The Word of God Speaks - Are We Listening?

Here's my homily for my first Sunday as pastor of the St. LaSalle Pastorate - bit of an introduction to who I am, and some thoughts on the Bible and prayer :)  

Location: Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Luxemburg, IA) – 4 p.m. Saturday

                Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Rickardsville, IA) – 6 p.m. Saturday

                Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic Church (Sherrill, IA) – 8 a.m. Sunday

                Holy Cross Catholic Church (Holy Cross, IA) – 10 a.m. Sunday

Date: Sunday July 13^th, 2014 (15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A)

READINGS:

1^st Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11

Resp. Psalm: Ps. 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14

2^nd Reading: Romans 8:18-23

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23 (OR Matthew 13:1-9 {short form})

FOCUS: A good way to prepare for Mass is to read the readings before you come. 

FUNCTION: Engage in opportunities for spiritual growth like lectio divina.

          It’s a privilege to be here this weekend as your new pastor :)  This is an exciting opportunity for me, especially since I’m a brand-new pastor.  I’m pretty sure both Fr. Ray and Fr. Jose were both pastors before they were assigned as pastor of the St. LaSalle Pastorate.  So, you get to put up with a priest who’s still learning the ropes :)  Please be patient with me. :)  As I’m sure some of you are wondering, my last name is simply pronounced “Diehm” – one syllable.  It’s not “Di-ehm” or “Dime” or “De-ham” – just “Diehm,” one syllable.  And whereas the previous two priests both went by their first names, my preference is to go by my last name – so I prefer to be called “Fr. Diehm” rather than “Fr. Noah.”  Maybe it sounds a little formal, but you’ll soon discover I’m really not a terrible formal person, except when I need to be. 

          Before I talk about the great readings we have this weekend, I thought I’d take the time to introduce myself.  I was born and raised in Dubuque, and my parents still live there.  I was involved in Catholic education practically all my life – grade school, high school, college, and of course seminary.  After my four years of college at Clarke in Dubuque, I was in seminary for five years – I spent one year at Loras College (Iowa’s premiere Catholic college (: ) with the St. Pius X college seminary program, and then spent the next four years in southern Indiana at the Saint Meinrad Seminary & School of Theology, where I was trained predominately by the Benedictine monks of the Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Saint Meinrad, IN.          

While I was getting my M. Div. (or Masters of Divinity, a ministerial degree that all priests have in one form or another), I was ordained a transitional deacon (which is the step immediately before being ordained a priest) on April 10^th, 2010 and was then ordained a priest three years ago on June 25^th, 2011 at the age of 27.  And I recently celebrated a birthday this past Tuesday (move day), and I’m now a very happy 31 year-old priest and your new pastor :)

          My appointment from the Archbishop as pastor is for a six-year term, with the possibility of being renewed once.  So, I look forward to spending at least six, if not twelve years with you here as Pastor of the St. LaSalle Pastorate and Pastoral Coordinator of LaSalle Catholic Schools.  You’ve been forewarned J  And during my time here, I look forward to visiting with many of you when you invite me to your house for supper (FYI – that’s a not-so-subtle suggestion (: ), or while having coffee with some of you after daily Mass, which I’ve been able to do this past week in Sherrill, Luxemburg, and Holy Cross.

          I’m a big fan of film and music.  I enjoy watching and playing basketball, although I haven’t played much basketball since I left seminary.  I’m an extrovert, but I’m usually ready to not see or talk to anybody after about 8:30 or 9 o’clock at night.  I plan to work hard in this assignment as your pastor, and I hope to be surrounded by other hard-working Catholics.  You’ll get to know me better once I’ve been here a little longer, and I look forward to building the kingdom of God here in our pastorate during my time as pastor :)

          Now for a few thoughts on the Sunday readings :)  I think the readings this weekend challenge us to think about how we receive (or fail to receive) God’s word spoken in our midst.  Please pardon me for using the long form of the Gospel but I thought it was worth it for us to hear the full passage.  Most of us – myself included – don’t often give enough consideration to the fact that when we hear the reader proclaim the readings, we’re actually listening not to the words of a human (although the Bible has many authors), but rather to the words of God.  Just think, at every Mass, it is God who speaks to us through His word.  We believe it’s His inspired word, because after every reading, we hear the reader say, “The word of the Lord,” or we hear the priest say, “The Gospel of the Lord.”  Of course, there was a human author who was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the sacred text; and because of that inspiration, we believe that it’s God who’s actually the author of the books of the Bible, such that it’s God who’s really speaking to us when we hear His word proclaimed.

          The Mass gives us the opportunity to hear the voice of God.  It’s a good to stop and consider how well we prepare ourselves to listen to His voice.  One good practice is going through the readings at home before you come to Mass, or arrive early enough that you can sit and read them before you hear them.  And if you’re technology-savvy, you might appreciate looking the readings up online, at the website, usccb.org, or using any number of fancy “apps” to read the readings on a tablet such as the Apple iPad or the Kindle Fire.

