From Our Pastor's Desk
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From Our Pastor's Desk
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LENT TO CONTEMPLATE THE FACE OF GOD
Dear brothers and sisters: Last week, we saw Jesus in the desert, as human as any of us: suffering from hunger, staying awake without sleep, tempted by the devil, seeking help from his heavenly Father. Today, however, He shows us His divine side: His garments whiter than snow, His face shining, and conversing with prophets. How we wish our Len-ten season could be the setting for a new transfiguration of Jesus in our lives! That day, He called Peter, James, and John for two reasons: He wanted to reveal to them His divine nature, and He also wanted to strengthen them to endure the pain of the agony in the Garden of Olives. 1. Our transfiguration begins in prayer. In prayer, we listen to the Word of God and contemplate His face. The Christian who has experienced being with God at least once never wants to leave Him and prays: “Lord, stop these minutes and make them eternal in my heart.” How wonderful it would be if life’s beautiful mo-ments could last forever! Yet we know well that time cannot be halted. We can only make our minutes eternal if God is in our hearts. 2. What can we do? We must create the necessary conditions for hearing His voice and for contemplating His face. Modern man struggles to enter into himself. Material things vanish and leave emptiness in the soul; amusements only distract him for a few minutes and then leave him thirsty, hungry, bored. When Jesus went up with the three disciples to the very top of Mount Tabor, He distanced Himself from the noise of the town and led them to a silent, secluded place. Brothers and sisters: This Lent is a new opportunity for us to listen and contemplate. 3. God said to the people of Israel: “Seek my face.” Today, that face becomes visible to us through the sacra-ments and in our brothers and sisters: in the elderly, in children, in the sick—those in our homes and our workplaces. Discovering God: that is the essence of our Christian vocation. That same voice says to us on Mount Tabor: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him!” Every Sunday we come to church not to build three tents and remain there doing nothing, but to be nourished by the Bread of the Eucharist and to go out and illuminate our world with the joy of one who has contemplated the face of God. Let us ask ourselves sincerely: Have we already turned to God? Do we already con-template His face in prayer? Have we been transfigured in Christ? Today could be the day this miracle hap-pens in our lives... Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests FINDING GOD Dear brothers and sisters: We have begun one of the richest periods of the liturgical year: LENT. We have 40 days to accompany Jesus in his struggle against the devil and in his encounter with God. The silence and solitude of the desert make a strong impression on us. We are also surprised to see the holiest of men tempted by the devil, just like any of us. But Christ fights and wins. It is a lesson for us. We will over-come if we are with him and if we fight as he did—with fasting, penance, and prayer. 1. A short time before, Jesus had made a great impact on his townspeople in the synagogue of Nazareth by announcing the redemption of the poor, comfort for afflicted hearts, and the coming of the Kingdom. It seemed he was in a hurry to change the world, yet he does not rush. Obeying an impulse of the Holy Spirit, he withdraws into the desert. How many lessons he gives us, we who want to do everything hurriedly and without effort! 2. Going into the desert means coming face-to-face with ourselves in the light of God. Monks and hermits found a physical space in the desert; we, at least, must seek a time of desert. In the midst of the bustle of daily life, we need to carve out an empty space around us to listen to the beating of our hearts, to free ourselves from the noise of our trivial urgencies and irrational schedules, from our im-provised commitments, and to enter into contact with the deepest sources of our being. 3. Contact with a world living far from God can affect us without our noticing it, which is why Lent is like a kind of detox therapy for the soul. We are somewhat “intoxicated” by activism. Escaping, distracting our-selves, amusing ourselves—these are ways of fleeing from reality. Have you thought about attending a set of spiritual exercises this Lent to fill that emptiness? It is said that the Pharaoh of Egypt once declared about the Hebrews: “Increase their workload so they stay busy, so they won’t listen to Moses’s words and won’t dare to plot their freedom.” Today’s “pharaohs” say: “Turn up the noise to deafen them so they do not think, do not decide for themselves, but simply follow the trends, buy what we want them to buy, consume the products we promote.” Living in the desert does not only mean living without other people, but living with God and for God. The de-sert then becomes a place of encounter with God. It is a certain presence, but hidden and secret. May the Spirit who “drove Jesus into the desert” prepare us to celebrate Easter, renewed spiritually! Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests The Secret Lives of Hypocrites
Jesus finishes his Sermon on the Plain today. He turns his attention to a common human flaw: being hypocritical. Every major religion seems to have hypocritical or Pharisee types. These are those who like to parade around as morally perfect people, correcting and judging everyone else around them. We’ve all met them and some of us here in the pews are probably part of this group! Because Jesus is speaking his words to us today, it would be good to do an examination of conscience on this topic. Might I be someone who has a penchant for finding flaws in others?, Might I be “looking for splinters”?, Might I need a dose of humble pie? There are four secrets about religious hypocrites that they don’t want you to know: First, often people secretly detest something in themselves. They protest loudly when they see this same thing in others. This is a defense mechanism that psychologists call “projection”, where individuals attribute their own undesirable traits to others. By focusing on others’ flaws, they avoid acknowledging and confronting their own. Second, often people feel a need for control because of their deep-seated insecurities. These people often feel the urge to correct others and control others’ behaviors because, without control, they fear their lives would spiral into chaos. They may also believe that their way is the “right” way and feel compelled to enforce it. Third, some people need validation for their self-esteem. Correcting others can provide a sense of superiority and validation. It can be a way for individuals with fragile egos to boost their self-esteem by demonstrating their knowledge or competence. Fourth, some people want to hide their own moral failures. There have been instances where religious leaders and those who publicly promote and preach strict moral codes are found to be engaging in behaviors that contradict their teachings. Sadly, the worst thing about being hypocritical is that you are “play-acting” before God. This is what the word means in Greek: an actor. Etymologically it means “an interpreter from underneath” because of the theater mask that actors wore to project their voices in outdoor theaters. God wants us to be ourselves before him. We can’t hide from him! Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests |
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