The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - The Heart of a Pastor (feat. Fr. Mark Beard)

Episode Date: August 11, 2023

Do you want to hear a priest speak from his heart? In this episode, Jeff shares the final homily of Fr. Mark Beard who recently passed after a tragic car accident. Although unaware that the end of his life was near, Fr. Beard’s homily was filled with truth and came straight from his heart. He encouraged his congregation to get off the fence and make a choice: God or not God. Snippet from the Show You must decide whether you are in or out. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit ascensionpress.com/thejeffcavinsshow for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven Show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together in living as activated disciples. This is show 336, Father Mark Beard, the heart of a pastor. Welcome to the show this week. We normally talk about things related to evangelization, studying scripture. and walking as disciples. And I'm going to share that with you this week, but it's going to be in the form of a homily from a very special, special priest. Father Mark Baird, who died in a car accident on August 2nd. And I'll tell you that the reason I want to share his homily with you is because it was his last

homily before he passed away. And when you hear it here on the show today, you're going to know why I took the time to make it available for you to hear because I think this is a man after God's own heart who is sharing a message as a priest to his people because he loves them so much. And when you know that he was the one that was going to die after giving this homily, it's chilling. and what he says is chilling, knowing that this is what was on his heart before he went to be with the Lord. And so I want to share that with you on the show today. A little bit about Father Mark Baird, he was the pastor down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but also St. Helena in Amite, Louisiana. I hope I got that right. I know I got Baton Rouge right. And I love so many of my friends down there, who, by the way, were very close with Father Baird.

Father Jeff Bihy, we have John Fawkes, a great, great friend of Father Baird, Sister Dulcy, of course, Bishop Dukha, just great friends. He was a friend of everybody that he met. The thing about Father Baird, which I'm going to play a homily for you in just a few minutes, that is chilling because when you know that that was his last homily, it really strikes you. And you take it as a message from the Lord to you. But he was so popular in the area. And I think one of the reasons he was so popular is because he just told you the way it was.

And you don't hear many pastors talk to their people like this, who take the risk of telling their flock the way it is. And they are literally begging their people to listen and to get right with God. I made a comment to one of his friends down in Baton Rouge on the phone the other day and said that if every priest gave this kind of a homily, can you imagine the way our church and our country would be? He just charges you with the gospel and he challenges you. to live it out. And I got to be honest with you, I think we need more and more priests like

Father Baird and priests that will be bold and courageous, not afraid to deliver the truth. We need this passion. We need this leadership. We need priests to tell the truth with conviction. Why? As you'll hear in the homily, because their souls are on the line. And he's begging his people to get right with God, and little did anyone know he would be the first to go and be with the Lord. He's considered still a young man, 62 years of age. He's from the Baton Rouge area and LSU. Got a degree from LSU and Notre Dame. Degrees are all fine, and he got him, and he worked in a family business, but it was what he did in his parish that was so impressive. We were hoping to bring him to to Israel with us on a on a pilgrimage and I'm so sad that we weren't we weren't able to make

that happen but yeah I want to share this I want to share this with you do you have a pastor that you just you're so proud of and you want to brag about I did growing up it was father father Paul Dudley and father Paul Dudley was was such a hero to us growing up in the twin cities back in the 60s and 70s. That's 19, 60s and 70s. And he went on to become a bishop. And everywhere this man of God went, people just adored him. He would remember your name from 40 years ago.

And he would be so honest and straightforward with you. I think that this homily that I'm going to play here in just a moment is going to be inspiring for you. And I would encourage you to share this. with other people. Share this episode with other people and share with your local priests. Share with other priests around the country. If you're a priest listening, which I know I've got a lot of priests who are following on the show here, here as well as my daily devotional on Hello with Jonathan Rumi. But there are so many priests who listen to podcasts and I want to challenge you as a priest to be bold and to be loving and to take a risk to love your people and tell them the

truth and don't be don't be afraid that the people are going to put you out or not include you anymore they will love you more than ever in if you will be honest with them about where they stand with the lord and and how to how to change their life the importance of the eucharist the importance of confession, the importance of the teachings of the church, if it's pro-life issues, whatever it might be. That's what Father Bear did. He did not back down from one single topic. I know he was a good friend of Father Josh Johnson, a very good friend of mine in Baton Rouge, and wow, a good man, gone, no doubt to be with the Lord. We need more like this. When we come back from the break, I'm going to go ahead and play this homily. It's not that long, but it's very