 

          In my own preparation for preaching, I like to sit with the readings early on in the week (on Monday or Tuesday) and ask God what He wants to tell me, and what message He wants me to share with others.  If you ever wanted to better appreciate what a priest does, you might sit with the readings and think about what kind of homily you’d preach if you were the preacher.  Or maybe you just want to sit down, read the readings, and focus on 3-4 sentences that really speak to you.  That’s a practice commonly called “lectio divina,” in Latin, or “divine reading” in English.  It’s a practice of prayerfully reading the sacred words of the Bible and considering how God’s word might be applied to your life.    

          God is still speaking to the world, but we are often too busy or we don’t try to open the ears of our heart to listen to what He has to say.  We all need to take time to slow down and listen for the voice of God. 

          So I invite you to do that this week – take some time and prepare yourself to come to Mass next Sunday; read the readings before you get to Mass, or arrive early enough so that you can read them before you hear them; ask God what He wants to say to you; ask Him what He wants you to share with others.  When we open our ears to hear God’s word, we’ll probably be amazed at what we hear.                             

3rd Sunday of Easter - Hearts on Fire

Location: Basilica of Saint Francis Xavier (Dyersville, IA) – 7 a.m. Sunday Mass

                Saint Paul Catholic Church (Worthington, IA) – 9 a.m. Sunday Mass

Date: Sunday May 4^th, 2014 (3^rd Sunday of Easter, Year A)

READINGS:

1^st Reading: Acts 2:14, 22-33

Resp. Psalm: Ps. 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

2^nd Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-21

Gospel: Luke 24:13-35

FOCUS: At every Mass we attend, the Lord opens the scriptures for us and breaks the bread. 

FUNCTION: Actively participate in the celebration of the Mass – body, mind, and soul. 

          Sometimes when I go to youth events here or elsewhere, the leader will ask the participants to think about their week and talk about a “God moment” they had.  That question invites the youth to think about their week from the perspective of faith – how did they experience God during the past week?  How was God moving and active in their life?  How did they hear God speak to them, or how did they feel God inspire them?

          Those types of questions are just as good for adults as they are for youth.  All of us need to be thinking about our “God moments.”  There’s a movie out now called “God’s Not Dead” (I confess I haven’t seen it yet, but would like to, and have heard good things from other Catholics who have seen the movie); the movie points to a fundamental truth – God’s not dead; He’s still living and active in the world, but we need to have eyes of faith in order to see Him; and I think we also need more of a “sacramental imagination.”  And by that I mean we need to be willing to see deeper realities behind apparently ordinary events; too often we just take things at face value without reflecting on them.

          Consider the “God moment” that the disciples on the road to Emmaus had on the original Easter Sunday; they start off downcast – they knew about Jesus’ death on Friday, and must have thought that His death was the end of the story.  But then they hear the astonishing report about the empty tomb and the appearance of the angels who reported that Jesus was alive.  It must have been hard to take in, and understandably so; it would be for us, too, if we were in their shoes.

          The “God moment” happens for those two disciples as they invite this man (whom they don’t recognize as Jesus) to stay with them and He then breaks bread, and they recognize Him as the Lord, and He vanishes from their sight.  It was only later that they realized that, while they were on the road to Emmaus, they had been walking and talking with Jesus, the risen Savior of the world; in thinking back on the conversation, they said to themselves, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

          That’s the goal of being Catholic – to have hearts on fire because we’ve heard the word of God and have experienced the Real Presence of the risen Lord.  Jesus wants to make Himself known to us at every Mass in the Word of God, and in the breaking of the bread.  That phrase, “the breaking of the bread,” was the way the early Church used to talk about the Christian liturgy we know now as the Mass.  Think about this description of the early Christian liturgy that was written by the defender of the faith, St. Justin, around the middle of the 2^nd century:

“On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.  The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits.  When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.  Then we all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves . . .and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.  When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.

Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren.  He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.  When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'  When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the "eucharisted" bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.”

          Doesn’t that sound almost exactly like a description of the Mass?  But we need a “sacramental imagination” in order to understand that the bread and wine we offer is different from the “bread” and “wine” that we receive – it’s been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the very Body and Blood of Christ.  We call this mystery “transubstantiation” – a complete change in substance from that of bread and wine to the substance of Christ Himself.  Jesus started with giving His disciples His Body and Blood at the Last Supper, and ever since, He’s often revealed Himself to His disciples in the breaking of the bread.    

          Sometimes, though, it can become too routine; the goal is to look at the Mass with eyes of faith – how does God want to speak to YOU through this Mass?  How does God want to inspire YOU?  Sunday Mass can be your “God moment,” but only if you let it.  One thing we could all work on is our active participation in the celebration of the Mass.  Active Participation involves more than just saying the responses or singing the hymns – that’s a pretty basic level of participation.  

