In this Second Sunday of Lent our spiritual journey of prayer and repentance continues with our Holy Hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. Last week our prayers were offered for all those who are in or are entering into marriage, specifically we prayed for those who are in difficult marriages—that the Lord will bless them with charity and compassion, trust and forgiveness; for those in good marriages—that they will continue and that their mutual love and respect will be signs and symbols of the sacredness of love for others to emulate; and for those who are about to be married—that they make their decisions free of false considerations and enter into the married life with an openness to God and with a desire to strengthen each other for the good times and the not so good times. I believe that focusing at our first Holy Hour for Marriages is very important as the married life is the foundation of our families and our society. Without strong and lasting marriages, families are weaker and future generations do not get to see healthy and right relationships between mothers and fathers, as the best of teachers for future relationships and families. It is that simple.
This weekend, our second Holy Hour of Adoration and Benediction will focus on our children, in particular for their health and safety, and for their well-formed moral con-sciences so that they are able to make right decisions in a wide range of areas—from friendships and personal relation-ships to dealing with school work and sportsmanship to building a strong moral code that will lead them into healthy adult relationships. Last Sunday at the Youth Group, Mrs. Pluta, youth ministry director, had a fantastic meeting with youth group members on this very topic—moral decision making within the realm of Christian faith. We have a very intellectual and caring group of young adults in our midst…and our prayers for them should not only include their continued growth in this arena but also prayers of thanksgiving to God for their very presence in our community.
So what is a Holy Hour of Adoration and Bene-diction all about? Immediately after the 11 a.m. Mass, at 12 noon, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the Monstrance (which sits atop the altar). A song of praise (O salutaris Hosita / O saving Victim) is sung as the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, a brief reading from Sacred Scripture is proclaimed, and then there is some-where between 25 and 35 minutes of silent, personal time which can be spent in prayer, or you might choose to read from a spiritual book, or simply meditate in silence. After that, Tantum ergo Sacramentum is sung while the Blessed Sacrament is incensed, following that Benediction (a blessing with the Monstrance) is given and the Blessed Sacrament is reposed in the Tabernacle. At that time the Divine Praises (Blessed Be God!) are read and we conclude. Literally taking an hour or less. While it would be wonderful to participate in the entire liturgy, traditionally individuals come and go during the hour too. I hope you will consider joining us in this beautiful Catholic tradition. We will continue this during the five weekends of Lent. As a reminder, on all Fridays during Lent, at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., we will offer the Stations of the Cross, for your convenience and participation.
The readings for the Second Sunday in Lent call us to a deeper understanding of prayer and repentance, along with alms giving, the key themes of Lent. This Sunday, as is tradition, we read the account of the Transfiguration of the Lord—some say this tradition of reading this account at the beginning of Lent hails from the ancient tradition that the Transfiguration of the Lord took place 40 days before Good Friday. Whatever the dating of the account, the main idea of this reading is to remind us of what is to come—what glory awaits those who follow Jesus Christ by believing in His word and carrying on His mission and ministry in the modern world—the gift of Eternal Life and the perfection of the human person into the Triune God.
So what is exactly taking place in this account of Luke’s Gospel? Moses and Elijah are speaking with Jesus about the exodus that is to be accomplished in Jerusalem, and from the Voice in the heaven we hear Jesus being declared as the beloved Son of God. In that declaration of Jesus’ divinity, we now know that the cross—which is a symbol of sin, defect and defeat, suffering and death, is now transformed into victory, exaltation, and Eternal Life. In the Cross the Son of God will now lead all men and women who follow Christ out of death and through the doors of death into the gates of life everlasting; life perfected, life made glorious as the human body is raised and in being reunited with our immortal and invaluable soul, is gloried to be One with God.
In this season of Lent we ask the Lord by His Holy Spirit to strengthen us in this knowledge, and to keep us ever in His providential care, to sustain us and draw us ever closer to Him so that we may have life with Him in His Kingdom. Prayer is the way to follow the Lord. Dialogue—prayer—the conversation with which our God speaks to us will incline our hearts to be one with Him. It is in prayer that we hear God move and direct our hearts, making His Word part of our daily activities of life, transforming our ways to be His ways. As we walk the way of the Cross, we ask Him to show us in our sufferings in this world that we are connected to Him now and will be forever in the life to come.
As we continue this Lenten journey, remember that we can memorialize His way of the Cross every Friday morning at 9 a.m. or Friday evening at 6 p.m. by participating in the Stations of the Cross in the Church. By remembering His suffering, death, and Resurrection, we come to see our lives as a continuation of His—by word and deed—so that we see in our trials and triumphs that He continues to walks with us as we walk with Him.
As we remember the beauty of the Transfiguration of the Lord, may the light of Christ and the beauty of God’s face shine upon us all, keep us in His peace and mercy, and lead us closer to His path of life eternal.
What are you doing for Lent?
Anna never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day (Luke 2:37).
Fasting means consuming less quantity. Abstinence means avoiding a certain kind of thing—such as meat or television. Fast and abstinence are hallmarks of Lent, and they may be undertaken in a wide variety of ways. They discipline the body to rely less on the things of this world. They create within us a clear-headed dependence on God, whose love fulfills our every need.
Fasting and abstaining need not always be connected to food or drink. Applying this ideal to time spent in front of the television, the computer, or video game might just provide for free time to serve God and humanity in a new and fulfilling way. Giving up and doing something good—a truly Catholic Lenten tradition.
PEACE, FATHER MICHAEL