powerful. And again, I encourage you to share it with other people. You're listening to the Jeff Kaven Show. Is it possible for you to live a life of greatness that is more than just confusing relationships, endless scrolling, and unfulfilling friendships? I'm Sarah Swafford, author of Emotional Virtue. And I'm Andrew Swafford, Professor of Benedictine College and co-author of a Catholic Guide to the Old Testament and editor of the Great Adventure Catholic Bible. And we wrote a book with Ascension called Gift and Grit. How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships. Gift and Grit shows you how to foster authentic relationships and answer life's deepest questions,

especially in our walk with the Lord. Gift and grit is like grabbing a cup of coffee with us and hearing our experience from working with young adults and college students for over 15 years. We chat about everything from fostering good and faithful friendships with both men and women. pursuing holy romantic relationships achieving the greatness that every person desires and so much more we want you to live a life that's full of meaning and purpose which is exactly why we wrote gift and grit you can order your copy of gift and grit at ascensionpress.com slash gift and grit welcome back we are going to listen now to the homily the last homily that father mark baird gave

He gave the last homily in Louisiana And it was very very powerful So I'm just going to be quiet I'm going to let you listen I'll catch you on the other side Fence Fence as in straddling the fence You know my friend's in Christ

You know what I liked about Philip You can say what you want about him But he is a He is Catholic Now he may not be a poster boy for Catholicism at the start. But this is like the 1980s. But later in life, I got to tell you, still to this day, Philip's Catholic. It's with a big seed. Man, he grew up in, it's connected in New York. He'll tell you that is, he had a pretty good home life initially. He had three siblings, and he said

he loved New York. His mom and dad separated. He's now got to move, I believe it's with his mom down to Miami, Florida. So he goes to Miami High School. Philip will tell you he does two things very well. He is an excellent boxer. And somehow another, he got wrapped up into a play called The Serpent, and he loved it. The problem is he was far better at boxing, 27 and 3, to be exact. As a result of it, man, he just, he gets it. He likes the discipline. When he stays disciplined, he stays out of trouble. Well, he's trying to decide what he wants to do, either maybe do more plays, but it's Miami. He gets in a little bit of trouble because he kind of gets away from boxing. And as a result of it, Philip just gets, he said, man, he gets in trouble.

He said, his sister comes to him and said, look, here's $400. You're on the next Greyhound out. Don't look back. Don't come back. They're looking for you. You're guilty. Get to New York. Start your life over.

Gets all the way up to New York. Starts working plays. He's got to start boxing again. That's all he knows. He does okay. He said he was six and three. And what made him retire is a guy that hit him so hard. It actually gave him a concussion.

And they said, man, you knew right then? He said, no, when I woke up, I knew. He was right then. He said, man, he said, I just knew I had to make a decision. I got to stop walking. I just got to stop straddling the fence. I'm either going to box or I'm not. And if not, I'm going to try acting, but if not, you got to go to work.

So he starts getting these bit parts. And Philip plays a really good bad guy, like a crooked attorney or just a, you know, a mob guy, whatever. But he does real well at it. And then all of a sudden, man, the movie starts. coming he's in uh phillips in the movies like um uh diner body heat uh oh not i could already see it in your face nine and a half weeks he played in um rain man uh rain maker rainmaker excuse me he played um uh the man on fire the pope of greenwich village you know i didn't memorize a dozen of these things right but brother's him his name's mickey o'roar

Okay, that is a third guy that you'll never hear mentioned to get in the church, right? But to give him his due, he's Catholic to his core. What he knows is you can't keep walking straddling the fence. That is that gospel. Not once, not twice, three times. He says, the kingdom of heaven is this. My brother, says Christ, he's trying to tell you, you can't take it with you. You can't bury it.

You're either on it or in it or you are not. You can't play both sides against the middle. He gives you an example. Now remember, you're Jewish. So you and I now know that when they use parables, there's always a twist in the parables. Something that just doesn't make sense. I mean, let's be honest, you're walking down a road, you look into a field, and there's a treasure. You're walking down the road.

Nobody's seen it but you, and there's a treasure. you're so excited you go bury it sell everything you have and buy the field the fact that there's a treasure in the field and you just didn't take it and run with it you buried it and sold everything yet brothers christ it doesn't work it's not logical it's not reasonable that's where he's saying you can't bury this treasure and you can't take it with you and he says well i'll give you another example he said it's like you find this beautiful pearl it is so beautiful that you go and sell your house, your car, your camp, your boats, your guns, and you go buy the pearl. Then you realize you can't eat with the pearl, you can't hunt with the pearl, you can't fish with the pearl,

you can't buy anything, you can't, I mean, you can't be clothed with it, you can't put a roof over your head. He says, you can't take it with you. My brother's just in Christ, he's trying to tell people and he says, look, at the end of the day, it's like you going net fishing on the sea of Galilee. Now, why is this important to you? Because that's the only way you can fish on the sea of Galilee today. You can only net fish. And as a result of it, when you throw the net out, you're going to get good and bad. He said, I'm telling you this now so that you make sure that you are all in. Because if not, I'm going to send my angels and they will separate you. Listen why this is important, you and I. Because our best players in scripture are those who are

