Didde Center Homily Podcasts

"The Church’s teachings concerning contingent situations are subject to new and further developments and can be open to discussion, yet we [as pastors] cannot help but be concrete—without presuming to enter into details—lest the great social principles remain mere generalities which challenge no one. . . . The Church’s pastors, taking into account the contributions of the different sciences, have the right to offer opinions in all that affects people’s lives, since the task of evangelization implies and demands the integral promotion of each human being." Pope Francis, quote in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship Statement by Archbishop Joseph Naumann

From Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Spe Salvi: We who have always lived with the Christian concept of God, and have grown accustomed to it, have almost ceased to notice that we possess the hope that ensues from a real encounter with this God. The example of a saint of our time can to some degree help us understand what it means to have a real encounter with this God for the first time. I am thinking of the African Josephine Bakhita, canonized by Pope John Paul II. She was born around 1869—she herself did not know the precise date—in Darfur in Sudan. At the age of nine, she was kidnapped by slave-traders, beaten till she bled, and sold five times in the slave-markets of Sudan. Eventually she found herself working as a slave for the mother and the wife of a general, and there she was flogged every day till she bled; as a result of this she bore 144 scars throughout her life. Finally, in 1882, she was bought by an Italian merchant for the Italian consul Callisto Legnani, who returned to Italy as the Mahdists adv

To learn the story of Fatima: Fatima https://www.fatimathemovie.com/ The 13th Day Finding Fatima

"If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.  And I do not know which I shall choose.  I am caught between the two.  I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better."

After a brief note on the Good & the Bad over my first year as pastor of Christ the King, Blessed Sacrament, and Our Lady & St. Rose, I present the possibility that the coming year will be not Ugly, but Beautiful. The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful. In this lengthier homily, I try to articulate the reasons--both practical and fundamental--as to why the style of music is changing at our parishes. Comments and feedback is always appreciated.

Teach me, my Lord, to be sweet and gentle in all the events of life; in disappointments, in the thoughtlessness of others, in the insincerity of those I trusted, in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied. Let me put myself aside to think of the happiness of others, to hide my little pains and heartaches, so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.  Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path. Let me so use it that it may mellow me, not harden or embitter me; that it may make me patient, not irritable; that it may make me broad in my forgiveness, not narrow, haughty or overbearing. May no one be less good for having come within my influence. No one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble for having been a fellow‐traveler in our journey toward eternal life. As I go my rounds from one distraction to another let me whisper, from time to time, a word of love to You. May my life be lived in the supernatural, full of power for good, and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Dear

The story I reference can be read in full here. https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2017/03/18600/ Support this podcast with a one-time or recurring donation! https://anchor.fm/hucklefather/support 

Virtue and holiness is its own reward; sin is its own punishment. Deliver us, Lord, from hoping from any reward other than You.

The Holy Father's address, from which Archbishop Naumann's remarks were taken, can be found here: https://zenit.org/2020/02/28/the-holy-fathers-address-for-february-27-penitential-liturgy/

The following podcast is an audio version of an essay that attempts to peer into the spiritual and moral machinery of our culture and discern its workings. I have personally returned to this essay many times since its publication, and I regard it as one of the most important for getting a handle on what is happening in our country at the present time. A teaser: "How can one account for the rise of the extraordinary prestige of victims , as a category, in the contemporary world? The explanation is traceable to the extraordinary weight of guilt in our time, the pervasive need to find innocence through moral absolution, to discharge one’s moral burden, and to the fact that the conventional means of finding that absolution”or even of keeping the range of one’s responsibility for one’s sins within some kind of reasonable boundaries”are no longer generally available. Making a claim to the status of certified victim, or to identification with victims, however, offers itself as a substitute means by which the moral b

Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine! Come, Father of the poor! Come, source of all our store! Come, within our bosoms shine. You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest; Sweet refreshment here below; In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat; Solace in the midst of woe. O most blessed Light divine, Shine within these hearts of yours, And our inmost being fill! Where you are not, we have naught, Nothing good in deed or thought, Nothing free from taint of ill. Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On our dryness pour your dew; Wash the stains of guilt away: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill; Guide the steps that go astray. On the faithful, who adore And confess you, evermore In your sevenfold gift descend; Give them virtue’s sure reward; Give them your salvation, Lord; Give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia.

"Monotheists believe their God created 1 billion trillion stars in the parts of the universe observable with telescopes on the Earth or in space—with a maximum of around 5,000 of them visible to the naked eye—so the inhabitants of earth would have a pretty sky to observe at night." --Atheist Tim Sledge

This homily was delivered at Our Lady & Saint Rose Church on Quindaro Boulevard the first weekend of public Masses in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Since I'm on quarantine, I'm not doing homilies, but I thought this essay would be a great chance to reflect a little during these days of shelter-in-place. Dr. Cuddeback presents a perspective that has a lot of insight for how to make the most of these times. You can read the essay in full here: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2018/11/reclaiming-the-household Would you like more of Dr. Cuddeback's thoughts on how to flourish as a family? Listen to his address to the 2018 Prairie Troubador Symposium in Fort Scott, Kansas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEnuLluoFEA

After the homily, I've included a reading of Francis Thompson's poem, "The Hound of Heaven," which I reference in the homily. I hope you enjoy the reading in full. Thanks to Mike and Katie Cotter for the beautiful leatherbound copy of the poem, from which I read. P.S. The Spanish word I was hunting for was sabueso.  Happy Easter to all!

Delivered at Blessed Sacrament Church, 10 April 2020

Father Connor Danstrom (of Three Dogs North fame) mentioned he puts out the audio only of his Masses on his podcast. I found the idea appealing--a chance for the faithful to use their imaginations a bit. Amazon won't be delivering my high quality mics for another month or two, so the quality isn't great. It's just not up to me any more.

After a brief comment on the intercession of Saint Joseph in our community, we pause and try to swallow the improbable reality that God was tempted, and what that can mean for our own mortifications and determination to remain obedient to God even when tempted.

One of the most powerful sermons I have ever read by St. John Henry Newman speaks of the need to risk something for a future reward--by which is meant life after death. We risk it on the faith of Christ's word, not for any worldly benefit or improvement of our present life, but for hope of resurrection. Read the sermon of St. Newman in its entirety here.

This homily for Catholic Schools Week is an invitation for all our parishioners to dig deep into the question: why do we have a Catholic School? Is it worth the time and money?