Fathom the Heart

***Trigger Warning: Mother Natalia comes from a military family and one of her brothers was wounded severely in combat. In this episode, she does describe the occasion and nature of his injuries in some detail. It is profoundly relevant, but some listeners, particularly those familiar with the devastation wrought by war, could encounter some difficulty with this portion of the episode.***

We are overjoyed to welcome Mother Natalia, Byzantine Catholic Nun of the Christ the Bridegroom Monastary, to the show. She shares the beginning of her story of becoming an icon of, and subsequent participant in, Isaiah 61:1-3:

61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good tidings to the afflicted;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Edited by: Josh Metzger and Benjamin Kroger

Music Licensed by: Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

Fathom the Heart is joined by Matt Stoll, 8th generation farmer in rural Ohio. We explore his winding road home to the Heart of God and themes of authentic love, longing and patience.

Edited by: Josh Metzger and Benjamin Kroger

Music Licensed by: Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

In what has become an annual release, we bring you Father David's Homily on the Woman at the Well, the Gospel Reading for the First Scrutiny, on the Third Sunday of Lent.

The Readings for this Sunday are:

Reading I: Exodus 17:3-7

Responsorial: Psalm 95:1-2; 6-7; 8-9

Reading II: Romans 5:1-2; 5-8

Gospel: St. John 4:5-42

Readings can be found at: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030826.cfm

Edited by: Benjamin Kroger

Music Licensed by: Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

This is Father David's Homily from February 22, 2026 in which he discusses Plato's concept of the tripartite soul and how this idea can help us understand ourselves, our story, and point us to something deeper in our relationship with God.

The Readings for this First Sunday of Lent are:

Reading I: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7

Responsorial: Psalm: 51:3-4; 5-6; 12-13; 17

Reading II: Romans 5:12-19

Gospel: St. Matthew 4:1-11

Readings for this Sundary can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022226.cfm

Edited by Benjamin Kroger

Music licensed by Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

Ben sits down with recent FTH guest Deacon Nathan Frankart to unpack the St. Mary's 2026 Parish Mission, talking about the vertical and horizontal components of worship and our call to mission!

The 3 nights of the Mission can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/@st.marymedia6612/videos

We again discuss A Flourishing Apostolic Church, the recent Apostolic Letter from Bishop Edward Malesic of the Diocese of Cleveland, which can be found at https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/files/assets/a-flourishing-apostolic-church-web-version.pdf

Edited by Jim Vogel, Deacon Nathan Frankart and Ben Kroger

We begin the second season of Fathom the Heart with Transitional Deacon (and soon to be Priest!) Nathan Frankart of the Diocese of Cleveland. We explore his earliest memories of the movement of the Holy Spirit and how the Jesus gently and patiently called to his heart.

Bishop Malesic's Apostolic Letter can be found at: https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/files/assets/a-flourishing-apostolic-church-web-version.pdf

Venerable Emil Kapaun's story and cause can be reviewed at: https://frkapaun.org

Edited by: Ben Kroger and Josh Metzger

Music Licensed by: Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

Revelation 21:4 states that "he will wife away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." From this side of the veil, however, that eventuality can seem so distant. Pain in this life can seem like a constant companion and we are living so immersed in the "former things" that their departure can seem very far away indeed. Cathleen has found herself accompanying a number of those very dear to her as they approach the final veil and joins us to share some of the blessings that emerged from the weight of those experiences.

The book Cathleen mentions is Into Your Hands, Father: Abandoning Ourselves to the God Who Loves Us, by Wilfrid Stinissen.

Also mentioned is The Reed of God, by Caryll Houselander

Edited by Josh Metzger and Ben Kroger

Music licensed by Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

Fr. David's Poetic 2025 Christmas Homily

Readings for the Vigil Mass of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) can be found at https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122525-Vigil.cfm

Reading I: Isaiah 62:1-5

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29

Reading II: Acts 13:16-17, 22-25

Gospel: Matthew 1:1-25

Edited by Fr. David Chojnacki

Music licensed by Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

We are joined by Jen Ricard, Executive Director of TOB CLE (Theology of the Body - Cleveland) as she shares her story of how deep encounter with the Sacred Heart of Jesus brought her from reluctant Catechist, unsure if she was even at home in the Catholic Church, to passionate evangelist of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as communicated through the rich teaching of Pope St. John Paul II.

Edited by Josh Metzger and Ben Kroger

Music Licensed by Fesliyan Studios, Inc.

Rembering that we sometimes release these episodes out of order, be advised that this is the last episode we recorded (months ago) before connecting with Josh Metzger, who has been our editor ever since. As such, the editing and production value are of a lesser quality than they became once he joined the team. We still wanted to share this episode with you, but it has served as a reminder of how valuable his contribution is. We are blessed to have him and humbled by his participation in this work!

Virtue is not its own end, but rather the means by which we accept our Lord's invitation to travel towards His own Sacred Heart. Like studying a language, the more fully we immerse ourselves in grace, the more readily we open ourselves to it!

Editing by Ben Kroger

Music licensed by Fesliyan Studios, Inc.