My Story

The Young Catholic Musicians are a group of young people from the Archdiocese of St. Louis who perform liturgical music at a different parish each month. The members range in age from ten to eighteen years old. Each summer the group goes on a one week tour to another diocese.
Before they go, they celebrate a mass of thanksgiving and prayer for a safe journey. I was asked to speak at this year's mass. Following is what I said.

For a long time I wasn't much of a Catholic. I didn't go to mass very often. I'd stay home on Sunday morning and watch television while my wife took our four kids to Church. Every Sunday she'd get them all dressed and put them in the car while I sat around the house in my PJ's drinking coffee.

It wasn't always that way, but somebody made me mad. A priest did something that I thought wasn't right and so I quit going to church, even though I drove right past two other churches to get to our church. But there are two reasons why people do things. One is the reason that sounds good and the other one is the real reason. Sometimes there the same, but usually they're not. I thought it sounded better to say I was mad at Father than to admit that I was just too lazy and too selfish to go to mass.

But then a funny thing happened. When my second oldest son, Tim was about twelve, he joined the Young Catholic Musicians. He's twenty-eight now, so that was about sixteen years ago. When our kids were growing up, one thing I always did was go to their stuff. I went to all the ball games, and all the plays, and all the Scout things that I possibly could. So when Tim joined the YCM, I started going to mass again, even if it was only once a month.

Of course, since Tim was only twelve, that meant somebody had to drive him to practice, and get up in the middle of the night to take him to Soulard to go on tour and pick him up again when he came home. Then another funny thing happened. I started to realize how much of a sacrifice it was for Tim to go to all those practices, and all those masses. I saw how many parents were really dedicated to getting their kids to the right place at the right time. A light started to come on.

Then, one Saturday night, the group was singing at a mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. Of course Tim had to be there a half hour early, so my wife and I decided to wait in the chapel under the big outdoor alter where mass was going to be held. As we sat there my eyes adjusted to the dark and I noticed that people were going to confession. I got in line and I got back into the Church.

As you can see, I didn't stop with just going back to mass. It took a while, actually until about ten years ago, for me to realize that God was calling me to something more. In 1997 I applied and was accepted into formation for the permanent diaconate. I was ordained in June of 2002. In fact, my fifth anniversary will be next week.

By the time I entered formation, our third son, Patrick had joined the YCM. He graduated from high school the same year I was ordained, 2002. Unfortunately, his last mass with the group in St. Louis was the week before I was ordained so I didn't get to be deacon for that tour mass. But Father did let me serve on the altar that night and he's been kind enough to let me come back every year since to help him celebrate this special mass. It means a lot to me.

Kids, the point of the story is this. God has given you a very special gift, the gift of song and He wants you to use it because you never know who's listening. You never know who's life you might change. This group certainly changed my life.

Pentecost

There was an elderly lady who had three sons and they had all done very well in life. Mother's Day was coming and the oldest son decided to build his mother a new house. It was spectacular. It was big and ornate with lots of bedrooms and bathrooms and the finest furniture and appliances.

The second son decided to buy Mom a new car, a brand new Mercedes Benz. Of course she didn't see that well anymore, so he hired her a full-time driver who would be on call 24 hours a day to take her anywhere she wanted to go.

The third, and youngest son knew that his mother didn't see very well but that she loved the scriptures. So he went out and found a parrot that had been trained to memorize the entire bible. If you said to the parrot, John 3:16 the parrot would answer "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believed in him might have eternal life." It was the only parrot of its kind in the whole world.

After Mother's day, each son received a note from his mother. To the first son she wrote, "Jimmy. Thank you so much for the beautiful home. Of course, I can't really see it well enough to appreciate all of it so I pretty much stay in just one room, but it's the thought that counts. I love you. (signed) Mom"

The second son's note said "Tommy. Thank you so much for the beautiful car. Of course, since I can’t see very well, I don't go out much, but it's a comfort to know that the car and the driver are there if I need them. Love, Mom"

Finally, she wrote to the third son, "Billy. Thank you so much for the thoughtful gift. You always know exactly what to give me. The chicken was delicious. Love, Mom.
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You’re probably wondering what this has to do with Pentecost. You’ll see in a minute.

Timothy Barnes
Rodger Fleming
John O'Brien
Joseph Post

Four men from very different backgrounds. Tim Barnes is 43 years old. Rodger Fleming is 40. Joseph Post is 30 and John O'Brien is 26. Barnes is from Kirkwood, Fleming is from Overland. O'Brien is from Josephville and Post is from St. Ann. What do they have in common? Today [Yesterday] at the Cathedral Basilica they were ordained to the Sacred Priesthood.

