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 Does God Want Me to Give Up for Lent?
SPONSOR: Briefcase Marketing
This episode highlights the intersection of Lent and personal transformation. We discuss how understanding the true meaning of Lent can enrich our spiritual journey beyond traditional fasting.
- Importance of relationship during Lent
- Historical context of Shrove Tuesday
- Our motivations for giving things up
- Engaging in community service throughout Lent
- The power of mindfulness in daily practices
- What does God want you to give up this year?
Remember to reflect on what truly brings you closer to God and those around you.
Make sure to join us for this enlightening conversation and share your thoughts with us by emailing your Questions of Faith to: mhayes@dioceseofcleveland.org
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Church Search goes to St Adabert in Berea.
Readings for the First Sunday of Lent can be found here.
On today's Question of Faith. What does God want me to give up for Lent this year? 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.
Fr. Eric:Father Eric Garris, vocation Director, happy to be back.
Deacon Mike:Father Damien Ference on special assignment, as we like to say.
Fr. Eric:That's right doing his Father, Damien, thing.
Deacon Mike:He is out in Iowa, of all places, yeah so he's out at a conference.
Fr. Eric:One of his heroes, Flannery O'Connor 100th birthday, got her degree at Iowa doing some sort of Flannery O'Connor greatest hits tour.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, so good stuff That'll be fun for him. So drive safe, have fun.
Fr. Eric:That's right. And here we are shroving it up. On Shrove Tuesday.
Deacon Mike:Exactly yeah, fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday, mardi Gras day.
Fr. Eric:You've got your coffee.
Deacon Mike:You a big Mardi Gras person? Not really, yeah, same here, yeah.
Fr. Eric:I don't think it's part of like, I mean, Cleveland culture is " , sure, you know, and I think that's kind of everywhere. So you got all the spots. Do you know where it comes from, like the whole, like the background of it? I did but remind me, yeah, so they would. I mean, during the season of Lent, obviously it's a time of fasting and so they would take like all the sweets and all the lard and all the things that they had and they would use it all up, right today?
Deacon Mike:Oh right, because they couldn't eat butter and all those good things Correct.
Fr. Eric:So it's basically store up for yourself calories in earth, not treasure in heaven. So that was the whole sense of like frying all this stuff, using up all the sweet fruits as you enter into the desert.
Deacon Mike:Very nice yeah.
Fr. Eric:But I also like yeah, it's just not. It seems like a very Cajun, you know, like I yeah, kind of. Yeah, the Mardi Gras thing.
Deacon Mike:Have you ever been to?
Fr. Eric:Mardi Gras in Louisiana Never, never, yeah.
Deacon Mike:I've been to Louisiana many times, a couple of dear friends. My friend is a priest of the New Orleans province of the Society of Jesus, so I went to his ordination. Okay, any excuse for a parade. First of all, yeah.
Deacon Mike:If you have anything. I remember I went down and spoke at Loyola University one time and they said and the crowd was not large, let's say and so they said well, you know, we'd like you to come back and we'd like to try to get more people here for you. And they said if you could think of any excuse that we could have to throw a parade, that would be great.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, Well, they just had the. I mean, obviously the Super Bowl was just there.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, what.
Fr. Eric:I loved Jameis Winston, our previous quarterback doing content, dancing around in the streets of New Orleans.
Deacon Mike:Yeah.
Fr. Eric:He's a content-making machine.
Deacon Mike:That's a great place. Shout out to the folks in New Orleans Becky Eldridge, my friend who does Ignatian Ministries. She's in Louisiana, so great place to be. Good Anyway, but we're here in Cleveland.
Fr. Eric:That's right on the verge, on the precipice of Lent.
Deacon Mike:And so well, what are you giving up for Lent this year? Well, what does God want you to do for Lent? This's the big question.
Fr. Eric:So, yeah, I think a lot of times we ask that question and we ask it to ourselves. It's like the Pharisee asked himself what should I do? But really, I mean it's a season of grace and grace is living in relationship with the Lord and responding to the Lord's invitation. And so I think a lot of times we have an idea of, like I'm going to do this, um, I'm going to give up a cheese, I'm going to give up these fill in the blank things, but like, begin with the end in mind.
Fr. Eric:The goal of Lent is not just to get through 40 days of exercising willpower, but the goal of Lent is is transformation, um, so that, like, after 40 days, it's not like well, I can go back to eating cheese and I can go back to doing these things, but like, what can I do within me to let Jesus live within me more fully? So that's my Catholic pet peeve what are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? What is God doing? What does God want to do? So, to answer your question, it's still kind of TBD, I think part yeah.
