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
I think it depends on the year.
Yeah, good point.
Bishop has me preaching for himat the Good Friday Liturgy at
the cathedral this year.
So I'm hard at work, praying,thinking, preparing those words,
because I love that liturgy andI was actually looking at the
(12:29):
10 petitions that we pray duringthat.
I like those a lot I love, theone for those who don't believe
in God.
I think that's wonderful, thatwe are that intentional about
our prayers.
So I don't know Whatever I'mdoing at the time.
I try to make that the mostimportant thing.
But my mind is on a lot ofthings because I'm at St Francis
de Sales for Holy ThursdayCathedral Good Friday and then
(12:50):
down in Talmadge for the vigil.
So we'll see.
Wherever I go, I'll try to domy best there and follow the
Spirit's lead.
How about you?
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Yeah, I have the chance.
So Holy Thursday I'll bepresent, but I'm not, I'm just
being the deacon, I'm justreading the Gospel, basically in
the intercessions, and I'llprobably assist with the washing
of the feet in some way.
But then on Good Friday I justchant those intercessions and
then Saturday, you know, carrythe candle and do the exalted.
(13:21):
You know, and I've accompaniedthe OCIA people this year.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
So that'll be very special.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
And I've never seen we do full immersion baptism at
St Chris, the big baptismal font, and so I've never seen that.
So that'll be very cool for meto experience.
And I'm preaching Easter Sundaymorning at 10 o'clock.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
I'm a fool.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, which I was surprised at.
I was surprised they asked meto do that.
So I'm excited to preach onEaster.
I've never preached as a deacon.
Obviously on Easter, yeah, thiswill be fun, yeah, and I'm
thinking and praying about thatas well.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Yeah, there's a lot of scripture to ponder and to
reflect upon.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And I love the vigil and I love when the parish does
all the readings.
It's the story of our salvation, right.
It goes from beginning to endand I just kind of get into it.
I really love the Abraham andIsaac reading.
I think that's one of the bestreadings that really talks about
how we can be faithful to Godand how we have to trust God
(14:24):
above all things.
So I always look forward tothat reading in particular.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
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Speaker 2 (16:09):
Correct, holy Thursday, you're at St Francis
de Sales, parma, good Friday,and then I'll go to the Holy
Night Hike that night.
So visit those seven churchesFriday.
Cathedral Saturday Our Lady ofVictory in Talmadge.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Nice.
Yeah, I will be at St Chris thewhole time.
I'll be at Holy Night Hike.
After I finish at St Chris,I'll look around for me there,
and then I'll probably start atSt Wendland's, I think, because
it's easier to park.
Yeah always good parking there,or maybe actually maybe I'll
start at St Emmerich, becauseyou can park in that little
cul-de-sac that's true too.
So I'll figure that out.
(16:44):
And then, yeah, good Friday.
I'll be walking the streets ofRocky River at noon with the
parish, and then we have ourGood Friday liturgy at 3.
And then, saturday night, I'llbe at St Chris as well.
So that'll be fun, good timesand then preaching Sunday
morning.
Are you somewhere?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Easter Sunday morning .
Are you somewhere Easter Sundaymorning?
St James 1030.
Very nice, That'll be great.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
One of the gems of the diocese, to my mind,
Absolutely All right.
So readings for this week.
One of the things that I'mfocusing on in my preaching this
week is the two disciples run.
They get the message from MaryMagdalene.
Mary Magdalene ran as well, sheran from the tomb back to them.
And these two disciples, thebeloved disciple and Peter, they
run, and then it's.
I say these are the first bros,they make sure that they note in
(17:32):
the gospel, one outran, theother.
He gets to the tomb.
He doesn't know what to do.
So Peter comes in and he runsright into the tomb and then he
looks around and sees all thewrappings on the floor and he
runs right into the tomb.
And then he looks around andsees all the wrappings on the
floor and he doesn't know what'sgoing on.
And then the beloved disciplewalks in, he sees and he
(17:53):
believes.
