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From the Pastor's Desk: March 5, 2023
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From the Pastor’s Desk: March 5, 2023
The Second Sunday of Lent takes us on a pilgrimage with Jesus, Peter, James, and John on the High Mountain of Transfiguration and God invites us to listen to Him- to listen to one of the most profound proclamations of God to His Son: “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.”
As I write this message, I am on that very mountain with a group of pilgrims in the Holy Land. It is truly powerful and amazing to celebrate Mass on an outdoor altar when the power of transfiguration is experienced in the Eucharist. In addition, it is so amazing and impressive because it is a long journey from Nazareth to the top of the Mountain. It took them a few days to reach their destination. It was a time of profound intimacy and conversation between the Lord and His three disciples. Having experienced the enormous beauty of the view, it is no wonder why Peter made a point to stay there. It is a breathtaking sight from the top of the mountain. When you add the spiritual experience of transfiguration, it was probably as amazing as anyone can even imagine. But in truth, our lives are hardly ever like this. That is why the meaning of a journey, the power of transfiguration, and the invitation to listen to the voice of Jesus whose words are “spirit and truth” are so significant in our call to be His disciples.
Friends, listening to God’s Son is the essence of our journey of faith during Lent. We listen to the words of the scriptures, we listen to the tradition and teaching of the Church, we listen to God in prayer. In listening, we pay attention to what the Lord wants to say to us. We allow Jesus to talk to us about the meaning of His life, and about how we are called to follow Him along the way of the Cross as He leads us from our “Egypt to the promised land” of our lives. We allow Him to talk to us about the sins He wants us to eliminate, about the good deeds He wants us to carry out in His name. In the silent moment of our lives, we allow Jesus to whisper to us how much He truly loves us and wants to help us experience the joy of loving others as He has loved us.
To listen to Jesus is indeed transforming reality, particularly in the lives of our brothers and sisters who are in the final preparation to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter. Just last week we celebrated the Rite of Sending at our parish, when I commissioned you to go to Bishop Pohlmeier, who in turn called you “elects” in the process-journey of your faith. The journey may not be an easy one, but one that brings fulfillment into your heart as you listen to the voice of God to joyfully "bear your share of hardship for the Gospel". Your assurance of this comes from today’s celebration, when you are reminded of God’s tremendous love for each one of you when He said: “You are my beloved son, daughter in whom I am well pleased.” Though we may walk a difficult path, we are accompanied by God's presence, as well as the reassurance that we are God's beloved, we are commissioned "not according to our works but according to God's own design."
Lent invites us to participate in the powerful devotion of the Catholic Church, called The Stations of the Cross. “The Stations of the Cross are a Catholic devotion that consists of prayers and meditations which commemorates the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each of the fourteen stations represents an event which occurred during Jesus' Passion and death at Calvary on Good Friday. During the time of the crusades (1095-1270), it became popular for pilgrims in the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Jesus to Calvary. After the Moslems recaptured the Holy Land pilgrimages were too dangerous. As a result, the Stations of the Cross became a popular substitute pilgrimage throughout Europe. The Stations represented critical events from Scripture or tradition of Jesus' journey to Calvary. Originally done only outdoors, the Stations were allowed inside churches in the mid-18th century. Eventually fixed at fourteen, the Stations soon became a familiar feature in all Catholic churches. The devotion may be conducted personally by the faithful, making their way from one station to another and saying the prayers, or by having an officiating celebrant move from cross to cross while the faithful make the responses. The stations themselves must consist of, at the very least, fourteen wooden crosses, pictures alone do not suffice, and they must be blessed by someone with the authority to erect stations.” (Community of Hope)
Have a blessed Second Week of Lent!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy
