Question of Faith
A weekly question of faith answered by Cleveland Catholics. Fr. Damian Ference, Vicar of Evangelization and Deacon Mike Hayes Director of Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Cleveland co-host with frequent guests from the Diocesan Office who join in the conversation. Sponsored by Briefcase Marketing--check them out at https://www.Briefcase.marketing
Question of Faith
What If I Can't Find Godparents for My Baby's Baptism?
Choosing godparents is a momentous decision filled with both responsibility and prayerful discernment. We'll explore this essential question with insights from Deacon Mike Hayes, Father Damian Ference, and Christy Cabaniss, who share their wisdom on selecting role models who will be more than just names on a certificate. From considering non-family mentors to honoring cultural traditions like the Hispanic practice of multiple godparents, we offer practical guidance and heartfelt reflections to help you make this choice with confidence and clarity. Plus, discover how these significant figures can continue to shape a child's life, possibly stepping into the role of confirmation sponsors as they grow.
Reflecting on the legacy of Pope John Paul II on his feast day, we recount our personal experiences of his awe-inspiring visits to the United States. From the unforgettable masses at Yankee and Shea Stadium in New York to the echoes of his "do not be afraid" messages during World Youth Days, JPII's message continues to ignite faith and courage.
Amidst these reflections, we share news about Deacon Mike's appointment as the Bishop's Delegate for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relationships and discuss exciting projects like the Catholic-Jewish Colloquium that are on the horizon.
Church Search goes to New Hampshire where we share the story of a church who are praying for our country for 30 days before the election. Christy adds a bit about Pray More Novenas.
Mike discusses the Hard 75 challenge.
Mike's Hard 75 begins on November 4th:
1. Up at 6:30AM each day for a morning walk.
2. Morning and Evening Prayer each day.
3. Scripture reading plus journaling each day.
4. Core finisher exercise each day.
5. One Inspirational Social media post each day. (It can be a picture, but I have to add a description about why it is inspiring.)
6. Eat only food that I have prepared. (I can eat out, but not randomly. I have to plan to eat out ahead of time and have to pick something off a menu ahead of time that fits with my current diet plan).
Readings this week are from the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the story of Bartimaeus calls us to examine our own faith and vision.
Join us for a compelling conversation that weaves together the threads of legacy, community, and spiritual growth.
On today's Question of Faith. What if I can't find godparents for my baby's baptism? Hey, everybody, this is Question of Faith. I am Deacon Mike Hayes. I am the Director of Young Adult Ministry here in the Diocese of Cleveland.
Speaker 2:And I'm Father Damian Ferentz, Vicar for Evangelization.
Speaker 3:And I'm Christy Cabaniss, Director for Missionary Discipleship.
Speaker 1:Yay, hi Christy's back.
Speaker 3:Yay, and I'm Christy Cabaniss.
Speaker 1:Director for.
Speaker 2:Missionary Discipleship Yay Hi.
Speaker 3:Christy's back Yay.
Speaker 2:So, Buona Festa as the Italians say. It's Feast Day, pope.
Speaker 1:John Paul II. Correct, yeah, today's the Feast Day. We're recording on.
Speaker 2:Well, when I was a child I was born in 76, so my first memories and they say you actually don't start developing memories until you start developing language Correct, which start developing memories until you start developing language Correct, which is why your earliest memories are usually around like three or four, because that's when you first started talking. So as far back as I could remember, it was always John Paul, our Pope Anthony, our Bishop here in the Diocese of Cleveland.
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure.
Speaker 2:And throughout all the 80s and throughout the 90s and up until about 2005,. That's what we heard. So I don't know where you are all from, but we're close to each other in age. Do you remember John Paul I or Paul VI? I do. I remember both of them. Yeah, are you 53? Four, okay, and I don't ask a woman's age.
Speaker 3:But we're the same age, father Damon. Yeah, we are yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because we're cool like that, that's right, we are, yeah, yeah, because we're cool like that. That's right, yeah, yeah. So I can remember the first pope I remember seeing, like on television, was Paul VI, and it was probably—I'm trying to remember if I saw him or if it was when he died Like that was my first—because I certainly remember both—you know, I remember him dying and I remember John Paul I dying very quickly, obviously, yeah a month JP1,.
Speaker 2:yeah, we have to ask some of our staff who are conspiracy theorists that came up at lunch last. I wonder if they think about that. I'll ask.