I said, and they put all ofthat in there, all of that
competition in there, to makethis story believable.
Right, Because it is.
It's true, they don't need allthose details in there, but they
put them all in there becausehow human is that?
And we're like this.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Yeah, and another gloss is that John the Beloved
is deferring to the authority ofPeter because he's been marked
as the leader.
So even though he beats himthere, it's his to.
You know, have a proper placewithin this structure the Lord
set up, even though he's fasterand younger.
(18:24):
Right, yeah, and we all get to.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
I say all the time.
I say we all get to this indifferent ways.
Some of us get to get thismessage faster than others.
Some people just showed up heretoday on Easter because they
thought they'd try church today.
Welcome them, we may havegotten there faster, they might
get there a little.
They might show us somethingthat, where we now understand
(18:46):
the resurrection a little moredeeply than we did before.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Yeah, I'm preparing, as I said, for Good Friday, so
I'm looking at this Hebrewsreading and I love this line
where we do not have a highpriest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses,but one who has similarly been
tested in every way, yet withoutsin.
So just a reflection on theincarnation that there's nothing
(19:10):
Jesus has not experienced.
He's still without sin, buthe's even experienced the weight
of sin betrayal, denial, peopleabandoning him in the garden,
falling asleep, crucifixion,death, Like there's nothing
that's foreign to him.
So he gets us.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Absolutely.
Yeah Well, happy Easter, my man.
Happy Easter, it's pretty good.
Do you have a favorite Eastercandy?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
No, I don't like candy.
I mean dark chocolate, butthat's not an Easter candy.
That's an acquired taste too, Ilike I mean, it's like my
personality.
I like strong beer, strongdrink, strong, bitter candy.
You know Nice, yeah, I'm notvery sweet.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
My house growing up, jelly beans were the thing, and
my wife loves chocolate.
So in fact our anniversary isEaster Sunday.
Oh, so that'll be nice.
23 years, 25 together.
We were married two years tothe day that we met on Holy
Thursday, I might add.
So the Holy Week's alwayspretty special for us.
But on Holy Saturday, the firsttime I met her, I gave her a
(20:14):
little Easter bunny and a card,and she was so dumbfounded that
I had given this to her that shedidn't even say thank you and
she just kind of walked awayover to one of her friends.
Then she realized I didn't eventhank him for this and she
turned around and said thanks,um, so yeah, so Easter will be.
Easter will be fun, but I wouldsay I'm a jellybean fan and, uh
(20:37):
, she's a chocolate fan, sowe'll see you next time after
Easter here on.
On today's Question of Faith.
How does Holy Week make us holy?
Hey everybody, this is Questionof Faith.
I'm Deacon Mike Hayes.
I am the Director of YoungAdult Ministry here in the
Diocese of Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
And I'm Father Damian Ferencz, the Vicar for
Evangelization All right.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
So if you're watching on YouTube, I'm wearing glasses
because I just came from theeye doctor, my eyes are dilated,
I can't take the light.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
That's the worst.
At least it's not too sunnytoday.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
It's kind of a rainy day, so true, and my eyes are
healthy, so that's a good thing,that's good.
I have a weird optic nerve.
Apparently they have to watch,so weird is okay.
Weird is okay, that's right.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I need to make my appointment with my
ophthalmologist.
My dad was legally blind.
He had macular degeneration,glaucoma and cataracts, so I
need to keep an eye on my eyes.
They say there's four thingsyou do to keep your eyes healthy
Don't smoke, eat a lot ofgreens, exercise and always
protect your eyes from the sun.
(00:59):
So wear sunglasses outside.
So I do all those.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
I do all those too, for the most part.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I have to exercise a little more, but other than that
, yeah, maybe once a year I'llsmoke the hookah.
So here we are Holy Weekalready.
First Holy Week for me is adeacon, so I'm getting ready to
chant the exalted.
A cantor will assist me in thechanting, so that's good.
So I don't voice my sort ofmediocre voice on the people of
(01:28):
God.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, it's not so much your voice it's.