          What we really mean by “participation” is celebrating the Mass with your body, mind, and soul.  We can experience God in and through the Mass when we open our ears to really listen to His word being proclaimed in the readings; and we can experience His grace when approach Holy Communion with faith that what we receive is the real and true Body and Blood of Christ.  We’re only going to get more out of the Mass when we’re willing to give more to the Mass.

         

          Anyone can go to an amusement park, but you don’t have any fun until you get on the rides; in the same way, anyone can come to Mass, but you won’t have an experience of God until you truly start investing yourself in worship.  God gives Himself to those who are interested in receiving; He reveals Himself to those who are looking for Him; He is known by those who are seeking His friendship. 

          Every time we come to Mass, we have a choice – will we invest ourselves, or not?  Will we be active participants, or passive observers?  My recommendation is this: start coming to Mass with your body, mind, and soul and be prepared to worship – be prepared to hear God speak to you through His word; be prepared to encounter Him working through the people sitting around you; be prepared to receive the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. 

          And then when we come to Mass, we, too, will be able to recognize Him in the breaking of the bread.                               

Adoro Te Devote (On Eucharistic Adoration)

This is something I wrote WAY back in the day (on September 27th, 2006, to be precise), when I was a seminarian with St. Pius X Seminary at Loras College.  I've salvaged it from a previous blog I had on the now-practically-ancient social networking site, MySpace.  I thought I'd offer it here for your reflection.  I pray it is edifying.  God bless!
     

Adoro Te Devote

by St. Thomas Aquinas

Hidden God, devoutly I adore Thee,

Truly present underneath these veils:

All my heart subdues itself before Thee

Since it all before Thee faints and fails.

Not to sight, or taste, or touch be credit,

Hearing only do we trust secure;

I believe, for God the Son hath said it-

Word of truth that ever shall endure.

On the Cross was veiled Thy Godhead's splendor,

Here Thy manhood lieth hidden too;

Unto both alike my faith I render,

And, as sued the contrite thief, I sue.

Though I look not on Thy wounds, with Thomas,

Thee, my Lord, and Thee, my God, I call:

Make me more and more believe Thy promise,

Hope in Thee, and love Thee over all.

O Memorial of my Savior dying,

Living Bread that givest life to man;

May my soul, its life from Thee supplying,

Taste Thy sweetness as on earth it can.

Deign, O Jesus, Pelican of Heaven,

Me, a sinner, in Thy blood to lave,

To a single drop of which is given,

All the world from its sin to save.

Contemplating, Lord, Thy hidden presence,

Grant me what I thirst for and implore,

In the revelation of Thine essence,

To behold Thy glory evermore. 

AMEN.

This particular hymn, by St. Thomas Aquinas, that I took from the book, "Praying in the Presence of Our Lord: Prayers for Eucharistic Adoration" by Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR, is probably my favorite hymn/prayer for Eucharistic Adoration.  I'm blessed enough with my schedule to spend an hour each day in front of the Blessed Sacrament (sometimes exposed, sometimes in the tabernacle) and I cannot tell you what a tremendous difference Adoration makes.   I get to pray my Divine Office, pray a Rosary, and pray from this little book every day.  


I wanted to share this hymn with each of you, and encourage each of you, as far as your duties in life permit, to spend an amount of time each day before the Blessed Sacrament.  Many Churches will leave their doors unlocked until the evening hour, so even if you stop into Church on a lunch hour, and spend 15 minutes of your time with the Lord, I promise you it will change your life.

 

My hour with the Lord every day is really my retreat time, where I can escape to be in the Lord's presence, to enjoy His quiet peace, and to recharge myself to face the challenges that lie ahead in life. Eucharistic Adoration gives us grace for living.   It draws us closer to the Lord that we might be better able to fulfill our duties in life, and do so not out of a mundane sense of obligation, but with love- the love that is born of intimacy, born of a personal encounter with that which is our Source of Life, our Hiding Place, our Refuge and our Stronghold.  This is what the Psalmists mean when they call God their Refuge or Stronghold or Hiding Place.  They call God such titles because they had a personal encounter with that Presence which is the fulfillment and consummation of their very existence- the Lord Most High. 


When we encounter the Eucharist, we encounter the Divine Presence of Him whom heaven and earth cannot contain. Though Our Lord lies hidden in the form of Bread, yet we see that such was His will and pleasure, that the fullness of God should be pleased to dwell in such lowly circumstances, for in such lowly circumstances we see most clearly the awesome power and splendor of He who is the Risen Lord, the Conqueror of Death, the Resurrection and the Life.

Next time you go to Mass, or next time you present yourself before the Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, remind yourself of Who it is that you are appearing before.  This is Jesus, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the Savior of the World, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World.  And you, like St. Thomas Aquinas, will not be able to resist saying, "Hidden God, devoutly I adore thee; Truly present underneath these veils: All my heart subdues itself before Thee, since it all before Thee faints and fails."

Have a blessed day, and remember to take time to visit Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament!

Peace and Love, through Jesus Christ, our Eucharistic Lord,

Fr. Diehm