Fr. Eric:I don't like big fasts, like I've done different things different years where I've given up I'm in my car a lot. So like I gave up radio one year and like used it as an opportunity to pray One year I gave up staying up late uselessly and went to bed at 1030 every night.
Deacon Mike:Oh, wow, yeah, I should do that yeah.
Fr. Eric:I'm looking at things like, like giving up, like iPad and bed it's just so easy to like the lay there and to get lost in the scroll. Um, usually, like I really enjoy getting together with friends and having a nice whiskey, but like I think that would put a strain on me to be like and that would be hard to give up, like and it's not like every day I'm drinking, but just whatever. I think to feel that rub and we oftentimes reach for these things to kind of fill that void. But I think any sense of discomfort, even if it be in our day-to-day lives, like all right, well, I'm just going to go to bed now and I'm not going to get lost in the scroll or whatever. Hopefully it's not just it reminds us of the fact that it's Lent, but it reminds us of the fact that any sacrifice we make, we believe, bears fruit.
Deacon Mike:Yeah yeah yeah, and is this for you like what gets in the way, like what gets in the way of my relationship with God?
Fr. Eric:in some ways, yeah, it's not like just like cheese. You know, like, well, I don't eat a lot of cheese, but when I want to, I do like. If cheese gets in your relationship with god, give it up. You know that's like like. But if, if, if there are certain things or attitudes like you know, pope francis, I think a number of years ago, was talking. He's like why don't you give up gossip? Why don't you give up just like mindless chat, like different things like that are more. This is going to create within me a deeper sense of transformation, not just a sense of I'm strong and have a will and can exercise it.
Deacon Mike:I did that one year, gave up gossip and it was very, very hard. Do you want?
Fr. Eric:to talk about it, sure.
Deacon Mike:No, but it was like if others were gossiping at the table. I found myself very easily getting sucked into their drama, right. And so I said okay, I'm either going to do one or two things. I'm either going to get up and leave the table, which probably isn't productive, right, because that's just removing you from the situation and not really engaging with trying to change the culture in some way, right. And so a couple times I did just get up and leave, but then other times I just went, folks, please, yeah, you know, come on, let's not talk about so-and-so. Yeah, let's find something else to chat about. Let's think about something else. Yeah, exactly, I think that's it.
Fr. Eric:I mean like focusing on relationship. You know, I think maybe that's in some ways like what is God doing? I think, well, that's what God's calling me to do. You know, I think of even in my life, in you as well. Deacon Mike Hayes, you know we pray the breviary, we pray the Liturgy of the Hours.
Fr. Eric:I'm on the go a lot, so like I'm praying it on my phone but I also like is my phone a place of prayer for me or is it just like I can scroll through it and I'm praying For me? One of the things that I feel called to do is actually using my bravery to pray the Liturgy of the Hours instead of just scrolling through it, and that would be uncomfortable because that means I have to lug my bravery around with me as I go to the office, at the seminary and meetings in Akron and just different places. But it's more of a deliberate thing that I'm choosing time to be in relationship with God instead of just like oh, I have to pray daytime prayer. God, come to my assistance. What do you like?
Deacon Mike:Okay, scroll through, yeah, yeah, and then you kind of go in through the motions just to get in.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, yeah, so that's relationship.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, yeah, for me too, I think the so I pray morning and evening prayer and then sometimes that is just going through the motions for me, but lately it has not been, and it's been okay. How do I pray for the church and who do I need to pray this prayer for? Let me bring them to mind Now, let me take a deep breath and really think about them for a couple minutes. And now let me pray this prayer for you Sure, you know.
Fr. Eric:so that kind of helps center me whether I'm on my phone or in my breviary.
Deacon Mike:either way, Whether I'm on my phone or in my breviary.
Fr. Eric:Either way, I think that pause is kind of helpful. The one thing I really like is the app that I use to pray breviary. So I think there's two of them. There's iBreviary, which a lot of people use. I use one called Divine Office. That's what I use. Okay, what I love about it is, you know, typically so, the liturgy of the hours are the prayer of the church, for the church, by the church, and so the church is constantly being prayed for, but most of the time, like, I'm praying it on my own, you know, in between things. But there's a great little thing that, like, when you open the app, I don't know if you ever look in prayer now.