Speaker 1:John Paul I. Oh, yeah, I have thoughts, yeah, and I remember, obviously, the election, john Paul II. What I really remember is Cardinal Cook, who was the Archbishop of New York at the time, and my pastor, Monsignor Troy. They went to Rome to get the Pope to bring him to New York, wow, and to go to Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium at the time, and so I remember the papal masses at Yankee and Shea Stadium. I did not attend those. Is this 79? Yeah, it was around, okay, yeah, I. And the reason I remember this this is horrible is because I have a 1979 new york mets yearbook and there's a big spread in there about john paul ii's visit so I
Speaker 2:always remember the year the um usccb posted a really great video today of him. I think he was visiting catholic you at the time. It was also that 79 visit because he hit the Eastern Seaboard yes, that's right, and he gave a nice little fervorino to the young people about not being afraid. That was his big theme do not be afraid, do not be afraid. I remember being at the seminary my freshman year when he came back and watching on TV because I think he did the Eastern Seaboard again at that time.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I mean the podcast isn't on John Paul today but I did want to honor him because he was hopeful and you've seen him live. You saw him live a couple times, yeah.
Speaker 2:I met him twice in 99 and 2004, both as a seminarian. But my most memorable events with him were World Youth Days, because I never had gone out of the country before. In 97, I went to France.
Speaker 3:In 2000,. Rome 97, I went to France and 2000 Rome and then 2002, I know you were there too in Toronto.
Speaker 2:Did you ever do a world youth day? No, yeah, those were so formative for me, cause it was like getting out of Cleveland, getting out of Ohio and seeing, getting out of the United States and seeing the church universal and just being like I am part of something huge and old and I love this and it was great. And he was so good with young people, because I remember seeing pictures of him as a kid and thinking this guy has nothing to do with me, but then when I saw that he was a playwright and he was an actor and kayaker and all that stuff and he was good with young people, that really inspired my ministry.
Speaker 1:So yeah, buona Festa as the Italians say, yeah, and I can remember Central Park in New York that he had a big mass in central park and I went to that and that was 95 uh, yeah, it had to be around.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah, had to be around there, yeah, and then, um, I can remember being like way up on top of a hill, but we still had a really good view of the, the altar and of him and he was um, he was very enthusiastic at that, and then 2002 was sort of the end of his life in Toronto, so he was a little less active maybe.
Speaker 1:His mind was sharp, but his body was really. But he passed right in front of me at 2002 in Toronto. He didn't die in front of you, I know, I literally went to the end and he died.
Speaker 3:He passed by you, he passed by you.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you very much. He passed right in front of me. What the heck, oh well.
Speaker 1:Every once in a while, right, mike just says something awkward. But yeah, no, he passed by me in the Popoville and it was sort of right in front of me too. It was really cool. I remember my friend, cindy, had said I think I've talked about this before and she was like I had never been to World Youth Day. And I think I've talked about this before. She was like I had never been to World Youth Day and we heard all this screaming when we were inside Exhibition Hall and she said I said what's all this screaming? She said, oh, motorcade's coming.
Speaker 1:And Cindy had been to like half a dozen World Youth Days, right. And so I was like oh yeah, and we went back to our conversation and Cindy said wait a minute, you've never been to World Youth Day, right, and I said right. And she said well then, get out there, man, what's wrong with you? I was like cindy, you know, like I worked in the media, I've seen celebrities. I that doesn't get me much, just mike, it's the pope yeah, right and I went, yeah, okay, and I went.
Speaker 1:I don't know how I got all the way up to the front of the stanchions, but I did, wow. And he just pissed right in front of me. I was so moved. I called my mother. It was before camera phones and everything else too, so I don't have any pictures of it. I've gotten a few papal drive-bys now from all three.
Speaker 2:From.
Speaker 1:John Paul II, benedict and Francis. Francis was probably the closest of the three but, John Paul II was pretty close to Toronto. If I didn't think that the Secret Service would, you know, chop my arm up, I probably could have touched the mobile.
Speaker 2:I met the Holy well Pope John Paul II twice, and Francis when Bishop Perez was here and came in on his side, leaving a visit In 2005,. I was in Germany and Pope Benedict was Pope and we went to a gathering with priests and seminarians and he came down the aisle and he had his hands up like a good German pope and I went to grab his hand and, man, they pushed me right back in my pew. Yeah, so I mean, I touched it a little bit, but it was not like he shook my hand, it was like I was assaulting him. And then I pushed down in the pew, so I wasn't assaulting him, they just you know, whatever.