Can you read music and hold thetune and make it not sound
terrible?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, our music director Mayumi is very good at
kind of keeping us on pitch, soshe'll play like a chord or two
and then we'll take it the restof the way.
But we've been practicingpretty hard.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
There's some deacons who are excellent at singing the
exalted.
I learned a little bit from mychance of the liturgy class in
the seminary, but I am not greatat it, so it's better that
someone else does it.
And I'm covering in Talmadge onthis Holy Week, the Easter
Vigil, so someone else will beproclaiming the exalted.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Nice.
So how does Holy Week make usholy?
What are ways that you foundHoly Week making you holy?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah, I think entering into it with all you
have.
I mean we could be minimalistand just go to Mass on Easter
Sunday and say I met myobligation.
That's one way to do it.
But if you want a minimalisticfaith, that's a good way to do
it.
But if you want to get more outof your faith and enter more
into it, then participate inthese liturgies, because these
(02:39):
liturgies form us to be who weare and we enter in deeply into
the Paschal mystery on HolyThursday night and then
continuing on through GoodFriday and through the Easter
Vigil, which we've talked aboutthis before on this show.
It's one long liturgy thatextends over three days, and I
think that's the way you becomeholy is by entering into the
(03:01):
very life of God, through theliturgical life of the church,
with our brothers and sisterswho also gather at varied
parishes for these liturgies.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, you know, Holy Week's a stretch when you think
about it, right, you know it'sone long liturgy, so it's three
days which, yeah, many of usprobably aren't used to.
And then I think for me too,you know, I'll do two pilgrimage
walks, like we did last year.
I won't be doing the SagradaFamilia one, which I do
recommend people do on GoodFriday.
(03:30):
We'll put notes about all ofthese things in the show notes.
But Holy Night Hike on HolyThursday, after I finish at St
Chris, I'll drive down.
I'll probably have to drive tohalf of them and maybe walk the
ones in.
Tremont to get them all inbefore 11.
But people will walk to sevendifferent parishes and last year
that was actually a stretch forme.
(03:51):
I remember getting up to thetop of the hill at St Wendland
and sort of limping my way intothe church.
So pilgrimages are supposed tobe hard, right, and you know the
seven-mile walk right.
So that was a little much forme but it was good, I did it and
it was a lot of fun.
And you know like you thinkabout this as you're going.
(04:13):
You know we're not just havinga conversation and talking, but
you know how are we kind ofwalking our own road to Calvary?
You know what are the ways thatwe do that with Jesus, so I
think that's good.
St Chris does theirs in RockyRiver, so I'll be doing that on
Good Friday this year, whichwill be great.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah, there's a few places that are doing
pilgrimages.
So I had Mass Sunday night atHoly Rosary at 8 pm and I think
they're doing a pilgrimage afterthe liturgy, maybe it's in the
evening, throughout Little Italywith the cross, a procession.
That way A lot of parishes doliving stations that evening
(04:52):
with their youth groups.
I know that that's the case.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
We did that on Palm Sunday just the other night at
St Chris.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
And if you're listening, on Tuesday the 15th,
which is tax day, know too thattonight is the chrism mass here
in the Diocese of Cleveland.
So this is the night that thebishop gathers all his priests
together.
In fact we gather together thisafternoon.
There'll be a big convocation,there'll be a few talks, there's
confessions available and thenthere's dinner and then mass
(05:21):
with the bishop and the wholediocese at 7 pm.
Those three oils that are usedthroughout the year the oil of
the catechumen, the oil of thesick and the sacred chrism are
made or blessed at this Mass andthen given to the parishes to
(05:41):
go out for the year.
And some parishes, if they want, can take the option of
processing these oils up at theHoly Thursday liturgy,
confessing these oils up at theHoly Thursday liturgy.
And often someone who's beingconfirmed or brought into the
church will have the chrism.
Someone who's been anointedthat week or is still suffering
from illness brings up the oilof the infirmed, and someone
who's a catechumen can bring upthe oil of catechumen.