It's fitting that the ordinations would take place on the weekend of Pentecost, the anniversary of the Church. John's Gospel tells us that on this day Jesus breathed on the Apostles and said to them "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." They received the first sacrament of Holy Orders. They were the first priests and the first bishops.

Last Sunday, in Luke's Gospel we read the story of the Ascension. When Jesus had ascended into heaven, " They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God."

It's not in this year's cycle of readings, but if we were to read from the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we'd see that they were very busy, these first twelve priests. If they were continually in the temple, they didn't have much time to do anything else. They decided that they needed help.

"Brothers," they said, " select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task." The Apostles prayed over them and laid hands on them. They were the first deacons.

Today, our priests are no less busy. Most have more than one job. You may notice that they all work weekends. Like the first twelve, they also need some help.

Next weekend twelve men will be ordained to the Permanent Diaconate. They'll also receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, but they'll be ordained for service. It's basically the same sacrament, the same Holy Spirit, but the result will be different. Priests are ordained for the Eucharist. Deacons are ordained for service.

Like the twelve Apostles, like the men being ordained this week and next week in St. Louis, each of us has different gifts and talents and we're all called to serve God in our own way; not just priests and deacons, but every one of us. We each receive the Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation and each of us is called to spread the Gospel. Some of us are called to proclaim it from the pulpit. Some of us are called to proclaim it in song. But, most of us are called to proclaim it by our day-to-day words and especially our actions.

Jesus never said that one calling was better than another. Each has it's own perks and its own responsibilities. We're all part of the body of Christ. Father Gary and I never have to worry about getting a seat in Church on Christmas or Easter. Neither do the members of the choir. On the other hand, we can't come in late or leave early. And if our shoe is untied, or we're having a bad hair day, everybody notices it.

The bottom line is this: There are a lot more of you than there are of us. While all of you are watching us, somebody is watching you. Your life is an example for someone and you're always on. Trust me, it's true.

You may be thinking that you don't have the right stuff to be somebody's Catholic hero, but you do. Throughout history, God has never picked the best, the brightest or the strongest to do his work. Remember 12-year-old David who took on Goliath after all the professional soldiers had refused? Later in life he committed murder and adultery but was promised that the Messiah would come from his line.

We know that Peter was the crudest, the most impulsive of all the Apostles, and none of them were rocket scientists. He was the one who denied Jesus three times. Yet he was chosen to be the first among equals, the leader of Christ's new Church, Pope Peter I. More recently, Mother Theresa, one of the most famous and influential Catholics of the twentieth century was a little bitty woman, probably shorter than any adult in this church, and many of the children. It's also reported that she was pretty hard to get along with. But, she changed the world.

Every one of us has a place at the table and a responsibility to lead others to it. You don't need Holy Orders to speak for Jesus. All you need is the will to do it. As St. Francis said, you don't even have to use words.

For example, BJC Hospitals are in need of Eucharistic Ministers. That's something any Catholic can do and it's a tremendous way to testify to your faith. It doesn't take much time and I doubt that there's anyone here at St. Bernadette who hasn't either been a patient at Barnes or Children's Hospitals or doesn't have a family member who has been. If you're interested, there a flyer with information on the bulletin board in back of church. If that's not convenient, there are other hospitals that are closer who I'm sure could also use the help. That's one way we can all serve the Lord. There are many others.

There are people here in the parish whose work is very obvious, but who you may never see doing it. Cleaning the church, keeping up the flowers both inside and out, changing the banners in church when the seasons change, changing the light bulbs; all God's work.

Of course, another type of service is service to the secular community, which can also be a testimony to our Christian faith.

This weekend we remember the brave men and women who have served our country in the military and who have gone on to their reward. We're very fortunate here at St. Bernadette to be reminded every day of the great sacrifice that so many men and women have made to keep our country free. Thousands of them are buried right next to our parish grounds. Many more are being deployed, even today, from the Guard base next door. Many of our parishioners are veterans.

It's easy to forget them. It's easy to take them for granted, both the dead and the living. But, especially this weekend, we should all take time to offer a prayer that our men and women serving in harm's way will return home safely, and that those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom may rest in God's eternal peace.

The point, on this Pentacost Sunday, is this. Don't be like the lady with the parrot. Recognize your gifts. Appreciate them for what they are. Never underestimate your ability to serve the Lord in your own special way. Jesus doesn't expect any less.