Speaker 1:Dying in front of me.
Speaker 2:You're assaulting him.
Speaker 1:Boy, we're getting in all kinds of trouble today.
Speaker 2:You guys are yeah, yeah, sorry.
Speaker 1:Christy's the only one who's good here?
Speaker 3:That's a weird feeling for me. I'm not usually the good one.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well.
Speaker 2:We're all sinners.
Speaker 1:Anyway, we'll show people how good you are, because our question today is from someone who they actually had two questions. One was they said that when did the church start requiring godparents? Well, the answer to that is the second century, Because way back they needed sponsors for baptism and they picked people from the community to do that. So the answer to that question, straightforward, is the second century.
Speaker 1:But the second part of the question was I'm having a hard time finding godparents for my child's baptism, because either Everybody in my family either didn't make their confirmation, or they haven't been married in the church, or there's some other impediment to them being a godparent. So what?
Speaker 2:to do, or they're not active or something. Right, that's what I mean, yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know what to do, and so we brought Christy in. It's sort of like a walk us through that. Let me say we talked about this yesterday a little bit. You know. The first thing we wanted to say was to dissuade people of the notion that the godparents are the people who will take care of your children if something should happen to you.
Speaker 3:Right, we have a law system for that, so you have to actually put that in your will, you have to have it notarized. The legal system is who takes care of that? Not the church.
Speaker 1:Right, yes, exactly Now. They could be your godparents, should you deem it so.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:But that has to be written somewhere else, not this. So what to do about the actual question here?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think that one of the things to think about first off is this idea that the godparents came about in the second century and Mike, you said it funny so I'm going to just play on that a little bit you said that people would have picked their godparents then to sponsor them.
Speaker 3:I think it's the other way around.
Speaker 3:I think we're not thinking about this through an evangelization lens, which is that actually you got brought into the church because someone else was evangelizing you and then when you said, oh yes, I want to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, they brought you to the church and brought you in, and then, you know, your baptism happened, your initiation happened through that.
Speaker 3:So I also thought that that is helpful for us to think about in who we would want to be our kids' godparents, because what we're hoping for is an example in the faith, people other than the immediate parents of an individual to help teach them the faith, hand on the faith to them and be examples, exemplars in this person's life. So when we think about it in those terms, it makes sense then why the church is demanding that these people be initiated and practicing members and all of that sort of thing. So then I urge folks look at your parish community. Is there somebody around you or an exemplar that's been in your life, that's led you to faith and a deepening of your Catholic faith, that you could ask to be this role model in your child's life right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, thoughts. I mean, you want people to do things. Who do things? Well, right, I mean, that's just a simple thing to look at. You know, like if I were choosing a health care proxy, I wouldn't choose someone who doesn't know anything about health care, right, exactly? Yeah, that's not going to work out well for me, or?
Speaker 3:anybody else. You're not going to call your dog sitter about that. No, I'm not going to call my dog sitter about that.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe I mean it depends on who the dog sitter is, but yeah, I mean that's the idea. I mean I think everything you said was right on.
Speaker 3:Right, but I just think that sometimes we get a little bit narrow and we're thinking about how that relationship should play out, but ultimately it is the exemplar in the child's life and it is somebody that you do want to see an ongoing relationship with Sure, of course.
Speaker 3:So in some ways it is the low-hanging fruit to go with immediate family members aunts, uncles, grandmas, brothers, sisters, that sort of thing. To go with immediate family members aunts, uncles, grandmas, brothers, sisters, that sort of thing. But yeah, I think you could really start to expand your community that way of inviting other people to be the godparents.
Speaker 1:And it's more than an honor. Right, it's a responsibility. It is a responsibility. Yes, you know you're not just picking some. I know so many people say, oh, I was so honored to be a godparent and I'll say, okay, well, what do you do for your godchildren? And they're like, well, I mean, I was there at the baptism and I'm like, yeah, but you have an ongoing role now. Now, what do you do? Right, and I should say that not every godparent does the exact same thing?
Speaker 2:Sure, of course not. So. My godparents were my parents' best friends. They weren't related, but I called them Uncle Jim and Aunt Mary because we visited them. She lives right over by Forest City Brewery. My godfather's passed, but my godmother's still alive. She's delightful too.
Speaker 1:We've met a couple times, yeah.
