Sweet Home Seminary...

Yeah, I know Lynyrd Skynard never cut this version of the song Sweet Home Alabama and I do not think anyone else is about to cut it either. I will admit that I was not exactly jumping for joy upon arriving back to seminary after our Spring Break. Before you begin to think that seminary is a horrible place, let me explain.

As I pulled in to the seminary yesterday evening, I did have that feeling of arriving home after a long trip. After I unloaded the car, threw my bags in the middle of the room (where they remain unpacked and completely in my way), and put away my hanging clothes, I sat down for a brief moment and was glad to be “home” after a long day. I was actually surprised that I found more comfort in my worn out twin mattress than I did in the plush Queen sized mattress at the La Quinta Hotel where I stayed the night before. There is just something comforting about your own space where you spend a majority of your time.

I did not have long to relax as I had to join the rest of my seminarian brothers for Vespers (Evening Prayer) followed by a house meeting. After the meeting I returned to my room to write a paper that was due first thing Monday morning. I got to sleep around midnight and realized that 5:40AM was going to come quickly. I was greeted this morning by a nice cold shower. I must shamefully admit that my first thought was that the Rector of the seminary found a new way to shave a few dollars off the budget. My next thought was that it was an attempt to make us live a more ascetic lifestyle during this penitential time of Lent. Either way, I decided to offer it up and remembered all the folks who are in Guatemala this week for the Medical Mission trip. I was there last year and remembered the joys of cold showers. I decided it was God’s little way of reminding me to pray for them.

Anyway, I digress. The point of all this was to let you know that for the first time in my life, I feel kind of homesick. I miss being around my friends and family on a daily basis. The trips home are never long enough. It is hard to get motivated to come back to a challenging academic and spiritual environment like seminary. Thankfully God gives us the grace we need to persevere.

I also realized something else this past week. I really love being in a parish. I guess that is a pretty good thing for someone discerning a life as a parish priest! My point is that I feel truly at home when I am in a parish and not just my home parish. This past weekend I visited a parish in Kyle and gave a talk after communion about vocations. I just love going to Mass with the families and meeting all of the people after Mass. I look forward to the time in my life when I get to be in a parish full time.

Until then, I need to buckle down and get to work. The academic calendar is back in full swing and I have a fairly demanding week ahead. Next weekend I will be traveling to Houston to staff a Confirmation Retreat with one of my brother seminarians. I anticipate it being another much needed shot in the arm for me.

I want to reflect on today’s Mass readings sometime this week when I have a little more time. The readings talk about finding God in the ordinary instead of the extraordinary. Until then I wanted to share with you the text from the talk I gave this weekend. I also want to thank those of you who left comments. I do read them and I appreciate them. Here is the talk (please forgive any bad grammar or typing mistakes):

Good Morning / Good Evening. As Father said, my name is Tom Reitmeyer and I am a first year Seminarian with the Diocese of Austin.

Each year the Bishop asks seminarians to visit several parishes in the diocese. I was excited when I learned that I had been assigned to visit St. Anthony’s. You see, this is a bit of a homecoming for me. I grew up living in Manchaca for most of my life. I went to elementary and middle schools in Buda. My family and I were members of Santa Cruz Catholic Church in Buda. As I drove into Kyle this weekend, I remembered playing little league football in a field located in this general area. When I pulled into the church, I quickly realized that you all built a church on my football field. Don’t worry, I approve. I also remembered making trips to Five Mile Dam with my Father. And, of course, there is not mistaking the smell of the wonderful food at Railroad BBQ.

I am here today for two reasons, the first being to talk to you about vocations. To begin I would like to briefly share with you a portion of my own vocation story. As I already mentioned I grew up here in Hays County. Like most families, my family was not perfect. We had our share of problems and difficulties that we had to work through. However, despite all the difficulties, my parents made sure to instill in me the values of the Catholic Faith, the importance of prayer, and a desire to do the right thing. My family was involved in the life of our parish. My mother taught me CCD and prepared me for First Communion. My father was also involved in the Knights of Columbus and Boy Scouts. By being actively involved in the life of the parish, my parents taught me that love and service to God and His church should be a priority in my life.

After graduating from high school in Austin, I attended college at Texas A&M University. After graduation, I began a career in law enforcement. Admittedly during this time in my life, my faith was not of primary importance. Sure I went to Mass on Sundays here and there, but I made excuses for why it was okay to miss every so often. After all, I was young, single, had a great job, I was advancing in my job quickly, I was making good money, and I had a fast sports car. What else could I possibly want to be happy?

In 2005, a friend of mine approached me and asked me to be his son’s Godfather. I could not believe that this friend would choose me to be an example of faith for his son. I quickly responded to the invitation and said that I would be honored. However, I knew that if I was going to stand before God and make a promise to ensure that this child was raised in the faith, then I better get my act in gear. I first went to confession and then began to attend Mass EVERY Sunday. I even started going to daily Mass when I could. I began reading and studying the catechism and other books about our faith. I prepared for and received the Sacrament of Confirmation as an adult. It was the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit that allowed me to make God a priority in my life. I committed myself to times of prayer and active service in my parish.

As my heart grew closer to God, it grew further and further away from police work. Despite having all the things the world said I needed to be happy, I realized that something was missing. I heard another invitation. This invitation came from parishioners, friends, and priests who asked me to consider whether God was calling me to the priesthood. I began to pray for the grace to hear God’s voice and asked him to change my heart if he was indeed calling me to the priesthood. Through active ministry in my parish, participation in Diocesan Discernment events, and living a sacramental life, I clearly heard God’s invitation to further discernment in seminary. I cannot and will not stand here today and tell you for sure that I am called to be a priest, but I will tell you that God has asked me to put my plans aside and to follow him by continuing to discern His will for my life in seminary.