Deacon Mike:Yes, they have like the little lights.
Fr. Eric:It's like 750 people are praying this right, and so like I, really deliberately I'm like I'm uniting myself to these people, maybe, just deliberately, I'm praying with and for them too. You know, just I think it's, I don't think. Oftentimes God asks us to make the big leap. You know, like what? Are you giving up for Lent? These crazy things?
Deacon Mike:Yeah.
Fr. Eric:You know just like. What are the little things that maybe I can change as far as mindset or?
Deacon Mike:whatever, and like even our sinfulness, right, sure. So, like, for me, there are days where I will get up late and because I'm out of my usual rhythm, I'll think later oh, morning prayer, it's 11 o'clock, yeah. And so I'm like, well, and I will take that little app out and I'll look at the little globe and say, well, it's morning somewhere, sure.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, and now I'll pray with those people for the morning, for their morning, you know, because I missed my morning, yeah, and I'll kind of go on from there. So it's, you know, sometimes even our sinfulness can bring to mind other things that get us back on track.
Fr. Eric:But I think, like, the interpretive key or interpretive word for Lent is the interpretive word for all of Christianity, which is relationship. This is a time to be devoted more deeply to the Lord and to be present to others, through the elimination of some things that sometimes prevent us from being present. I know a lot of people do social media fasts, and what is that? I mean, it's so easy to pull out our phone and, while we're with someone, like checking our Instagram, twitter, facebook, exanga blog you know that's a throwaway from like 2003. But, like, what can I do? What is the Lord calling me to do to be more present to him and to other people? Right, and that's where the almsgiving comes too. I mean, sometimes the alms that we're giving is our attention and our time, and the one thing that we don't have to give.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, one of the more creative lengths I had was when I was still in Buffalo and I was the director of campus at Canisius and I decided that I really wasn't getting to know people on a deeper level and that I had very, you know, sort of superficial relationships with students, with colleagues, with other things.
Deacon Mike:So I said, all right, so for Lent I'd like to try to develop these relationships a little bit, and so I started to learn a little bit more about people by asking, you know, asking them questions, having deeper conversations with them. But then I said, for every day of Lent I'm going to give something away, something that either gets in the way of that relationship with people or something that's very dear to me that I hold on a little too tightly, that now I have to give away because I think this person needs it more than I do, or this person will just enjoy it more than I will. So that might have been a book, it might have been a toy, it might have been a piece of jewelry. There was a whole bunch of things. If there were an alumnus of the university I went to, I would give them something from the university that I would have, and so I did it for 40 days. Let me tell you day 33, I'm like what the heck am.
Fr. Eric:I going to give away today. What more may I give?
Deacon Mike:That's a good question. What more could I give?
Fr. Eric:Yeah, here's my half-drank cup of coffee. This is for you.
Deacon Mike:That's right, exactly, but it couldn't be.
Fr. Eric:Let me just declutter my closet and give these things to you, right, and that's the whole thing, even with, like, that's our, those are our, I think a lot of times to check our motives, right, so, like, well, I'm going to give up, you know, something like food-wise, I'm going to do it because it's Lent, but also I'm going to do it because I, you know, it would be nice to lose somewhere between five or seven pounds. Sure, yeah, right. So, like, I mean, that might be a good thing, but like, is the motivation the loss of weight, or is the motivation a deeper relationship with the Lord, journeying with him through the desert, as he mounts his cross, gives of himself and, ultimately, life comes from the cross? So I don't know.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, this year. So I was inspired by Kerry Weber, who's from America Media. She wrote a book it's a while ago now called Mercy in the City.
Deacon Mike:I don't know if you've read it but it's a short book, it's really easy Read about 120 pages or so and she decided she was going to do all of the corporal works of mercy for Lent. So I've started to put this plan in motion. So this Saturday I'm going to go to a women's shelter and serve a meal with my wife, and I talk a good game about that stuff some days. But I get really busy and do I do that as much as I should? No, I shouldn't. So let me see if I can make that a regular practice now, and so let me do it once, and then let's see how much more I can do as Lent ends. I haven't figured out give drink to the thirsty. Yet I wrote down something, something clean water.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, you know, you got theology on taps. Maybe buy around for a second.
Deacon Mike:No, but I contacted Father Dave Domanski the other day and said hey, visit the imprisoned. I don't know how to do that right now. I'm sure there's like 10,000 hoops that I have to jump through just to be able to do that, but I know you do it, so could you help me do this for Lent. And he wrote back to me last night and said you're not going to believe this, but you have excellent timing. He said we're looking for someone to actually do this with us.