Speaker 2:And we would go after mass every Sunday. We'd go over there, so I'd see them all the time. Now I have 13 God children but I don't treat them the way that my godparents treated me and I even told their parents. I said I can't remember all these things, but what I can do for them every day is I'll pray for them by name and I'll be the best priest I can be, and then when I see them I'll treat them kindly and charitably. That's the best I can do. And their parents are like that's fine, that's cool, so that's what I do.
Speaker 2:But I think it's different, because I have some friends who only have one or two godchildren and they remember every and they're kind of like a pseudo-aunt or family member in a way. So both are being responsible. But I think, just so the parents know that what you can offer and what you can't offer, and that that's out on the table at the beginning is good and it's helpful, and you only actually need canonically one godparent. So, and if you have to, it has to be a man and a woman and they both don't have to be Catholic. But if the person is Catholic they have to be fully initiated, a proper marriage in this. But if they're Christian they could be a Christian witness. But a Catholic can't be a Christian witness. If you're a Catholic you have to be like fully initiated Catholic Right and you do.
Speaker 3:Even if there's a Christian witness there, you do still have to have a godparent. Now I also want are you guys familiar with the Hispanic community, where you have like a gazillion godparents?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we should bring Hortensia to that. Yeah, you should.
Speaker 3:Because I learned that whenever I was working for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and I was like, what are you guys talking about? Compadres, yeah, the godparent of the cake and the godparent of the dress and the godparent of the party.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not canonical, but it's great that the idea is it takes this whole community to raise people in the faith, raise children in the faith. So that's all lovely.
Speaker 1:And poorer communities. Like usually the person who's the godparent of the cake and the godparent of that, they're the ones who have to buy those things.
Speaker 3:Right, exactly.
Speaker 1:And no one could afford all those things on their own most of the time. So they split it up amongst the community.
Speaker 3:But I still think that that's exactly the way that we want to be living our Christian life right it should be the way that we want to be living our Christian life right, it should be.
Speaker 3:you could almost have these folks doing these other things. The other thing that I want to point out here, too, is that in canon law it does suggest that whenever you get to confirmation, that your godparent also be your confirmation sponsor. So I also want to just think about the longevity of the people that are going to be in this child's life and around. I think that obviously it's adults, so there's going to be some sense of like at some point. Maybe they're not going to be around anymore, right?
Speaker 1:That was a case for me. My godfather and my godmother were both dead by the time I was confirmed.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I mean, and it's not, you don't have to do it that way, it's just the suggestion that it would be highly favorable to do this. So I just think that when we're thinking about this sense of our community, I think that we can expand that beyond. And isn't it good to have multiple mentors in your life? Sure, certainly.
Speaker 2:I've done a few weddings. I don't do a lot of weddings because of my current ministries, but I had a few this summer and godparents played a prominent role in the wedding liturgy, whether it was reading or bringing up the gifts, and that's really cool. When then, a lot of times they'll seat the priest with the parents and godparents at the wedding reception, like, oh, my goddaughter, my godson, it's really neat. It's a good relationship to foster, yeah, necessary relationship to foster?
Speaker 1:Yeah, necessary, absolutely yeah, and I think you know my godfather was my mother's brother. And the other thing too that I ran across I actually looked this up last night. I looked for pictures of my baptism because I wanted to see who was there, and for a long time parents generally didn't go to the baptism because the mother was usually recovering, because baptism happened pretty quickly and so usually mom was recovering. There was also this idea of being churched, like you had a sort of like. It goes back to the Jews. You know the ritual cleansing, you know, after childbirth, and so the woman wasn't supposed to come to church until that had taken place, or the temple in the Jews case, right, so my mother's not there, it's my sister is there with my aunt and my uncle, who are my godparents, and so I was like, well, that's interesting, what are you wrecking the joint over?
Speaker 2:there. Yeah, it was a boom mic. I was just trying to adjust it. Deacon Mike, you are dressed presidentially today. Yeah, I am You're right. Could you share with us what you're doing later?
Speaker 1:I think it's interesting because it's one of your jobs. Yeah, so tonight the bishop and I will be attending the interfaith Sukkoth at Park Synagogue, and so they basically bring people in, for, you know, into the Sukkoth, the outdoor sort of structure that they build. They bring people in and have a little meal together, invite strangers in. There's a great movie about this holiday called Ushpishin, which is the Visitors. It's hysterically funny and it's subtitled, just so you know it's in Hebrew, but it's a great, great movie if you want to check it out and then you'll learn all about the holiday.
