Administrators Pompeii Posted July 20, 2023 Administrators Share Posted July 20, 2023 SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #21 - July 20th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir Editor's Note: Fr. Ben Daghir preached this homily at a Community Mass at DuBois Central Catholic on July 16, 2023. The Gospel was from Matthew 13:1-23. Article: Today’s Gospel presents us with an image of Jesus preaching along the shore. It’s a challenging image that I think speaks volumes to us today. The crowd desires Jesus and, as a result, is willing to stand along the shoreline. There are so many people that Jesus must leave the shore and then share parables from the boat. Could you imagine standing on the sand, hearing the waves, being in the midst of the crowd, and seeing Jesus seated in the boat while He teaches? Imagine listening to His every word. Imagine seeing people to your right and left moved with imagination, wonder, awe, compassion, hope, purpose, and love. Notice, it’s not a particular place that draws the people together to encounter Jesus. They are not in a particular temple, synagogue, or “church” building. What draws this crowd together is not anything built by human hands but rather the person of Jesus Christ. In fact, this crowd is willing to stand on the ever-shifting surface of sand in order to encounter Jesus Christ. Sand is a temporary holding. Sand is always shifting and reforming. Sand is always changing. Sand lacks permanence. Yet, the crowd is standing on sand. Like the crowd in today’s Gospel, we are still standing on sand 2,000 years later. The Gospel writer could not be clearer: it doesn’t primarily have to do with the worship space but rather the person of Jesus. Jesus is where humanity and divinity embrace. He is where Heaven and Earth meet. It’s all about Jesus Christ, all the time. Jesus must be the focus. Jesus must be the center. Jesus must be the purpose. Everything is mere sand when compared to Jesus. This is one of the points of today’s Gospel passage: one’s eyes must be on Jesus, not on the ever-shifting and fleeting sand under our feet. All I want is the person of Jesus. All I want is the Eucharist: the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. This means, first and foremost, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist - the Mass - which is the source and summit of our faith. The Eucharistic Revival is a challenge to all of us to place the person of Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, worldview, hopes, dreams, relationships, and desires. The Eucharistic Revival has zero time for holding onto the sand. The treasure of the Catholic faith is not the sand under our feet. The treasure of the Catholic Church is the person of Jesus Christ - the Eucharist. You are going to chuckle when I say this, but I’m honestly not kidding. Suppose the future of the Diocese of Erie, due to a continued decline in clergy, parishioners, and resources, meant preaching from a boat along the Presque Isle shoreline. As long as we hear the Word of God and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, I would be grateful. I would allow for the sand under my feet at Presque Isle to remind me of how fleeting and passing my life is, and how fleeting and passing this world is. I would keep my ears directed to the Word of God, my soul directed to the Eucharist, and my mind and heart directed to the bishop. Do I envision this scenario on Presque Isle happening in my lifetime? Of course not. I am simply stressing how much I value the core of the faith (which is the Eucharist) over anything else that is mere sand. Let me be very clear about even the most beautiful Cathedrals throughout the world: there will be a day when they don’t stand - there will be a day that they are like mere sand. Despite the beauty of these Cathedrals, despite their remarkable history, despite what they represent, despite many of them standing for centuries, despite the saints who have been formed from within them - these Cathedrals are reflective of something that is surprisingly true even among ourselves. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The “you” is not only directed to us but also to our worship spaces. The imagery of dust is just like sand. This may be painful to hear but it’s true: that which we see is fleeting, passing, temporary, and not permanent. It’s like the sand under our feet. Remember that you, Ben Daghir, are dust, and to dust you shall return. Yes, you just heard me say that. As a 30-year-old priest, I am well aware that although I am filled with energy, vibrancy, wonder, awe, and mission - I am dust, and to dust I shall return. My hourglass with sand will not go on forever. It’s running out of time. If this is true of human hands, how much more for that which is built by our human hands? Remember that you, St. Catherine of Siena Church, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, St. Mary’s Church, St. Bernard’s Church, St. Michael the Archangel Church, DuBois Central Catholic School, and Christ the King Manor, are dust, and to dust you shall return. Like sand and dust, Ben Daghir and all of our Churches and extension of our Churches are passing, fleeting, and temporary. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” can also be said of nations, societies, cultures, museums, arenas, skyscrapers, planes and ships, forests and lakes, cars and rockets, iPhones, and our favorite restaurants. Jesus takes this thought even further. He says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Let us reflect on that statement from Jesus again. Heaven and earth will pass away - but what will remain? The words of Jesus. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we hear, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Heaven and earth will pass away - but what will remain? Yes, the person of Jesus Christ. Like the crowd along the shore listening to Jesus preach from the boat, we must know the difference between the sand under our feet and the person of Jesus before our eyes. I thank the crowd from today’s Gospel over 2,000 years ago for keeping their eyes on the person of Jesus and not the sand under their feet. May future generations say the same about us. I’ll conclude this homily with the interpretive key to understanding Jesus’ parable of the sower from today’s Gospel. The rich soil is a Church community entirely focused on the person of Jesus, not the sand under one’s feet. The rich soil is a Church community entirely oriented to the Eucharist, not the sand under one’s feet. The rich soil is a Church community willing to have one’s future shaped by the person of Jesus Christ, not the sand under one’s feet. It will be in and through the Eucharist, the person of Jesus, that we see fruit in this region: 30, 60, 