February 17, 2008
Dear Parishioners,
Last Sunday the Church presented us with the Temptations of Christ in the desert as she does each year on the first Sunday of Lent. Each year on the second Sunday of Lent, so today, the Church takes us to Mount Tabor for the Transfiguration of our Lord; this year St. Matthew’s Gospel. The same Apostles -Saints Peter, James and John - are here and at the Garden of Gethsemane. And at both places they are “overtaken with sleep.” And at both places they are awakened to profound Messianic experiences. Why does Jesus give the Apostles, and us, through this Holy Gospel, this transfiguration experience? Why are they and we, through them, permitted to see the Lord in His Glory before the Crucifixion and Resurrection?
St. Bede says this: Our Lord, “in a loving concession allowed Peter, James and John to enjoy for a very short time the contemplation of the happiness that lasts forever, so as to enable them to bear adversity with greater fortitude.” The Magnificat Magazine includes this from Pope Benedict XVI: “…when one has the grace to sense a strong experience of God, it is as though seeing something similar to what the disciples experienced during the Transfiguration: for a moment they experienced ahead of time something that will constitute the happiness of paradise. In general, it is brief experiences that God grants on occasions, especially in anticipation of harsh trials.” Of course, from Mt. Tabor, our Lord and the disciples will go to Calvary. But this great experience gave them “sensible consolation” (they felt and knew it) for that journey. We too are given “sensible consolations” for our journey. How true this is of us who experience the transfiguration each time we encounter our Lord through the Sacraments. And when we experience the temptations to walk away from Jesus in sin, we can recall those moments of grace in our Sacramental life, as did these three apostles at the Transfiguration. The tender moments of our Lord coming to us in his Redemptive glory in the graced moments of the Sacraments are profound moments for us to treasure. On our road to Heaven, we are strengthened against the temptations which will inevitably come to us. In communion with our Lord and His Church, we will be the victors.
We will be tempted to walk the path of the deadly sins: pride; avarice; envy; wrath; lust; gluttony; sloth (acedia). These “deadly” sins, from which all vices flow, lead us away from the loving presence of our Transfigured Lord and the realization, that in our Sacramental encounter He “transfigures” us. He loves us deeply and will not abandon us even if we fall to sin. The great convert philosopher Raissa Maritain wrote: “When nature, called upon to obey, groans and suffers, she is not hateful to God, for quitting its own shape is a loss for all nature - a suffering for natures endowed with sensibility. When human nature shrinks back and fails in this labor, it is not hateful to God; He loves it, He wants to save it - He does save it, provided it does not want to be separated from Him, provided it recognizes the need of purification for salvation: if a sinner recognizes this only at the hour of his death, he is saved and goes to purgatory to be purified. So what one must first and foremost tell men, and go on telling them, is to love God - to know that He is love and to trust to the end in His love.” So even if we fall, we must remember that God is looking to transfigure us and His gaze is immense in place and time.
Because of the increased number of penitents, people coming to Confession, I will begin Confessions on Saturdays at 3:30 PM and on Wednesdays (when I am here) at 6:00 – 6:30 PM.
As these Lenten days continue, how good it is to see you at our Wednesday night Mass and our Friday Soup and Stations of the Cross. Join with us for these spiritual opportunities. It is encouraging to see the increase in daily Mass attendance; if you cannot come to Mass everyday, think about once extra a week.
DSA: Thanks for those who are already making your pledges and contributions to the Diocesan Support Appeal. Our Goal is $67,000. This is a great opportunity to share in the good work and programs happening in the many different ministries in our Diocese. In pew Appeal will be Sunday, March 2. Let’s go over our goal as we steward God’s many gifts and opportunities.
God bless and may our Lady keep you in her care.With my prayers,
Fr. Arnsparger