Speaker 1:But yeah, we're going to that tonight at Park Synagogue. That's cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for those of you who haven't been keeping up, deacon Mike received a new ministry as part of his work for the diocese, and he is the Director of Interfaith and Ecumenism. Is that the official title?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Ecumenical and Interfaith. The Bishop's Delegate for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relationships.
Speaker 2:There it is.
Speaker 1:That's cool, yeah, so I get to work with everybody in the diocese who were not us, right All those kinds of things, which is fun. So we're actually working on the Catholic Jewish— Colloquium. Colloquium, yes, which will happen in April. So we have a meeting for that next week. Is that at the seminary this year, or is that? At— no it'll be at the place we're going tonight, I believe.
Speaker 1:Oh fun. So Sister Mary McCormick and I are the Catholic reps on that, so it'll be fun and so, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I have to drive the bishop tonight, by the way, don't get him in a wreck.
Speaker 3:Don't give him a heart attack either. Also true, he's used to driving with Father Eric.
Speaker 1:Garris, so I think he'll be fine. He drives like a madman. Yeah, you're right, I'll be fine.
Speaker 3:Mike drives like someone's grandma, so I'm just kidding. I do?
Speaker 1:You're absolutely right. You are absolutely right. We'll be late with me driving, you know. That's the thing.
Speaker 2:He likes he won't tell you this, but he likes Megadeth. So when he gets in the car you He'll just start banging his head a little bit. You'll see.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, I'm actually going to do this now. Oh my gosh, Father Damien told me you like this.
Speaker 2:Father Damien said you like Megadeth? Yeah, see how that goes, try it. Yeah, I'll see that.
Speaker 1:Anyway, all right, hey, church church. Now. We usually talk about a church in Cleveland, but I'd like to talk about this one. I read this in the Pillar today A church in New Hampshire, st Martin's Church, which looks like they're a clustered parish between St Ignatius of Loyola and St Mary's this St Martin's Church, have begun 30 days of prayer for our country leading up to the election on November 5th, and so he's in the past. The pastor, father Andrew Nelson, has held a prayer vigil the night before the election this year. Him and his staff wanted to do something more, so they've been gathering people since october 6th every evening at 6 15 and they join not for one candidate but for our entire country, and they give out people prayer booklet and they do like a little devotion every night.
Speaker 2:I thought that was a cool idea. Yeah, we'll have to remember that four years from now, because we're halfway through the 30 days, unless you want to start like a 12-dayer.
Speaker 3:Or you could do a novena, you could do a novena. And also I just want to plug some friends of mine that have a website that's called Pray More Novenas.
Speaker 1:Oh yes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so go there and you can do that.
Speaker 1:There's a little Facebook group that I'm in that they do pray more novenas all the time.
Speaker 2:I was not a big novena or fasting guy, except for Lent, until we started Nine Nights of Night Prayer and then I would fast from drinking for nine nights for the parishes and then, once nine nights was over, I've done two novenas since and I picked that up from the Byzantine nuns out in Burton, because they do fasting and mortifications, and I don't mean that in like a gross way, I'd mean it in the most traditional way, like give up Instagram or something. Yeah, for this, that you're not just waiting to Lent to do these things. You could, you know, drive out demons with prayer and fasting. So I think that's become a new, a new twist, a new wrinkle in my spiritual life.
Speaker 1:I'm about to do some. My trainer suggested this to me. I wanted to know what you guys thought of this. I'm going to do something called the hard 75. And so what it is is you make a list of six things that you have to do for 75 days, no matter what, and if you miss one of them on one day, you have to go back to day one until you can complete the 75.
Speaker 3:Oh see, that would be a different when one, until you can complete the 75. See, that would be a different when you say it to me. I have a rebel personality, which means I don't like rules and I like to break them.
Speaker 1:Well, you make the rules in this. This isn't somebody else giving you six things.
Speaker 3:I definitely don't abide by my own rules, that's the whole.
Speaker 1:Thing.
Speaker 3:But knowing that I would restart back to one the achievement, I think, of the 75 would motivate me, so that helps.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's where I am. So I have to come up with six things to do.
Speaker 3:I'll help you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure you will Be careful. No, I have most of them already.
Speaker 2:So it's Listen to Megadeth every day. Listen to.
Speaker 1:Megadeth every day.
Speaker 2:I don't know why I'm saying this, david Mustaine. I don't even know. No, I don't even know. No, I probably wouldn't. He's a Christian now, though, david Musil, yeah, he is that's funny. All right, All right anyway.