100-fold. ======================== Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies. Editor's Note: Fr. Ben Daghir preached this homily at a Community Mass at DuBois Central Catholic on July 16, 2023. The Gospel was from Matthew 13:1-23. Article: Today’s Gospel presents us with an image of Jesus preaching along the shore. It’s a challenging image that I think speaks volumes to us today. The crowd desires Jesus and, as a result, is willing to stand along the shoreline. There are so many people that Jesus must leave the shore and then share parables from the boat. Could you imagine standing on the sand, hearing the waves, being in the midst of the crowd, and seeing Jesus seated in the boat while He teaches? Imagine listening to His every word. Imagine seeing people to your right and left moved with imagination, wonder, awe, compassion, hope, purpose, and love. Notice, it’s not a particular place that draws the people together to encounter Jesus. They are not in a particular temple, synagogue, or “church” building. What draws this crowd together is not anything built by human hands but rather the person of Jesus Christ. In fact, this crowd is willing to stand on the ever-shifting surface of sand in order to encounter Jesus Christ. Sand is a temporary holding. Sand is always shifting and reforming. Sand is always changing. Sand lacks permanence. Yet, the crowd is standing on sand. Like the crowd in today’s Gospel, we are still standing on sand 2,000 years later. The Gospel writer could not be clearer: it doesn’t primarily have to do with the worship space but rather the person of Jesus. Jesus is where humanity and divinity embrace. He is where Heaven and Earth meet. It’s all about Jesus Christ, all the time. Jesus must be the focus. Jesus must be the center. Jesus must be the purpose. Everything is mere sand when compared to Jesus. This is one of the points of today’s Gospel passage: one’s eyes must be on Jesus, not on the ever-shifting and fleeting sand under our feet. All I want is the person of Jesus. All I want is the Eucharist: the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. This means, first and foremost, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist - the Mass - which is the source and summit of our faith. The Eucharistic Revival is a challenge to all of us to place the person of Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, worldview, hopes, dreams, relationships, and desires. The Eucharistic Revival has zero time for holding onto the sand. The treasure of the Catholic faith is not the sand under our feet. The treasure of the Catholic Church is the person of Jesus Christ - the Eucharist. You are going to chuckle when I say this, but I’m honestly not kidding. Suppose the future of the Diocese of Erie, due to a continued decline in clergy, parishioners, and resources, meant preaching from a boat along the Presque Isle shoreline. As long as we hear the Word of God and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, I would be grateful. I would allow for the sand under my feet at Presque Isle to remind me of how fleeting and passing my life is, and how fleeting and passing this world is. I would keep my ears directed to the Word of God, my soul directed to the Eucharist, and my mind and heart directed to the bishop. Do I envision this scenario on Presque Isle happening in my lifetime? Of course not. I am simply stressing how much I value the core of the faith (which is the Eucharist) over anything else that is mere sand. Let me be very clear about even the most beautiful Cathedrals throughout the world: there will be a day when they don’t stand - there will be a day that they are like mere sand. Despite the beauty of these Cathedrals, despite their remarkable history, despite what they represent, despite many of them standing for centuries, despite the saints who have been formed from within them - these Cathedrals are reflective of something that is surprisingly true even among ourselves. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The “you” is not only directed to us but also to our worship spaces. The imagery of dust is just like sand. This may be painful to hear but it’s true: that which we see is fleeting, passing, temporary, and not permanent. It’s like the sand under our feet. Remember that you, Ben Daghir, are dust, and to dust you shall return. Yes, you just heard me say that. As a 30-year-old priest, I am well aware that although I am filled with energy, vibrancy, wonder, awe, and mission - I am dust, and to dust I shall return. My hourglass with sand will not go on forever. It’s running out of time. If this is true of human hands, how much more for that which is built by our human hands? Remember that you, St. Catherine of Siena Church, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, St. Mary’s Church, St. Bernard’s Church, St. Michael the Archangel Church, DuBois Central Catholic School, and Christ the King Manor, are dust, and to dust you shall return. Like sand and dust, Ben Daghir and all of our Churches and extension of our Churches are passing, fleeting, and temporary. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” can also be said of nations, societies, cultures, museums, arenas, skyscrapers, planes and ships, forests and lakes, cars and rockets, iPhones, and our favorite restaurants. Jesus takes this thought even further. He says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Let us reflect on that statement from Jesus again. Heaven and earth will pass away - but what will remain? The words of Jesus. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we hear, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Heaven and earth will pass away - but what will remain? Yes, the person of Jesus Christ. Like the crowd along the shore listening to Jesus preach from the boat, we must know the difference between the sand under our feet and the person of Jesus before our eyes. I thank the crowd from today’s Gospel over 2,000 years ago for keeping their eyes on the person of Jesus and not the sand under their feet. May future generations say the same about us. I’ll conclude this homily with the interpretive key to understanding Jesus’ parable of the sower from today’s Gospel. The rich soil is a Church community entirely focused on the person of Jesus, not the sand under one’s feet. The rich soil is a Church community entirely oriented to the Eucharist, not the sand under one’s feet. The rich soil is a Church community willing to have one’s future shaped by the person of Jesus Christ, not the sand under one’s feet. It will be in and through the Eucharist, the person of Jesus, that we see fruit in this region: 30, 60, 100-fold. ======================== Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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