So yeah, it's a nice thing todo.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
That had not been part of my regular Holy Week
practice in the past Until thelast year I was living in
Buffalo.
I went for the first time andthen I said I should go to this
more often and then, since I'vebeen here in Cleveland, I've
gone every time.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Do they have it on Tuesday night in Buffalo?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
They do.
Yes, Same way we do it.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, some dioceses have it Thursday morning.
So Rome does it that way and Iwent to the chrism mass there
once in Rome.
But it's easier for the priests, especially since our diocese
is rather large, to gather thepriests on Tuesday, because that
makes Thursday, friday,saturday and Sunday very long If
(06:37):
they have off on Thursdaymorning.
You know we all need our rest.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Do you bless food on Saturday or anything?
Speaker 2 (06:46):
My first parish.
We did not have deacons at thattime, so I did, and that's a
very big Slovak tradition.
As a kid we'd always take ourbaskets to the church for that,
but I am not doing it at thecathedral now that I'm parochial
vicar.
I don't know if one of theother parochial vicars is, or
Deacon Matt, but I do believe wedo food blessings there.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah, father Klebo will do it at our place.
I did it one year at NorthOlmstead in St Brandon.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I did it while I was in formation, which was fun.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Cool.
Lest I neglect this, we shouldsay that in the bishop's new
pastoral letter it's on page 12,talking about how Holy Week
makes us holy he has thisbeautiful reflection in here.
He says let's think of thestations of the cross.
There are 14 of them.
They depict the suffering thatJesus endured on Good Friday.
(07:37):
So, yes, most of us arefamiliar with the stations of
the cross and that this is whatJesus did.
And the bishop wants us to bemore personal with the way that
we reflect on these stations,because Christ's Paschal mystery
needs to be united with themystery of our lives.
So then he continues.
Now think of your own life.
When have you felt abandonedand condemned?
(08:00):
When have you fallen?
Who comforted you and wipedyour face?
When did you feel like you werebeing crucified?
Who has helped you carry yourcross?
If you can answer thesequestions, then you can start to
tell your story, because yourealize that Jesus was living
his Paschal mystery in youthrough all these events in your
life.
The mystery of your life isilluminated by the Paschal
(08:24):
mystery of Jesus.
But the Paschal mystery doesn'tend with suffering and death.
It ends with the glory of life,renewed and resurrected.
So I think that's an integralcomponent of this pastoral
letter is that Christ's PaschalMystery cannot remain something
abstract.
It's not like Jesus is acharacter in a novel and we're
like, oh, that's cool, orsomething that happened 2,000
(08:47):
years ago period, it did happenhistorically, but he is risen
and continues to live hispaschal mystery and desire to in
us every day, and it's on us toallow him to do that.
So that's the point of HolyWeek is that we enter into Holy
Communion with Christ himselfthrough his passion and then can
experience his resurrection.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, exactly.
And you know, I think theinteresting thing for me about
Holy Week is, like you said, theresurrection happened.
You know, not only is it ahistorical fact, but it happens,
but we now have to live intothat.
You know how do we experiencethe resurrection?
You know, and I think the waysthat you were sort of pointing
out.
You know, by meditating on thestations of the cross, making
(09:31):
those part of our lives.
I've been trying to kind of getthrough the corporal works of
mercy this Lent, which willprobably fall just a little
short just because I can't getinto the prison just yet and we
didn't have too many funerals atSt Chris so I haven't buried
the dead yet.
So those two I've done thatbefore, though, but still.
But you know, by experiencingthrough that, you know how do
(09:55):
you now live into theresurrection.
You know, what are the waysthat you know you're called to
die and rise over and over againin your own life?
Speaker 2 (10:17):
If you can find those places in your life where
you've experienced suffering,hurt and pain, then go there,
because that's where the Lordwants to heal and bring you
through to experience hisresurrection.
So a lot of times, those partsthat are painful are the parts
that we run from, when, in fact,that's the whole reason the
Lord came was like I want toenter right into that, to your
deafness, your blindness, yourparalysis, your death, your
hunger.
