Discipleship | Podcasting | Dating
Field notes, lessons learned and getting creative
Hello friends, and welcome to Issue #11 of Peregrino! Here we go!
Being a disciple
I had the opportunity to listen to Fr. Larry Richards speak at the Men’s Conference this year. If you haven’t heard him speak, I highly recommend it. He’s energetic, engaging, and funny. He’s famous, among other things, for saying, “No Bible, no breakfast. No Bible, no bed,” which would make St. Jerome proud.
He prompted two seemingly simple questions to the audience. 1. Are you doing God’s will? 2. Do you know Jesus? Not of him but him, personally. He confirmed something that I have been experiencing in prayer lately. He made me realize prayer should be more listening than talking. How do you know what God wants of you if you don’t spend time listening to him? How can you know Jesus if you don’t read scripture?
The first step to becoming a disciple, he said, is to sit at the feet of the master. This immediately made me think of St. Mary Magdalene and adoration. Two topics I’ve written about in the newsletter before. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
The second step is to develop the attitude of the master. How did Jesus deal with the sin of the world? He died for it. What are we to do? Empty yourself every day. Become a slave of Jesus Christ, just like Paul, just like Cardinal George Pell; may he rest in peace. Say this often: “I am third.” God is first, others second, and I am third.
The third step is to be transformed into the master. Ask yourself, do people see Jesus when they see me? If not, there’s work to do. Jesus gave us a new commandment in John 13:34-35 “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Come and die. Give away your life. Bring Jesus to the world.
Episode 100
As I mentioned on my about page, I’m one of the hosts of the Barbatus Catholic Podcast, which this week got to one hundred episodes. I can’t believe it’s been two years since the podcast launched. But, on the other hand, it seems like yesterday when I was at the Dubliner pitching the idea to Gustavo and Ivan over a couple of beers.
One of the things that have been part of the process of making this podcast has been discernment. It was through prayer that we first felt called to do something to bring others to the faith by showing what God has done in our lives. Our very mundane lives.
I believe Barbatus has made me a better person. First, knowing I would talk about my walk of faith made me more aware that I had to walk the walk to be the same man when the microphones were on and when they were not. It made me think better because we needed to explain our experiences eloquently. Finally, it made me good at small talk, even though some people may not like the banter.
We had thirty-seven guests on the podcast, which taught me how to interview people. I also learned how to pitch the podcast to would-be guests. Some said yes, and some said no. We didn’t get too hung up; God’s will. We talked to great people who are building the kingdom with their unique gifts and calling.
We talked to priests and deacons, iconographers, Instagram influencers, coffee roasters, illustrators, cancer survivors, monks, byzantine Catholics, and many more wonderful people. Every one of them provided a boost in our walk of faith. I would leave my desk energized after recording an episode.
Recording in person was a ritual. We’d set up our makeshift studio in my garage, have a cocktail —or two, and sometimes record three episodes in one session with hilarious results. We’d joke that our table looked like a low-budget quinceañera. We also used sponsor money to buy Rye Whiskey for Manhattans, priorities.
It was also through prayer that we have felt called to pause this project until further notice. The bottom line is Gustavo, and I can’t keep up. Producing a podcast requires between ten and fifteen hours a week between the two of us, and we feel called to focus on our primary call, which is to be the best husbands and fathers we can be. Our very young families deserve it.
However, we left it open-ended. If it’s God’s will that there should be another one hundred episodes of the Barbatus Catholic Podcast, then we’ll do it. In the meantime, you can read my weekly ramblings here, a slightly more structured version of the banter.
Limitations foster creativity
I talked about how Diana and I set a goal for 24 date nights this year here. We’ve been good about booking a sitter and putting that time aside for the two of us every couple weeks. We very much look forward to date night.
Exodus90 requires men to abstain from alcohol and sugar during the duration of the program. The program goes from January 9th to April 8th. This made Diana and I realize how booze and sweets-centric our date nights are. So we had to get creative.
We’ve decided to start our dates with adoration. Before we had kids, Diana and I used to do a holy hour together every week. Then, as kids came along, we stopped doing this, and each of us got our holy hour. It’s nice to be in the chapel with Jesus and your bride; it sets the tone for the night.
Please don’t think we’re the holiest of people, far from that. We didn’t do this before because we would be at a bar drinking gin and whiskey-based cocktails like it were our job —responsibly, though. So in a way, maybe the Lord is calling us to be with him as a couple, and these “limitations” are the nudge we need to return to this practice in our marriage.
Once our souls were full, it was time to fill our bellies. I don’t know about you, but we have go-to date night places when we don’t want to risk trying new joints. If it doesn’t have a play structure, we’re good. There’s something about enjoying a meal where you don’t have to worry about little humans spilling drinks or throwing food on the ground—and having a quiet conversation without being interrupted every five seconds. Bliss.
For one of our, let’s call them “creative dates,” we decided to go to Dave & Buster’s. We got competitive and started trash-talking each other, so we chose games where we needed to collaborate. There’s a “The Walking Dead” arcade game that is very anxiety-inducing but fun in that you get an adrenaline rush.
On the other “creative date” we went on, after dinner, we remembered we needed bread and fruit for breakfast, so we walked over to the Sprouts, which was in the same shopping mall as the restaurant, and bought groceries.
Romance isn’t dead. Invest in your marriage. Date your wife.
I leave you with one of my favorite G.K. Chesterton quotes on marriage.
The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I have some questions for you:
How often do you read the Bible?
Do you know Jesus Christ?
Do you listen to podcasts?
Which are your top 3 favorite ones?
If you’re married, do you date your spouse?
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See you next week.
-W
The Exorcist Files is amazing. Dramatized stories of demonic possession from an exorcist’s case files.It is only a few months old too so you can jump right in.
Pints with Aquinas. ‘Nuff said.
Classical stuff you should know is really good. Three teachers who teach at a classical school. I went to public schools where we learned nothing about the great books. This is great cuz they teach you their whole curriculum and tons of other history. This podcast has def inspired me to send my kids to a classical school. Only listened to the first 120 episodes or tho. They are on episode 233 atm.