Second Sunday in Ordinary
Time,
Wedding Feast at Cana
I have to stand up a little
bit higher so you can see me. I think
today I have to admit that this is not a preaching moment. It is not a homily moment either. I call this a moment of testimony.
Working as a vocation
director for over a year, almost two years, I have come and I have to say that
I cannot use my own language, not the Vietnamese language, but my own strength,
my own wisdom and intelligence to convince you to give up your wives, or to
give up your sons, to give up yourself to become priests and religious brothers
or sisters. I can’t do that now. I have to give up that strength and come to
the point that I just share with you my testimony. And maybe with the Holy Spirit in you, in me,
in this church, you come to the point of awareness, the point of realization,
the point that I call “Ah-ha, I got it.”
So today, today you and I
already heard three readings. And these
readings to me are not the readings like usual.
The readings today stir up in me, I don’t know about you, but I heard
the three readings today. I have to say
today is a good day. Why? Because the first reading today from prophet
Isaiah, Chapter 62, the first two lines—God said, “For Zion’s sake I will not
be silent. For Zion’s sake I will not be
quiet.” And I can use that as a theme
for the testimony today.
And because of that I
remember I was called, called a long time ago when I discovered my
vocation. I promised my cousin and my
friend to become priest one day, the three of us, when I was 13-years-old. I think Andrew here is 13, right? And James here in 10th grade. But when I was about 7th grade I
promised with myself that one day I would become a priest. Twenty years later I was ordained a
priest. And I remembered that when I was
13 I already promised.
Why did I have to say
that? Because God loved me so much that
one day when I was 26-years-old He visited me again when I was in New Orleans,
drinking a glass of water at my mother’s and my brother’s house. And I heard a voice, “Tat, I’d like you to
stop drinking that half-glass of water and share that with Me and with My
people.” And that stirred up in me again
that yes I will do it. So out of that
moment I was convinced that God loved me so much that God was interested in me,
not myself but in my glass of water.
In the second reading today
that we all receive the same Spirit but different spiritual gifts. But you know that the gifts that you have
right now. Not the gift that you are
called to become a priest, or you’re called to become a servant, or you’re
called to become a parish nurse, become a choir member, or an usher, or altar
server here. And you know what, it is so
funny that this church is so huge. One,
two, three, four, five, six, seven different aisles if you will. And you notice though every week you come
here you sit on the same side, you sit in the same pew, you sit at the same
angle, that this side never meets this side.
You agree with me? To the point
that we draw that line so distinctively that we are unique. We are unique yes indeed but we are one. Amen!
We are one and I hope that today that young people, if you hear my
message today, I challenge you not to just move around the aisles or the pews,
step forward right here at the center.
Touch the altar. Touch the podium
and say, “Hello God. I am here.” I challenge you. Even women too. Go even closer to the altar, feel it.
And look at Mary in the
third reading. Mary will not be silent
no more. She saw they had no wine for
the wedding reception. And she cannot be
silent because this is her job as an adult guest. And then Jesus is very sensitive, “Mary this
is not our home. We have no business
with this. If they have no wine that’s
their business. Why do you have
concern? Does that concern affect
me?” “Yes, my son. They have no wine and we have responsibility
and you can do it. I believe you. You can do it. Help them to have wine for their joy, for
their celebration.”
And so today I ask you to
look around, notice some kind of shortness in our church. I came here for ten days, not just one day to
preach with you today but to share with your our testimony. I came here for ten days. I started ten days ago. I visited different groups in our
parish. I visited the school and
students. I noticed that there is a lot
of potential here. I was almost in tears
when I asked students, “Who wants to become a priest? Who wants to become religious sisters and
brothers? Who wants to become
prophet? Who wants to become prophetic
leaders of the church?” A lot of them
raised their hands and said, “Yes, I want to dedicate my life for the poor and
the most abandoned.”
Talking about poor and the
most abandoned. I want to read for you
some testimony again from you. Last
Sunday if you remember there was the banner called “Thank-You” to appreciate
our priests here in this parish and a lot of you wrote on that, or signed on
that banner. I just picked a couple of
notes from you, your appreciation, so to make a testimony so real among
you. One said, “Thanks a million for
being here for us.” Another said,
“Thanks for your wonderful leadership and inspiring homilies.” Another said, “You are Christ’s presence
among us.” Another said, “Thank you for
being a priest.” And another said, “You
are a big reason we have such a wonderful parish.” And another, and this is my favorite, “As a
mother of four, I would like to thank you for your dedication, for your service
to our family as well as for other families.”
And the last one, “You mean a lot, thanks.”
Now if you listened to this
and you agree that whatever I said here is correct, is true, please give them
the applause at present. (Applause)
And that’s who we are as
Redemptorists. We preach the good news
to the poor and the most abandoned. Came
here and lived with them I know that they are not just diocesan priests like
the other priests in the diocese. They
are missionary priests. They serve right
now, Fr. Brian at another parish, Fr. Joe at another parish, Fr. Thomas Pham,
even though you don’t see them here they are all over the diocese to help our
parishes in this diocese. And that’s who
we are called for. We have 40
Redemptorists living in Haiti right now, sharing the same situation with the
people in Haiti. We are all over the
world, 77 countries. Over 5000
Redemptorists and live the simple life that the people can feel it. People can understand it. People can say, “Yes is the priest that we
need.”
And so today it is not a
preaching moment. It is a testimony
moment. I urge you, I beg you on behalf
of Pope, of Jesus Christ, of our bishop here to see and recognize the need in
our church. We need a lot more priests,
deacons, religious sisters and brothers.
And the bottom line is that we need inspiring, spiritual and prophetic
leaders of the church. If you agree with
me would you say “Amen.” “Amen.”
And so I invite you again,
each one of us. Don’t say that I’m too
old, or I’m too late because each one of us has a role to make that happen here
in this parish. We’ve been here for 50
years but we barely can count one or two or three priests come from this
church. We have a couple sisters come
from this church but we need more and more.
My talk now is like a
lamentation to you but I really beg you and hope that this parish after this
week will have the awareness to support even more in a very real way. Yesterday I went to a family to visit
them. I noticed that in their house when
you walked in you will see a shrine to the military men and women in
service. Because father was a Marine and
now a son is also a Marine, now a daughter is in the Navy, and all of them
dedicated to the country. And I said,
“Wow.” How about priests and
religious. If we have pictures, if we have
a shrine for that will we attract a lot of our sons and daughters, our children
and grandchildren to dedicate their lives for the church and for the spiritual
welfare in our world today because we need spiritual, inspiring, prophetic
leaders.
And so today we ask the Lord
to continue working in you, working in me, working in our leaders here to
create that culture of vocations and to encourage one another to say “Yes” to
the Lord. Keep your eyes on these men and
women and don’t ignore them. And be silent
no more.
I’d like you to repeat three
times with me, “I will not be silent. I will not be silent. I will not be silent. I will not be silent no more”
Also may God be with you and
keep you always reminded that God needs you so much and the world needs you as
well. Amen.