Like, get in touch with thosethings, because that's where he
wants to enter in and do histransforming work and share with
you the power of hisresurrection.
(10:37):
So that's the hope.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
I have to say I really experienced that last
year, not necessarily duringLent, but I think that it was
just before ordination.
We had our ordination retreatand I spoke with Father Dave
Wust, who was our retreat master, and one of the things that I
said to him I said you know, Ihave a really hard time.
(11:00):
Someone really betrayed mytrust in my life.
Right, and I won't get into thewhole situation, but someone
really betrayed my trust and Ireally had a hard time getting
past that.
And he said you know, onordination day he goes I want
you to get to the front of thecathedral and when you get to
the vestibule, give those peoplewho betrayed you to God.
And he goes admit that that'shurtful, right, you know.
(11:23):
Admit that this is it.
Now give them to God and riseto new life and go and be a
deacon.
That was the best advice I thinkI've ever gotten from anybody.
And Deacon Del Sherman and Iboth said that when we walked in
we just felt this huge wavecome upon us and I said you know
, that's really the power of theHoly Spirit in more ways than
(11:44):
one.
You know the way I was able tokind of let all these things go.
And then you know the sacramentof ordination in and of itself.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Yeah, you want to experience great life.
Then certain things have to dieand go, and that's how it
happens.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
So it's good, Exactly again and again.
Do you have a favorite momentfrom all the Holy Week ritual?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
I think it depends on the year.
Yeah, good point.
Bishop has me preaching for himat the Good Friday Liturgy at
the cathedral this year.
So I'm hard at work, praying,thinking, preparing those words,
because I love that liturgy andI was actually looking at the
(12:29):
10 petitions that we pray duringthat.
I like those a lot I love, theone for those who don't believe
in God.
I think that's wonderful, thatwe are that intentional about
our prayers.
So I don't know Whatever I'mdoing at the time.
I try to make that the mostimportant thing.
But my mind is on a lot ofthings because I'm at St Francis
de Sales for Holy ThursdayCathedral Good Friday and then
(12:50):
down in Talmadge for the vigil.
So we'll see.
Wherever I go, I'll try to domy best there and follow the
Spirit's lead.
How about you?
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Yeah, I have the chance.
So Holy Thursday I'll bepresent, but I'm not, I'm just
being the deacon, I'm justreading the Gospel, basically in
the intercessions, and I'llprobably assist with the washing
of the feet in some way.
But then on Good Friday I justchant those intercessions and
then Saturday, you know, carrythe candle and do the exalted.
(13:21):
You know, and I've accompaniedthe OCIA people this year.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
So that'll be very special.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
And I've never seen we do full immersion baptism at
St Chris, the big baptismal font, and so I've never seen that.
So that'll be very cool for meto experience.
And I'm preaching Easter Sundaymorning at 10 o'clock.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
I'm a fool.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Yeah, which I was surprised at.
I was surprised they asked meto do that.
So I'm excited to preach onEaster.
I've never preached as a deacon.
Obviously on Easter, yeah, thiswill be fun, yeah, and I'm
thinking and praying about thatas well.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Yeah, there's a lot of scripture to ponder and to
reflect upon.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And I love the vigil and I love when the parish does
all the readings.
It's the story of our salvation, right.
It goes from beginning to endand I just kind of get into it.
I really love the Abraham andIsaac reading.
I think that's one of the bestreadings that really talks about
how we can be faithful to Godand how we have to trust God
(14:24):
above all things.
So I always look forward tothat reading in particular.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
That's good, yeah Well.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
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Check them out, all right, sonow you're at three different
places.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Correct, holy Thursday, you're at St Francis
de Sales, parma, good Friday,and then I'll go to the Holy
Night Hike that night.
So visit those seven churchesFriday.
Cathedral Saturday Our Lady ofVictory in Talmadge.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Nice.
Yeah, I will be at St Chris thewhole time.
I'll be at Holy Night Hike.
