Episode Overview

Theme:
On this episode of "The Monday After," R. Ketcham, a Catholic priest and pastor on Long Island, reflects on the paradox at the heart of Christian life: the necessity of dying to self in order to enter into true life in Christ. Using the previous Sunday's scripture readings—including the Gospel’s challenging call to “hate” what holds us back, the story of Onesimus and Philemon, and recent canonizations—Ketcham discusses how Catholic faith, paradox, and sacrifice are woven together in both scripture and the lives of the saints. Special attention is given to the example of Fr. Mychal Judge, the FDNY chaplain who died on September 11th.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Paradox of the Christian Life

(00:20 – 08:10)

• Ketcham opens by introducing the week’s Gospel: Jesus’ command to “take up your cross” and “hate” anything—including self—that separates us from God.
• The language here is stark and paradoxical: “to be happy, to enter into my joy…you have to renounce anything that would keep you from giving yourself to me” (01:55).
• Insight: The “death” required is the dying of our fallen instincts and first reactions, which are darkened by the effects of original sin. These, like “wearing sunglasses,” obscure the truth (04:00).
• Notable Quote:

  “You are pretty accusatory in your initial perception of people. You're quick to judge… overly confident in your initial assessment of reality. But take courage… You're wrong in your initial assessment of things. That's what the fall is like in your life.” — R. Ketcham (05:10)

• The spiritual path means “distrust of self”—recognizing these limitations—but also requires “complete trust in Christ” (06:00).

2. Human Weakness, Divine Grace, and the Wisdom to Seek

(08:10 – 14:20)

• First Reading (Book of Wisdom): Emphasizes the unknowability of God’s intentions to fallen human beings:

  “Who could possibly know the world of heaven…in a world where we hardly understand our own ways?” (09:40)

• The Psalm’s plea: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart” (11:20), is a prayer for perspective.
• Insight: Ketcham connects this to spiritual growth: every Gospel challenges and “puts something to death in us before it brings about new life” (12:10).
• Practical Application: For college students or anyone reluctant to seek God, he reminds that beneath our laziness or rebellion is the true “I” made by God, always longing to return (13:30).

3. The Bread of Life: Transformation Through the Holy Spirit

(14:20 – 19:10)

• Parallel drawn between Eucharist and the inner spiritual transformation: Ordinary bread and wine become Christ’s body and blood through the Holy Spirit.

  “Ordinary life becomes like a bread of life or a chalice of salvation or healing… That’s what He intends to accomplish in us.” (15:30)

• New life—becoming “children of God”—is begotten, not made; it is a gift conceived by the Holy Spirit rather than by human effort alone.

  “Peace, like Jesus, is begotten, not made. It's conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (17:10)

• Contemporary Commentary: The world’s lack of peace comes from “so few people say, come, Holy Spirit.”

4. Slavery, Freedom, and the Example of Onesimus

(19:10 – 25:30)

• Second Reading (Philemon): Ketcham tells the story of Onesimus, the slave, and Paul, highlighting Christian freedom:

  “I experienced freedom even in my trying circumstances. And you gave me the hope to believe… I could be free even as I lived the life of a servant. True freedom, you see.”

• Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon “not as a slave, but as a brother” (22:50). True freedom is found in Christ, regardless of worldly status.
• Insight: Trusting in Christ enables reconciliation and transformation on a personal and societal level.

5. Holiness Embodied: Mother Teresa, Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo Acutis

(25:30 – 33:15)

• Ketcham celebrates canonizations and sainthood:
  • Mother Teresa: Gnarled hands and feet as signs of deep conformity to Christ crucified.

    “See what a woman can do…and the freedom she can live in, even in very trying circumstances, if she allows herself to be conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (27:40)

  • Frassati & Acutis: Both let the Spirit “crucify their pride and ambition.” Frassati openly practiced his faith, betting friends to join him at church if he lost at pool (29:00). Acutis created a website cataloging Eucharistic miracles, “a very religious, even pious, thing to do. But he loved the Lord more than he loved himself.” (31:00)

6. Sacrifice and Glory: Fr. Mychal Judge and the Meaning of Death

(33:15 – 39:00)

• Fr. Mychal Judge (“the fire department chaplain who ran toward the buildings”) is presented as an icon of self-gift after September 11:

  “Behold, a man who lays his life down for his brother. And there’s no greater love in this world than a man who lays his life down for his friend.” (35:35)

• In the famous photo of Fr. Judge’s body, Ketcham sees Christ taken from the cross, received by the Blessed Mother—Judge as “the new Adam,” rescuers as “the new Eve.”
• Key Idea: Saints move beyond “enslavement to the elementary spirits” (appetites, self-preservation), wielding those instincts “for good and…to serve and even lay [their lives] down in love” (37:30).

7. Our Call: Yes Brings Death and New Life

(39:00 – 41:45)

• St. Paul teaches that God predestined us for heaven, and though we are free to say yes or no, surrendering to God’s call always “feels like a death.”
• Notable Quote:

  “But saying yes to that call and allowing him to justify us is always going to feel like a death. But that's how we enter into life.” (41:20)

• The episode closes with an encouragement to welcome this “little death,” trusting that, like Mary, allowing God’s will leads to glorification.

Memorable Quotes

• “He says, just trust yourself so you can trust in me.” (02:40)
• “Every time the gospel comes to us, it's going to challenge us… The gospel will always first put something to death in us before it brings about new life.” (12:10)
• “Peace, like Jesus, is begotten, not made. It's conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (17:10)
• “Slaves don't get the inheritance, sons get the inheritance. And what's awaiting us? Eternal life.” (24:50)
• “[Frassati] put to death his pride and was like, I'm a religious guy. I'm a religious man. I'm a Catholic. What do you want? He didn't care.” (29:30)
• “Behold, a man who lays his life down for his brother. And there’s no greater love in this world than a man who lays his life down for his friend.” (35:35)
• “If you will lose your life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, you will find it.” (38:30)
• “But saying yes to that call and allowing him to justify us is always going to feel like a death. But that's how we enter into life.” (41:20)

Important Timestamps

• 00:20 — Paradox & Cross in Christian Life
• 05:10 — The Fall and the Need to Distrust Self
• 09:40 — The Mystery of God’s Ways (Book of Wisdom)
• 12:10 — Challenge and “Little Death” of the Gospel
• 15:30 — Transformation of the Ordinary by the Holy Spirit
• 17:10 — Peace Begotten, Not Made
• 22:50 — From Slave to Brother: Philemon & Onesimus
• 27:40 — Model of Holiness: Mother Teresa
• 31:00 — Youthful Saints: Frassati and Acutis
• 35:35 — Sacrifice of Fr. Mychal Judge on 9/11
• 37:30 — Overcoming “Elementary Spirits” and Self-Preservation
• 41:20 — The Death That Leads to Life

Final Thought

Through scripture, the Eucharist, the lives of the saints, and current heroes, R. Ketcham's homily-turned-podcast challenges listeners to embrace the necessary “first death” of pride and selfishness. Only by letting go, by entrusting ourselves to Christ and letting the Holy Spirit transform us—even at the cost of pain, uncertainty, or loss—can we hope to receive the fullness of life God intends.