Fr. Eric:That's great, so call me this afternoon, we'll figure it out.
Deacon Mike:So I was like, okay, and I said, yeah, and that's something that I haven't, I've never done. I've admired people who've done it. And so I said, let me see if this is a ministry that maybe I might want to get involved in, but it's also as the director of young adult ministry. 95% of those people are young adults, sure, and so we should care for them.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, but I think what's good about that, though, like all of it, it's not just I'm doing this, because I think that this is like it sounds, like you're heeding the call of the Lord to do these things.
Fr. Eric:And I think that's all of it, but to be attentive to the ways that God is working within our lives that call out to us and reach out to us to say let's examine this, let's do something different. Us Us meaning me and you, not just you doing this to try to earn my love or you doing this to try to prove your power.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, we're not buying our way.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, without me you can do nothing. Prove your power. Yeah, yeah, we're not buying our way. Yeah, without me, you can do nothing. And so, like you know, unifying yourself to the Lord, like, all right, lord.
Deacon Mike:I'm going to do this with you and you're going to do this with me. Yeah, yeah, exactly, you're going to go and visit the imprisoned with me and help me hear what I need to hear and help me say what I need to say and help me be you know, help me be with folks in places where I would rather not go Sure.
Fr. Eric:One of the things I always as a kid. It frustrated me, but looking back at it now I really admired it. I know that my mom won't listen to this, so I'll talk about it, but for Lent it becomes almost like a badge of honor. What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? It's kind of like the talk. I remember my mom. I never knew what she would be doing for Lent, because she's like, that's just between God and I.
Fr. Eric:Oh, interesting, and I know she did something, but I think about that because and it's always the hard thing I'm like Ash Wednesday, like when you fast, you know wash your face and like here we are, we're like ashes on her head, but I just thought that, like you know, looking back on that, obviously there's something that she was praying about and heeding the call of the Lord and it's like, well, it doesn't. I'm not doing this for show, I'm doing this to hopefully deepen my relationship with the Lord, maybe even with me. I don't looking back, I don't totally remember everything different, but like, maybe she was being more present to us or just something you know, like that it's not about what I'm doing, but like, very clearly, like what God is doing within me or calling me to do.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, I have a friend who every year for Lent he asks his friends what he should give up, Like what's something that you see in me that needs to go away so that I can strengthen my relationship with God, and so I usually ask them to give up a certain food, a certain practice, and then something to pray for. Who do you think? That I don't who do you think I don't pray for, you know, and then, I'll tell you if I pray for them already or not.
Deacon Mike:But you know, is there something, some cause or some, yeah, some person that I can pray for a little bit more? I thought that was a good way to do it.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, there's all different things. That's the beauty of it. You see how diverse all of these practices are and I think part of it is to stand before it and, like I do believe, people are doing it because God is engaging them and asking them to do this.
Fr. Eric:And that's where I don't feel particularly called this year to give up anything food-wise. I this year to give up anything like food-wise. You know I feel called to give up some attitudes or practices you know much more, whereas I think for some people, yeah, the food fast, like that's a strain and you feel called to do it Like. So that's the beauty of it. Basically, one size does not fit all. Right, yeah, you know, obviously prayer, fasting and almsgiving it fits all. But how that's done is very particular and, I think, very beautiful because it's expressive of the relationship.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, and I thought of even logging. How do I spend my time For maybe the first half of Lent, say, okay, what am I really doing? And I've already started to do that. And then I'm able to dispense with some of that and say, okay, I could use this time better so I can go exercise during this time and pray for people while I do that.
Fr. Eric:The goal is transformation.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, that's right. How can I transform myself a little bit differently, so that and not so that I can look better?
Fr. Eric:but that I can be better Right, that I can be who the Lord calls me to be.
Deacon Mike:I can be who God calls me to be. That's right, yeah, perfect, all right. So.
Fr. Eric:So what are you doing for Lent?
Deacon Mike:Yeah, exactly what does God want you to do for Lent?
Fr. Eric:Yeah, what is God calling you to do?
Deacon Mike:Yeah, but I think those you know and be gentle with yourself is what I tell people, all the time. You know if you, I should say not tomorrow, but it'll be okay, just keep going, just go back and start. It's all about the journey, absolutely All right. Let's take a look at our sponsors.
Fr. Eric:Yes.