Speaker 1:So readings for this week. Let's see, it's the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Bartimaeus comes up in the Gospel this week, a blind man who says I want to see. What do you want me to do for you? Jesus says to him. He says, master, I want to see. He says, go your way. Your faith has saved you. I like the request there. What do you want me to do for you? And then he boldly asks you know?
Speaker 2:and ask and you shall receive as God tells us. I like the responsorial psalm. The Lord has done great things for us. We are filled with joy and I think it's important to recognize the good things that the Lord has already done for us communally, but also us individually, because if you can name some of those in your past, then you can trust when you're going through hard times. Currently all right. The Lord's been good. He's always kept his promise, he's been faithful, like this is the story of the scripture. So I can trust that he'll do that again, even if I'm not feeling that right now. Very nice, yeah, anything on your end.
Speaker 1:Christine, even if I'm not feeling that right now. Very nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, anything on your end, christine? Well, I have two things I want to say. One is in the reading. I feel like St Paul this is a really great reading of. We're all called to be more like Jesus, but this one is kind of convicting of, you know, like, how Jesus deals with the ignorant and the erring and he takes on the weakness and all of that sort of thing. So I feel like that's a tough reading. If you're striving on a path of trying to be more like the Lord, this one's tough to take on. So just keep that in mind, friends, don't hurt yourself.
Speaker 2:Why do you think it's difficult to?
Speaker 3:take on.
Speaker 2:Oh for me.
Speaker 3:Because he's dealing patiently, deal patiently with the ignorant and airing is not my strong suit, yeah, yeah. And erring is not my strong suit, yeah, no. The weakness part I think I have learned how to deal with that part of things a little bit better in my life, but being patient when yeah, so you don't suffer fools well. No, not really.
Speaker 1:It depends.
Speaker 3:Actually, though, that's a whole thing for me which we're not going to get into.
Speaker 2:This isn't counseling, but hold on, don't you think, though, if you keep in mind how good, how patient the Lord's been with you and your ignorance and your erring, then you're like all right, he's been like that with me, so then it's just kind of naturally.
Speaker 3:That's where the depends comes in, because for me it's whenever, like when I can see for somebody that they are lacking in experience or formation or something along those lines, I am able to be a lot more forgiving of that. But there are certain people that I hold to a certain standard of like. They have education, formation, they should have the experience because they're at a certain level, or whatever. Those are judgments on my part that I need to release in order to let go of. Like it's who, who is the ignorant and erring, I think is what makes the difference for me about where my patience is or is not.
Speaker 1:You can hire expectations of people, but expectations are going to set you up for disappointment, which judgment is not good.
Speaker 3:But I also want to say if anybody has ever heard of biblical storytelling, have you heard of this?
Speaker 2:I mean, I know what stories are in the Bible.
Speaker 3:No, so it's a practice where these professionals are trained in how to share scripture in a way that would be more like the earliest days of sharing.
Speaker 1:Oh, like oral proclamation.
Speaker 3:Yes, exactly, it's the way I try to read the gospel, and I had a biblical storyteller come in to do this reading for a group and when she called out as blind Bartimaeus it startled the whole room and it was kind of hilarious because you're imagining like everybody's, it's kind of like the rumble of the crowd and whatever. And then she just like yells out. And I was in Baltimore at the time and Archbishop Lurie was at the parish and he was coming to see the room but he could hear something was going on because she was telling the story, so he didn't want to interrupt. And then when she started to yell later he came in and said I. And then when she started to yell later, he came in and said I was worried that you guys weren't okay in there.
Speaker 1:I've done like a dramatic presentation of the abraham and isaac reading and one of the things that I did was it said god called me and I went, abraham, that's. That was the reaction of the entire group that was there. And then I sort of of used like a little bit of license and I said, and I sort of play Abraham in this thing like a one-man show kind of thing, and I said, here I am. I got a bigger laugh. I was like this is going well. But yeah, so readings for this week, 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time. So check them out as you head to Mass. Christy, thanks for being with us.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me, guys. It was so fun, as usual, find a godparent.
Speaker 1:Yes, please, it's not hard. There's got to be somebody there who would be willing and able to do this. Here's the thing.
Speaker 3:Pray on it. The Lord will reveal this person to you. Discernment will help.
Speaker 1:For sure, and I'll pray for my godson Noah right now, who I love. So this has been Question of Faith. I'm Deacon Mike Hayes, I'm Father Damian Ferentz and I'm Christy Cabaniss, and we'll see you all again next time.
