Petersboat Podcast – The Monday After | About a Girl at The Bar

Host: R. Ketcham
Date: October 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this reflective solo episode, Fr. Rob Ketcham explores the deeper human longing for relationship with God, using the story of the grateful leper from Scripture as a springboard. Weaving in anecdotes from parish life and a poignant encounter at a bar, he discusses how faith is practiced within the church community, the intersection of spirituality and daily life, and the abiding hope in God’s faithfulness—even when we stray.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Grateful Leper: Desire Beyond Healing

• [00:00] Fr. Rob opens with the Gospel story of the ten lepers, highlighting that only one—a Samaritan—returns to thank Jesus.
  • "The human heart desires something more than just getting what it wants. The human heart desires a relationship with God."
  • The nine lepers represent those who seek fulfillment only in their immediate needs being met, while the Samaritan’s return signals a deeper longing—for communion with the giver, not just the gift.
  • “Maybe I'm not abandoned. Maybe he hasn't forgotten me. Which is why the Samaritan man comes back to thank God by falling at the feet of Jesus.” — Fr. Rob ([01:30]).

Practicing Faith Like a Team

• [03:00] Drawing a parallel between church and sports teams, he likens Sunday worship to team practice—which equips believers for ‘the game’ of daily life.
  • Church is "just like the team coming together with the coach... None of the opposing teams are here."
  • The congregation practices mercy, peace, and gratitude: "We have our routines... so that when we go out into the world, we can play the game well or live well."
  • Expanding Christian love beyond church walls: “I can treat everyone in the world as if they were a person next to me in the pew on Sunday. And not only is Christ okay with that, this is what he wants, and this is what he's like.” ([05:30]).

The Girl at the Bar: Encountering Unconventional Faith

• [07:20] Fr. Rob recounts a moving conversation with a young woman in a bar, who held diverse spiritual beliefs and hadn’t attended church for years.
  • Her faith includes elements of Reiki, sage, the Bible, rosaries, reincarnation, and psychics. Despite her confusion, she insists: “But I believe in Jesus.”
  • “She is a Catholic, a baptized Catholic who hasn't been to church, though, for years and years now.”
  • The host expresses the connection he feels through shared faith: "My relationship with God through the church and through his son, Jesus—it helps me to feel really close to you."
  • This deeply touches her: “She started to cry. I could see that, really, it touched her heart... I think it touched that deepest part of her heart, which is a desire for a relationship with God.” ([09:30])
  • The exchange is an illustration of God’s persistent love: "Maybe God still does love me, even though I have been unfaithful. Maybe he will remain faithful to me..." ([10:30])

Faithfulness of God Despite Our Distance

• [11:30] Drawing on St. Paul: “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” ([11:45])
  • God’s spirit enables people to return, and God never refuses the act of return or withholds love. The Prodigal Son parable is invoked to illustrate God’s eagerness to welcome back those who stray.

The Bike Analogy: Receiving From God Without Losing Sight of the Giver

• [13:00] Fr. Rob offers an everyday analogy: receiving a desired gift (a bicycle) from a loving father, but letting the joy of the gift lead you further away from the giver.
  • “When I gave you the bike, I wanted you to have it, but not at the expense of a relationship with me.”
  • The story underscores that God gives blessings to deepen relationship with Him, not to replace Him.

The Universal Desire for Relationship With God

• [15:00] The deepest human longing is not for things, but for connection with God.
  • “There's a desire in every human heart for a relationship with God and one that is fulfilled when we come to him to say thank you… I can be happy anywhere in any circumstance, because I know that you are with me and that life is your gift to me.” ([16:20])

Stories From Parish Life: The Blessing or the Exorcism

• [17:00] A lighthearted account of a reluctant toddler in the vestibule provides a humorous closing illustration.
  • “Would you like Father Rob to bless you?” “No.”
  • “You know what I wanted to say to the little girl? Look, either let me make a little sign of the cross on your forehead now or it's going to be an exorcism later.” ([18:00])
  • The joke underscores the theme of willingly accepting small graces now rather than needing dramatic interventions later.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Returning to God:
  “Maybe I'm not out, you know, maybe there is hope for me. Maybe God still does love me, even though I have been unfaithful. Maybe he will remain faithful to me...” — Fr. Rob, ([10:30])
• On Practicing Christianity:
  “We come together as Christians in the church to practice being merciful with each other, saying, peace, Be with you… so that when we go out into the world, we can play the game well or live well.” ([04:00])
• On God’s Faithfulness:
  “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” — Quoting St. Paul ([11:45])
• On Receiving Blessings:
  “When I gave you the bike, I wanted you to have it, but not at the expense of a relationship with me.” ([13:30])
• On Accepting Grace:
  “Either let him bless us little by little right now, these little gestures… or it's going to be this painful, fiery confirmation to his will in the experience of dying.” ([18:30])

Key Timestamps

• 00:00–03:00: Grateful leper and the human heart’s deeper longing.
• 03:00–07:00: Church as spiritual ‘practice’, lessons for daily life.
• 07:20–11:30: The girl at the bar; faith journeys outside the church.
• 11:30–13:00: God’s faithfulness when we are far; Prodigal Son imagery.
• 13:00–16:20: The bicycle analogy; the perils and promises of God’s gifts.
• 17:00–19:00: The blessing or the exorcism; light-hearted parish anecdote.

Summary

This episode invites listeners to recognize the deeper desires at the core of the human soul—the longing for authentic relationship with God, not just fleeting gratifications. Through scriptural reflection, everyday analogies, and real-life encounters, Fr. Rob Ketcham encourages us to return to the source of our blessings with gratitude. Whether in church or in surprising places, encounters with grace remind us: no one is ever too far gone, for God’s faithfulness endures.