Deacon Mike:First time for you with the sponsor, I think.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, do I have to like change my inflection.
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Fr. Eric:Do you know these folks? I do based on this, but not who they are. But I see that there's some. They've got great Google reviews and they've done superb work with Theology of the Body, cleveland and St John Cansius, but what do they do?
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Fr. Eric:That's right, that's great. Wow, wow, I feel so. Official All right.
Deacon Mike:So church search Is there a good fish fry? Yeah, something we haven't talked about in a while so St Adalbert in Berea.
Fr. Eric:Oh yeah yeah, yeah, it's one of the—I think it is the oldest Polish Catholic—Catholic Church of Polish Nationality in the Diocese of Cleveland, I think they—so I was there as a transitional deacon and I think it's a particular parish that, while most parishes have territory, that church a personal parish is there to serve the needs of the Polish immigrants. So a lot of Polish immigrants came to Berea to work in the sandstone, limestone, all that kind of stuff. But they also have a pretty awesome fish fry on Fridays. They've got the pierogies and cabbage and noodles and all the beige foods that your heart and mind can desire. But I was also just there on Sunday because, in addition to having the parish where Father Chuck Bukowski is assigned as pastor, father Michael Brunofsky, benedictine, is there helping as well, as Deacon Edgardius is assigned there. They have the BW Newman and so they're there at 6 pm for the Newman Mass. Check out the fish fry, check out Mass at St Adalbert Beautiful St Adalbert, just across the campus of Baldwin-Wallace University.
Deacon Mike:There are two.
Fr. Eric:St.
Deacon Mike:Adalberts in the diocese.
Fr. Eric:There are. This is in Berea. This is the one in Berea, so you don't go to the wrong place.
Deacon Mike:I have made that mistake before.
Fr. Eric:Yeah Well.
Deacon Mike:I made that mistake before because someone called and told me about something that had happened at that St Berea and I said, oh, you should go and talk to Father Gary about that.
Fr. Eric:And they're like what?
Deacon Mike:And they're like Father Gary and I'm like yeah, he's the pastor at St Adalbert and they're like no.
Fr. Eric:No, and I'm like oh, you mean St Adalbert in Berea there's two St Adalberts Like yes, oh, I met the one in Cleveland, Sorry. That's right. You get to pass the the Browns facility on the way there.
Deacon Mike:That's right yeah.
Fr. Eric:Usually Bless it. I might want to do that more than once. Yeah, yeah, maybe we'll start parading around it with trumpets so that the walls come tumbling down, oh man.
Deacon Mike:No one is a bigger Browns fan than Father Eric Garris.
Fr. Eric:No, there's others. But it's draft season, right, and usually that's a season of hope, that's right. But it's Lent also, as a Browns fan, yeah, an eternal Lent.
Deacon Mike:Where they're giving up Miles Garrett for Lent. I don't want to talk about that. I don't want to talk about that either.
Fr. Eric:What about the readings? Do you want to talk about those Sure?
Deacon Mike:I will be preaching at Sagrada Familia this week, as they asked me to come in and fill in preaching at the 10 o'clock Mass. Preaching at the 10 o'clock mass Okay, and then actually I'll be going to the Rite of Election at Public Auditorium, which is apparently fantastic. I have not been at Public Auditorium for this.
Fr. Eric:Oh yeah, we've not had it there in a while, yeah.
Deacon Mike:We had the revival and different stuff.
Fr. Eric:Yes, yeah, we did the revival and now the Cleveland Charge are also playing at the Public Auditorium. Oh no kidding, which is the G League? The G League, yeah yeah, which is kind of cool.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, I'll have to go check that out. I haven't done that yet.
Fr. Eric:Yeah.
Deacon Mike:That'll be cool, All right, so I will be preaching. The gospel is from Luke, as it has been for a while now, where Jesus is attempted by the devil in the desert. So during those 40 days, just like us. That's one of the things I think I'm taking away from that reading is that the things that we are tempted by, you know, money, food, power, whatever it might be those are things that Jesus is tempted by the devil.
Deacon Mike:While we have a hard time getting rid of those things and saying yes to those temptations, Jesus is not.
Fr. Eric:Jesus is one who's able to push this away, to be the model's voice saying you are my beloved, in whom I am well pleased. And I think part of sin is, and we renew our baptismal promises in Easter, but we reject the empty promises of sin, and I think he's like Actually I don't want or need any of those things. I know that I'm loved by the Father and this is who I am. Actually, I don't want or need any of those things. I know that I'm loved by the Father and this is who I am and actually these things aren't going to shake me because I know who I am and these things, I don't want these. The only thing I want is the Father's love and if this is what's going to draw me back, then no way, jose.
