“Pitching it to Us” Fr. Mark Beard

“Pitching it to Us!” were words that Fr. Mark Beard spoke in his last Sunday homily just three days before he died in a car accident!  He told us his job was to “pitch it to us” and our job was to “catch it!”

Who Was Fr. Mark?

Fr. Mark Bryan Beard was a loving son, brother, uncle, Pastor and friend who died on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.  Fr. Beard was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  He worked for a number of years in his family’s business – “Beard Engineering and United Industries,” a company working in the manufacturing and engineering of wastewater equipment.

After a trip to Medugorje in 2000, he began to consider priesthood as a possible vocation.  After 4 years of discernment, Fr. Beard entered Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans in Louisiana in 2004 and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana on May 30, 2009 at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.  His last assignment was Pastor at St. Helena Catholic Church in Amite, Louisiana for the last 12 years before he passed.  He was also the Administrator at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Retreat Center in Osyka, Mississippi.

 

From the Eternal

Fr. Mark is still “pitching the truth to us” from the eternal!  You might ask how?  Just go on the internet on any given day – pull up his name and you will see a youtube with him “belting out the truth” – “pitching it to us – for us to catch it.”

Yesterday was the “1st anniversary” of Fr. Mark’s death. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that the readings for today – the  First Saturday in August were about St. John the Baptist!  What was St. John beheaded for?  For speaking “truth” to Herod.

The priest at our parish today preached that we human beings don’t like to hear truth.  It makes us uncomfortable since it calls us to “change!”  And if we are the ones speaking truth to another – it could cause an end to a friendship, hurt feelings or some other kind of “pushback” from the person we are trying to help.

That is what made Fr. Mark so absolutely compelling to listen to.  There is a phrase that is a favorite of mine – “listen to see!”  Fr. Mark had us listen to him so we could “see truth.”  He wanted us to “act” on it because he cared about our soul’s salvation and that is all that mattered to him.  He wanted us to stop straddling the fence!  That was his last message to us just days before his untimely death.

 

You Can’t Straddle the Fence

Fr. Mark Beard hit us with a lot of questions during his homilies – whether we were in the pews of St. Helena or home in another state watching and listening on a device or computer.

Here are some of them that he presented at his last homily that Sunday just days before he would leave his earthly pilgrimage and go to his eternal home.

“Are you all in?”  “Are you in or are you out?” “Will you stand up for being a Catholic?”  “We have to stop apologizing for being Catholic!”

 “The only thing that matters is your soul!”

Do you know the Ten Commandments?  Do you know the Beatitudes?

“I’m not going to stand before Him and say well Lord I would have pitched it but you know there is going to be pushback.”  Because now that sin is on me!  “I’ve got my own set – I’m not going to burn for another!”

“It’s important for me to tell you the Truth.”  “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 truth and nothing but their truth!”  “At the end of the day, you have to get off that fence!”

Did Fr. Mark Leave Us?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!  Just yesterday Kitty Cleveland interviewed a beautiful soul by the name of Rosa Torres on instagram.  Rosa goes by the handle of  “catholicbaker33” on that social media platform. Rosa did not know of Fr. Mark prior to his death but she sure knows him very well now!  Go to her instagram page and learn how she is now “helping him” by posting all his youtube homilies.  You will also find the interview as well on Kitty Cleveland’s instagram page too.

Fr. Mark has touched so many, many lives. . .and the amazing piece here is that he is still touching lives from beyond the veil which seems to be very transparent of late.

Jesus Speaks About the Veil

I have posted so many blogs regarding the book, “He and I” by Gabrielle Bossis.  This book is my favorite go-to as it is Jesus speaking to this beautiful French woman that lived during the period of 1874-1950. Gabrielle was in her 60’s when she first began having an interior mystical dialogue with Jesus.  This book is truly her journal that recorded all of these beautiful conversations.  This is private revelation and so one is not called to believe or follow, however, to my heart it always speaks truth.

Today was one of those days where Jesus speaks to Gabrielle in regard to a priest who has died that directed her for part of her life and she still felt the touch of his blessings.

You can imagine how these words seemed to ring “tolling bells” in my heart of truth – since Fr. Mark Beard, too, is still touching us with “his blessings.”

Passage from October 21, 1948

“Believe that in Me My children remain united together.  Members of one Body have only one heartbeat.  There are spiritual heritages held out across the walls of the tomb, and everything comes through Me for the glory of the Father.

It is because they all belong to the same family and the same home that this oneness between the living and the dead are so great.  The home is My Father’s, and the same Blood, – Mine – flows in all the children.

Stay very close to your departed ones.   They are close to all of you.  Increase your trust.  Venture out beyond the little earthly dimensions and take up your residence in the Womb of God.

There’s nothing in this world that can hold you back, so lose sight of the world more often.  You’re traveling to eternity.  Oh, My child, when you know. . . !  That’s when you’ll understand the hymns of praise sung by the All-joyous Ones and their exultant cries of thanksgiving.

Win the right to see Me.  Let this secret longing be your constant thought.  I say, “secret” because it is still feeble.

Ask Me to make it grow in you, so that it may be light and warmth to those who come near you; and they too will understand that I am the End.  The End of every beginning day.

And when at last you close your eyes, hope that they open only to see Me, your very gentle, your most loving Savior.”

Thank you Fr. Mark Beard for Continuing to Pitch Us the Truth of Jesus Christ!

 

 

©2024 Anita Guariglia

Photo Credits/Instagram

He and I – Gabrielle Bossis 

Fr. Mark’s Bio taken from McKneely Funeral Home

Amite, Louisiana