A Letter From Fr. Paul - March 8, 2020

This coming weekend, March 14th & 15th, we will celebrate the anointing of the sick at all Masses. Please invite those who would benefit from this sacrament to attend.

The 99 Experience begins this week. Please keep the participants in your prayers. You can still sign up through Monday, March 9th.

If you have not yet filled out the Disciple Maker Index survey, please do so ASAP. It would be very helpful to me if every parishioner would fill out this anonymous survey. It is on our website or there are copies at the welcome table in the back of church. Thank you.

The Gospel for the second Sunday of Lent is always some version of the Transfiguration. Last week, Jesus’ human nature was highlighted in His temptations; this week His divine nature is being highlighted in the Transfiguration.

At the Transfiguration, we hear the same statement from the Father as we did at Jesus’ baptism: This is my beloved Son. But this time, three words are added: listen to Him. Why??

Right before this, Peter had declared Jesus to be the Messiah and Jesus had foretold His passion and death. Peter had replied that it would never happen and Jesus had responded: get behind me, Satan. The disciples had their cultural idea of what the messiah would be like and they were NOT listening to Jesus. They either did not want to or could not hear what He was saying. They are being shown that Jesus IS the messiah, but are also being told TO LISTEN.

We could be doing the same thing. One way we could be like Peter and the other disciples is by thinking we know what God wants and how it should be, but not listening as we are being told otherwise. Another way could be like the priest and Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan, who were so intent on performing their religious duties that they did not heed the cry of their injured countryman.

The point is to always be listening and open to the Spirit in our lives. If we are absolutely convinced we know what God wants, we will not be able to hear the Spirit calling us. That is why it is so important to come to Mass regularly and allow the readings and homily to speak to us. That is why it is so important to take some quiet time each day to simply be in the presence of the Lord and listen. If you are not in the habit of practicing these two things regularly, I encourage you to use Lent to get in the practice.

​The Lord wants to help us. The Lord wants to lead us. But we need to allow Him to do it. As we struggle to do so, let us support each other in prayer.