able to delineate whether they're all in or all out. You can't ride the fence. And my brother of Christ, throughout scripture, the best players are the ones we know very little about. For example, the wealthiest man in all of their day is Lazarus. So Christ's best friend, if you will, is one of the wealthiest men of all. And as a result of it, he has two sisters, Mary of Magillop, which she had a house in Maglund, which was his. And then he also has Mary, Martha and Mary, excuse me, and Martha. Now, my brother's in Christ, he's got vineyards, he's got ground. he's got he does have slaves he does have property he does have equipment he does have caravans

everybody knows who he is but this is what you don't know about him he's got to die twice so that christ can be proven that's a friend you got to die twice my brother's just in christ do you know why he's not at the crucifixion according to the saints because he knows good and well that the the apostles have to have somewhere to go do you know why we can't find Peter. We can't find James. We can't find Nathaniel, Bartholome, Thomas. We can't find Philip. We can't find the other Simon. Why? Because they're all over at his house. Because if he's not there to protect him. But you know what's amazing? He already knew this is what he was going to do. So as a result of it, I got to protect the good Lord. And he actually conversed with the good Lord

about protecting. He actually asked the good Lord, can I intercede because of my influence with Pilate to stay what's coming. My brother in Christ, you know, 60 to 90 days? after the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, he actually walks away from everything. Doesn't sell it. He leaves it. My brother, says, Christ, that is somebody who no longer decides

I'm just going to straddle the fence. He's all in. Matter of fact, my brother, Christ, he will actually die on martyr's death later on. My brother's Christ, Longinus. As great as he was to pilot, he became a greater disciple to our Savior. I mean, how many people would have the

courage in front of all their constituents, your fellow workers, your bosses, the Monarch himself pilot. Truly, that man's the son of God. You lose all your money instantly. About six months to a year later, he'll beheaded by the same people that he helped with the crucifixion, the same people he protected, the other centurions, the same ones he fought with next to the war. My brother, and says Christ, he's all in. Our best players know you can't straddle the fence. You can't say a part of this, but I kind of believe in this. So now here you and I sit two thousand years later. Well, let's see, brother Christ, how good are you at straddling the fence? Or are you all in? Well, let's see. My brother, sister, in Christ, when somebody says you're, are you Christian,

will you stand up and say, well, absolutely, I'm Catholic? Well, tell me, as a Catholic, are there exceptions to abortion like rape and incest? Absolutely not. There are no exceptions. then he would have told me there were you don't think they had rape and incest in the time of christ you don't think they had that going on my brother christ they're burning children in the pit they called guenna while christ walked the earth you can't have it both ways my brother's just in christ when it comes to abortion it's intrinsically evil in and of itself and the fact of matter is when people tell you as catholics that you i'm sorry father i'm just not a one-issue person well that's a fine how do so what you're telling me is well father he's got a good diplomatic

policy he's got a good economic policy you don't have a policy your policy is to kill children so you think the good lord's going to bless your supply and demand you believe that your economic policy is going to work after he kill his children so when the good lord asked you father father morp where are my children my answer is going to be well you know i got to tell you the president had a good economic policy. He's a pretty good diplomat for who I have no idea, but he's a good diplomat. My brother, sister, Christ, that's the point. All things come through Christ. You can't pick and choose whether you're in or out. You're either in the church or you are not. Mother Christ, how many times do I hear people make the argument? Well, Father, you know, we're just not ready to

have children. My brother and sister, Christ, please go back and read scripture. You are not your not your own. You are not your own. You have been purchased with a great price. St. Paul to the Corinthians. St. Paul to the Romans. When you start using the pill or some type of contraception, you are putting something between you and your spouse. I told you to go forth and to multiply. My brother, insisting Christ, he is the God of economics. If he wants to be able to support you and your children, then he will. For you and I to step in his shoes and tell him that this is how it will be. you're telling him it's more important how we do it than how you do it you can get upset you can get mad you can kick your dog i'm telling you right now that's the teachings of the church you got to

decide whether you're in or whether you're out you can't walk the fence my brother and sits in christ this is getting old this why our country is starting to fracture remember this it does not matter to me what francis says or does not say what matters to me is where you land all i care about is your soul. Stop worrying about what he says or doesn't say. Stop worrying about what Joe says or doesn't say. The only thing that matters is your soul. Do you not understand? There is no exceptions when you're in front of him. There's no arbitration. There's no mediation. He's going to say, man, your judgment. You come in on this day. You go home on this day. Please, for the love of God, remember this. The nanosecond, you and I die. The nanosecond. Before people walk away from your bed, before they

leave to get in their cars. You have already been judged and you're either in heaven held or purgatory. That's it. It's done. And there's nothing else to go. And it's for all eternity. I'm trying to tell you, you can't pick and choose. Either he's the great I am or he's not. You can't go one in both ways. You can't say, man, I believe in the church, but I don't, I have exceptions to these rules. Man, do you understand why he went to the wedding to Cana? He went there to prove to you that if I had to go there for seven days, then you need to come to my house when you get married. It was so important he'd be at the wedding to Cana. We don't even know the name of the couple. And it's been 2,000 years. So getting married on a beach, getting married at someone's house or in the backyard and an antebellum

home is not in front of him. Yes, the good Lord is everywhere, but he's physically present in the tabernacle. That's why I say this is my body, which will be given up to you. What I've got to get you to understand is if you don't understand the sand of faith and ask the questions. You can't just keep walking down the middle of the road. You can't say, man, father, you know, I'm, I know the commander. Do you? Because if you don't, most of them are exclusionary. Do you know the beatitudes? Do you know the very first one, at least? Fear of the Lord. If you don't have that, then you won't make it. If I ask you, what are the four pillars of the church? Would you know one of them? My brother Christ, how can you and I proclaim to be Catholic? And remember what Catholic means,

according to the whole, that if we gather in one place, we listen to the readings, we sing the Psalms, and differed from the Jews, we break bread instead of sacrifice a lamb, that's the definition of Catholic. It became so popular, it became universal. You and I have got to stop apologizing for being Catholic. You need to learn your faith. Yes, we have let you down. No if, hands are much about it. Yes, we make it confusing because different priests speak different ways. That is true.

And sometimes I'm not sure where Francis is going. That's a true statement too. But it doesn't change the fact that you need to know the truth. And I'm going to tell you, I am not going to stand before him and say, well, Lord, I would have pitched it. But you know, there's going to be pushback. Because now that sins on me. I've got my own set, my brother and sister Christ. I'm not going to burn for another.

So it's important for me for you to tell you the truth. You can pick and choose what you want and throw the rest away. but nobody's going to nail my foot to the floor telling me, man, beard, you just didn't say what was truthful. My brother in Christ, my job is to pitch it. Whether you want to catch it or not is on you. My job is to make sure you know the whole truth

and nothing but the truth. So help me, God. At the end of the day, you have got to get off that fence. You have got to plant your flag. My brother in Christ, I'm not saying that you will agree with 100% of the church teaching, but you don't get to pick and choose. she's been around for 2,000 years

and someday you and I are going to stand in front of him naked and alone and let me promise you we will hear one or two words come judgment day man depart from me well Lord man I proclaimed you to be the Messiah I held your money so did Judas or he's going to say welcome to my table God I have waited for you

I bragged on you I told the saints about you I said watch him watch her watch they're going to make the sign of the cross and they're going to make the sign of the cross and they're going to be beloved and condemned for it. Watch, he's going to break out the prayer of the Hail Mary when everybody starts to look down. They're going to say, man, I'm a one-issue candidate because that's all that matters is life.

Life everlasting. My brother in Christ, I leave you with the words of Johnny Cash. A great theologian in his own right. He said if there was a fence between heaven and hell, it would be owned by the devil himself. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Man, thank you, thank you. I'd like to thank my family who came here and stood up and clapped. Man, God bless. Please stand. Thank you. That was a homily. That was a message from a shepherd who loved his people and didn't care about reputation

or anything else. He would do anything for his people. And he said it all as his last homily. listen to some of his other homilies, you'll know it's consistent with what he delivers every single week. And that was his last homily. Just hours and hours, I don't know how many hours exactly after this that his life was over, 62 years of age. He has his reward. Now, but his message to you and to me lives on. And we must listen to our leaders who are taking a chance on loving us and telling us the truth.

Again, if you can share this with folks, share it with priests, I would appreciate that because I don't normally give up the show during the week to talk to somebody else because I love talking to you, I really do, and sharing with you the truth. But I just thought, you know what? You need to hear a real shepherd here giving his heart. Let's pray. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, Lord, we thank you for our dear Father Beard.

we thank you, Lord, for his example and his passion. We pray, Lord, for all the seminarians in New Orleans and Baton Rouge and Shreveport, all over Louisiana, that they would find in Father Beard a brother to copy, a brother to learn from, a brother to emulate. And all of us around the country, Lord, we give thanks for him, his family, his mother, who is still alive.

we thank you Lord for his example we pray for his soul in Jesus name amen my friend I love you and I do look forward to talking to you next time