I would like to speak to the parents that are here tonight / this morning. I would ask that each of you encourage your child to consider his / her vocation carefully. Be open to the very real possibility that God may be calling your son or daughter to a life as a priest or a religious sister. Be active in the life of your parish and instill in your children a sense of priority in loving and serving God and his church. Encourage your child to participate in youth groups and other organizations within the church. Make it clear to your child that while pleasure may be found in the things of the world, true happiness is found in following the will of God. I don’t need to try and convince any of you that your child is a special gift from God. I will, however, point you to the words of St. Matthew’s Gospel when in talking about the gifts we have received it says, “without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.”

To the young people that are here, I echo Pope John Paul II’s words when he said, “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid to follow God’s will for your life. Do not be afraid to say “No” to the temptations and empty promises of a society who has little room for God in their daily life. Remember that your vocation, whether it is a call to marriage, single life, priesthood, or religious life, is a direct invitation from God to live your life in the manner that will bring you the most joy and happiness. Do not expect God to reveal his will to you in the form of a text message, certified letter, on Twitter, or on Facebook. You will only hear the sweet sound of God’s voice when you quiet your hearts and free yourself of all distractions so that you can listen closely to what it is He is saying to you.

The second reason for my visit, and perhaps the most important, is to say, “Thank you.” On behalf of all of the Austin seminarians I would like to thank you for all of your love, your prayers, and your continued financial and spiritual support. We all feel truly blessed to be called to discern God’s will for our lives in a diocese that is filled with such faithful people. Please be assured of our sincere gratitude and our prayers for you and those that you love.

Finally, I leave you with a verse of scripture that my brother passed on to me many years ago. It comes from Chapter 3 of Proverbs and it says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Thanks and God Bless.

Have a good week everyone!

Pax Tecum,
Tom

"It's good that we are here..."

These were the words of Peter as he stood on the mountain with James and John and witnessed the Transfiguration of our Lord. I love the gospel reading about the Transfiguration. For the most part this is because I was born on August 6^th which is when the church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration. Each year as I celebrate my birthday I always listen to this gospel story and think about my life.

As I heard the gospel yesterday, I was serving Mass at my home parish, St. Thomas Aquinas in College Station. Even before the Mass as I entered the church and began to pray, I could not help but think to myself, “it is good to be here.” For those of you who have seen it, you know how special the crucifix in the sanctuary of the church is. I love to go in the church, sit down, and stare up at the crucifix. I tend to get lost in prayer and am oblivious to the people around me. It usually isn’t long before someone comes up to say hello and welcome me home. I usually return the greeting and then turn back to the cross.

This weekend was just one of those weekends where everything seemed to come together. I have never felt more at home than I did this weekend. I am surrounded by friends, family, former co-workers, and some other people that are very special to me. When I am around these people, it is easy for me to see the glory of God. The world is transfigured into a place where I can see the hand of God working in my life. It is all so clear and easy to see. However, it’s not always like that is it?

Like most people, there are times in my life when I question the things that seem so fundamental to my existence. I question what it is that God wants me to do with my life. I question my behavior at times and wonder if I could have handled certain situations better. I have made career changes. I have bought and sold my possessions. I have moved away from friends several times only to be blessed with more relationships while maintaining the old (albeit in a different way). However, there are times when you wonder if you are getting it right. There are times when I question my decisions and wonder if I got it all wrong. Like most of you, I have doubts from time to time. I think anyone who is willing to take off the masks that we wear from time to time and really look at their lives will experience some doubt every now and then.

Despite the doubts from time to time, there are almost always moments of great clarity that come through prayer. Yesterday was one of those times of clarity. As I prayed during communion, I looked around the church and again thought to myself, “It is good to be here.” I was thinking to myself, “How did I end up here? How did this place end up being my home?” You see, I came to College Station twelve and a half years ago to attend college. I had no plans of staying here. I did not have any family here. After college, my friends moved away and got married. I made new friends, started and finished one career, and eventually took steps towards discovering my call to seminary. Objectively it makes no sense why these people that I was watching come forward for communion would become my family. I realized that for me, my home is in the Church. Everything just seemed to make sense in those moments of prayer. I felt at home. Like Peter, I wanted to pitch three tents and stay a while. I wanted to stay on top of that mountain and never come down. And yet, I knew that my stay would be short. While I don’t mean to relate seminary to the cross, to be honest, it can be a cross at times. It can be a cross the same way a job, family issues, financial issues, etc can be a cross in your life. Many times we simply do not want to come down the mountain and face them. However, I have come to learn that it is in those moments of the cross that we are able to show our love for God the most.

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that God is constantly offering us opportunities to be on top of the moment and witness his glory in all its majesty. We have to take the time though to recognize them and to enjoy them. It is the strength and consolation that we get in those moments that allows us to go out and love and serve the Lord in our love and service to our brothers and sisters.

This morning I was given another gift by being able to sit and have breakfast with my best friend and his young daughter. While I miss being able to hang out with him as often as I would like, there is something special about seeing a dad and his daughter spend time with each other. To be honest, I wanted to pitch a few tents again and live in that moment for a while. Any of you who have had children know that there is a limited shelf life though to the happiness and cooperation of an eighteen month old before a nap is needed.

I am sitting here in a coffee shop in College Station relaxing before I meet a friend for lunch. I have a busy couple of days ahead meeting with different people and visiting friends before I move on to Austin for a few days. Next weekend, I will be in Kyle, TX visiting a parish and giving a talk on vocations after communion. I will return Sunday night to seminary close to midnight. So, while it will be time to come down off the mountain soon enough, I think I will just sit here at the top for a while and take in the dazzling white view of the glory of God.

Pax Tecum,

Tom