3/11/2022 Awake, to see God’s Glory!Dear Parish Family,
If you are anything like me, it’s so easy to get sidetracked on our many tasks and can lose track of time. Even more so when we may be doing something you really enjoy, such as reading a good book, binging on Netflix or sleeping in the morning. My alarm clock is my best tool to make sure I am up in the morning and where I need to be on time. To help me manage my time on my busy days when I have time sensitive tasks, I recently started to use the alarms on my cell. Since I have begun this new habit, I get my most important tasks done on time, and on occasions I surprise myself that I may have some time to spare. I bring this up only because I think that at times we need tools to help us, to make sure we are awake and alert to what comes next. In our Gospel today, Peter and John and James went with Jesus to the mountain to pray. Yet while Jesus prayed, his disciples fell asleep. Had they not woken up on time, they would have missed seeing Jesus in his Glory. They would not have heard God’s voice say, “This is my chosen Son; Listen to him.” It was through God’s grace they did wake up on time, and were able to experience Jesus’ Transfiguration. They were given the opportunity to see his divinity. Our lives can be like this, where we too fall asleep, letting everything else distract us and not keep us from recognizing Jesus is always with us. God desires us to see him, but we must be willing to see. During the season of Lent, through the practices of Fasting from food and habits, Prayer and Almsgiving, can be like our alarm clocks to “wake up.” Through these practices they can lead us to see and feel Jesus more clearly and to listen to what he tells us. As we fast, and experience hunger, it awakens our awareness of the hunger and needs of others. As we pray, especially with the scriptures, we learn to hear God’s voice and his desires for us. We learn to see Jesus in our brothers and sisters; through almsgiving we seek to meet their needs. “What you do for the least of your brothers, you do for me.” God gave us the Transfiguration to let us know what we have to look forward to at the end of our lives. We know that after we’ve done our best down here on earth — at the bottom of the mountain — and if we die in a state of grace, we can look forward to seeing Christ in all His glory, as He was at the Transfiguration. Only after we go through this difficult life, can we enjoy the glory of Easter. My Dear Parish Family, Welcome to Lent! You may have already decided what you are doing for the next 40 days in the way of prayer, self-denial, and charitable works (the three “pillars” of Lent) to prepare for the great feast of Easter. Some of us are still deciding, but I am going to suggest that whatever we do for Lent, we put it all into the context of baptismal spirituality. Let me explain by way of a little historical background. In the early centuries of the Church, becoming a Christian was a gradual process of apprenticeship in a counter-cultural way of life. The season we now call Lent was the final and intense period when the seekers were prepared to be immersed into the waters of baptism at the Easter Vigil. When infant baptism became the norm by the fifth century, Lent became only a penitential time for the baptized to prepare for the celebration of Easter. The pre-baptismal character of Lent was forgotten until it was revived by the Second Vatican Council in the twentieth century. Today Lent has two strands, baptismal and penitential, woven together. It is again a time when we journey with the Elect (see “Becoming Catholic” on page 9) to the baptismal font at the Easter Vigil. As we encourage and pray for them during Lent, we reflect on the meaning of our own baptism when we ourselves "put on Christ.” Our Lenten penitential practices can help us to examine our lives in the context of baptismal mission: are we living as disciples of Jesus, being His heart and hands in the world today? For 40 days we ponder this, through our Lenten practices, so we can authentically renew our own baptismal promises at Easter. I'd like to suggest that you and your families do something at the beginning of Lent that I did recently with the adult Confirmation candidates. Single people could do this with a small group of friends. Gather mementos of each person's baptism: the certificate, candle, white garment, photos, and stories remembered by those who attended. Share all these memories with the group. What should emerge, as it did with our Confirmation candidates, is a sense of the importance placed on this day by our families. Hopefully this will lead to a discussion of the meaning of baptism and the difference it makes in our lives and in the life of the world. May Lent 2022 be fruitful for all of us, marked by an increased awareness and understanding of the great gift of baptism. Lenten Blessings, Catherine Shadduck Initiation Coordinator |
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