After I finish at St Chris,I'll look around for me there,
and then I'll probably start atSt Wendland's, I think, because
it's easier to park.
Yeah always good parking there,or maybe actually maybe I'll
start at St Emmerich, becauseyou can park in that little
cul-de-sac that's true too.
So I'll figure that out.
(16:44):
And then, yeah, good Friday.
I'll be walking the streets ofRocky River at noon with the
parish, and then we have ourGood Friday liturgy at 3.
And then, saturday night, I'llbe at St Chris as well.
So that'll be fun, good timesand then preaching Sunday
morning.
Are you somewhere?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Easter Sunday morning .
Are you somewhere Easter Sundaymorning?
St James 1030.
Very nice, That'll be great.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
One of the gems of the diocese, to my mind,
Absolutely All right.
So readings for this week.
One of the things that I'mfocusing on in my preaching this
week is the two disciples run.
They get the message from MaryMagdalene.
Mary Magdalene ran as well, sheran from the tomb back to them.
And these two disciples, thebeloved disciple and Peter, they
run, and then it's.
I say these are the first bros,they make sure that they note in
(17:32):
the gospel, one outran, theother.
He gets to the tomb.
He doesn't know what to do.
So Peter comes in and he runsright into the tomb and then he
looks around and sees all thewrappings on the floor and he
runs right into the tomb.
And then he looks around andsees all the wrappings on the
floor and he doesn't know what'sgoing on.
And then the beloved disciplewalks in, he sees and he
(17:53):
believes.
I said, and they put all ofthat in there, all of that
competition in there, to makethis story believable.
Right, Because it is.
It's true, they don't need allthose details in there, but they
put them all in there becausehow human is that?
And we're like this.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Yeah, and another gloss is that John the Beloved
is deferring to the authority ofPeter because he's been marked
as the leader.
So even though he beats himthere, it's his to.
You know, have a proper placewithin this structure the Lord
set up, even though he's fasterand younger.
(18:24):
Right, yeah, and we all get to.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
I say all the time.
I say we all get to this indifferent ways.
Some of us get to get thismessage faster than others.
Some people just showed up heretoday on Easter because they
thought they'd try church today.
Welcome them, we may havegotten there faster, they might
get there a little.
They might show us somethingthat, where we now understand
(18:46):
the resurrection a little moredeeply than we did before.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Yeah, I'm preparing, as I said, for Good Friday, so
I'm looking at this Hebrewsreading and I love this line
where we do not have a highpriest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses,but one who has similarly been
tested in every way, yet withoutsin.
So just a reflection on theincarnation that there's nothing
(19:10):
Jesus has not experienced.
He's still without sin, buthe's even experienced the weight
of sin betrayal, denial, peopleabandoning him in the garden,
falling asleep, crucifixion,death, Like there's nothing
that's foreign to him.
So he gets us.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Absolutely.
Yeah Well, happy Easter, my man.
Happy Easter, it's pretty good.
Do you have a favorite Eastercandy?
Speaker 2 (19:35):
No, I don't like candy.
I mean dark chocolate, butthat's not an Easter candy.
That's an acquired taste too, Ilike I mean, it's like my
personality.
I like strong beer, strongdrink, strong, bitter candy.
You know Nice, yeah, I'm notvery sweet.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
My house growing up, jelly beans were the thing, and
my wife loves chocolate.
So in fact our anniversary isEaster Sunday.
Oh, so that'll be nice.
23 years, 25 together.
We were married two years tothe day that we met on Holy
Thursday, I might add.
So the Holy Week's alwayspretty special for us.
But on Holy Saturday, the firsttime I met her, I gave her a
(20:14):
little Easter bunny and a card,and she was so dumbfounded that
I had given this to her that shedidn't even say thank you and
she just kind of walked awayover to one of her friends.
Then she realized I didn't eventhank him for this and she
turned around and said thanks,um, so yeah, so Easter will be.
Easter will be fun, but I wouldsay I'm a jellybean fan and, uh
(20:37):
, she's a chocolate fan, sowe'll see you next time after
Easter here on.
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