Deacon Mike:Your love and your grace are more than enough for me. That's right. That's right.
Fr. Eric:And by Jose I mean Satan who's tempting him. No way, satan yeah.
Deacon Mike:If your name is Jose Father
Fr. Eric:No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Deacon Mike:Just to be clear no, no, no no, don't send your cards and letters, that's right. Yeah, but yeah, no, that's very good. And are you preaching this week somewhere?
Fr. Eric:I am yeah somewhere.
Deacon Mike:I am, yeah, I have so on.
Fr. Eric:Sunday I have to leave. I'm in that doctoral program out in St Louis so I have a week of class next week. So I do have a Saturday vigil at my home parish, our Lady of Mount Carmel in Wycliffe. I have a baptism after mass for a family friend and I'm going to be back at my home. Hopefully a prophet is with honor in his native place and not without honor in his native place.
Deacon Mike:Yeah.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, I feel like we've done it. Usually I come on here and I think it's Father Damien being in his presence, my beloved neighbor. We usually get kind of off topic and wily, and I think we haven't done that today. So that's what I'm trying to do right now, at the end.
Deacon Mike:So what are you trying to say I?
Fr. Eric:think it's not trying to say I think it's. I'm not trying to say anything, I'm just trying to say, I'm just trying to say, I'm just trying to say I think I did a good job of staying on topic for the first time in my life and actually talking about what we needed to, instead of just being like something yeah right, we go all over the place. The the, the ever distracted brain that is held within my my cranial cavity.
Deacon Mike:Didn't you say at the Ignite conference that if you were the patron saint of something, you'd be the patron saint of ADHD?
Fr. Eric:Probably, yeah, probably.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, I'd probably not be too far behind you, right.
Fr. Eric:Bright, shiny object. That's right, and I do think that the coffee, the empty cup, over there it's showing itself.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, exactly. Yeah, you probably try the decaf. I will. That was my first cup today. Yeah, exactly.
Fr. Eric:Although there are. Have you ever had a Celsius? This is going to get a soft topic.
Deacon Mike:Yes, I have had Celsius.
Fr. Eric:Man, those things. You drink one of those and you start smelling colors you've never even heard of before.
Deacon Mike:It's like woo-hoo, that's like Do you have a favorite brand of Celsius?
Fr. Eric:Just the Celsius Celsius.
Deacon Mike:Just the Celsius Celsius.
Fr. Eric:Yeah. Just in general, yeah yeah, well, aren't there other? Because it's not really like an energy. Wait, are you saying? Do I have a favorite energy drink?
Deacon Mike:No, do you have a favorite?
Fr. Eric:flavor Flavor flavor. No.
Deacon Mike:Okay, just all of them are fine.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, yeah, jen Martin, this is see. This is what I wanted to do. We're getting off topic. You're just going to cut all of this If you're listening still, god love you. But Jen Martin, who's the youth specialist, she introduced me to Celsius and the first time I had it I didn't know that it had caffeine, but then I found out.
Deacon Mike:Huh.
Fr. Eric:Based on the colors that I was hearing.
Deacon Mike:You learned something new every day. I didn't know it had caffeine. I didn't know it had caffeine either.
Fr. Eric:You didn't, no 200 milligrams of caffeine.
Deacon Mike:Wow, that's a lot. Woo, I mean, it does pick you up, yeah, so maybe what should I give up for lunch? No calories, though, right, right, or five calories.
Fr. Eric:Yeah, so maybe I have to give up Celsius.
Deacon Mike:Maybe that's it. I don't have it very often. Yeah, I don't have it very often either, but I do enjoy it. The blueberry one I kind of like in particular over all the other ones.
Fr. Eric:Celsius, if you'd like to sponsor us, we would give just as great of an ad read as we did for our dear friends over at Briefcase Marketing.
Deacon Mike:Yeah, that's right you could send a case.
Fr. Eric:This is just pure banter. All right, all right, here we go. Happy Lent, everyone Happy Lent.
Deacon Mike:Enjoy Mardi Gras, enjoy Ash Wednesday. Remember that you are dust. Be transformed Be transformed this Lent, be transformed, be transformed this Lent. We'll have this and a whole lot more next time here on Question of Faith. Play us out.
