Our readings today reflect God’s tender care of His people. He allows trials to awaken the people to the consequences of turning from Him but assures them of His hearing their cry as they seek Him. He reveals He is the center and creator of everything as His name, I AM who am. St. Paul tells of God fulfilling His promise of care comparing the Jews baptism in the water of the Red Sea to liberate them to the much greater next step. The baptism into Jesus is the fulfillment of redemption. But, like the Jewish people experienced, we must not turn away from Him to evil or He will call us back to Himself through chastisements. God gave the Egyptian Pharaoh many chances to repent through the wake up calls of plagues. But Pharaoh hardened his heart and demanded he be served rather than God. He eventually harvested the fruit of punishment.
God does not give up on us when we fail Him. He always gives us another chance to repent. He is patient and persistent in pursuing us. Like the fig tree that didn’t produce fruit, we often fail to live the gospel commands and then fail to produce fruit. The Lord sends “gardeners” who teach and enrich us with spiritual nourishment in hopes that we will repent. Lent is great time to evaluate what is really important and Who we serve. We will eventually harvest the good fruit produced in our lives or the deserved punishment of serving self rather than God. Let’s soften, not harden our hearts.
Jesus wants to increase the faith of his disciples by his transfiguration; to strengthen them for what will soon take place, his crucifixion and death. By giving them a taste of his future glory he is giving them a taste of their own future glory. His clothes become dazzlingly white. He is accompanied by Moses and Elijah who spoke of the exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter, James and John, who accompanied Jesus, are blinded by an excess of light which is above human power and hear a voice from the cloud saying, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
How well do we listen to Jesus?
Unlike Peter, we need to be quiet before the Lord. We need to go to that place in our soul where we can speak to Jesus and, more importantly, listen to him speak to us.
This takes practice.
We should never become discouraged by distractions, but keep on striving to meet Jesus in that peaceful place where he communes with us.
Spending time in Adoration will increase our ability to achieve this through the power of the Holy Spirit. This Lent make an effort to attend Adoration and, also, to practice Lectio Divina.
As we prepare for the beginning of Lent we are reminded of the forty days Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by Satan. Through His obedience to God, and His love for us, Jesus knew that this was the only way to ensure salvation for the world.
How are you going to spend the next 40 days? Are you giving up something like chocolate, or sweets all together, maybe caffeine, or soda, maybe you are going to be nice to others, or even give to the food bank or shelters? Do you give up the same thing every year? Do you fall away from your promise halfway through the season, or give up on it all together?
Might I suggest that we in the community of St. Philip’s and St. Michael’s pledge to pray for the conversion of sinners throughout the world this Lent?
So, whatever your plan is for this Lent, I pray that you are able keep your Lenten pledge, and if you feel yourself slipping away, remember, we are not in this alone and all we have to do is ask God for help. May the Holy Spirit guide you now and forever.
Today we hear an important message in all three of the Mass readings: All that the Lord God has created is to be treated as holy and belongs to Him; therefore, we are called to love others as God has loved us. Let me expand on that a bit.
In the first reading, David refused to harm King Saul because Saul was God’s anointed one. He treated Saul as he wanted to be treated, as God’s anointed one. David had been anointed also, as boy, a young shepherd. This was unknown to Saul, but David knew and did not flaunt it. He respected God’s timing, trusted God with all of his heart, and obeyed the Lord. In fact, during his kingship, David would go on to write most of the Psalms, describing to us 3000 years later, his confidence in God and we, too, can trust the Lord, especially in times of difficulty. Remaining faithful in times of hardship is how our faith is tested. And, when we fall, David teaches us repentance in Psalm 51 and reminds us in Psalm 95, what happens to those who test God with their insolence. David, even though he sinned greatly, was God’s anointed one. He repented of his sins and remained in God’s favor. God loves us too, despite our sinfulness.
In the second reading Paul reminds us that although we are physical beings, we are also spiritual beings. As Jesus is both fully man and fully divine, we also, made in His image and likeness, are fully human and fully spiritual. Both natures, our physical and spiritual, must be lived well. In order to live well, we must be fed well. Our physical nature is fed with good food, our spiritual nature must also be fed well by reading, studying, and putting our faith into practice every day. When we eat, we need to remember that it is God who created the food that we receive and thank Him for it, with a contrite heart. When we attend Mass and receive the True Bread from heaven, the Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, we truly need to be thankful with every essence of our being: our mind, body, and soul. Being thankful at this level is a complete and total submission to God and His will. God only wills the good for us, because that is what love is: willing the good for another.
In the gospel reading, Jesus tells us to love our enemy, because that is what distinguishes us from all others. So, if love is willing the good of another, then to love one’s enemy is to provide for their good. How do we do this? We pray for those who do harm to us. Lord have mercy; they know not what they do. We do not speak ill of those who do not love us. Lord, help him change his ways. We do not commit the sin of detraction against those who hate us. Lord, show her the path to you. We do not commit the sin of calumny against those who hold grudges against us. Lord, show her how to be merciful. We do not seek vengeance against those who have hurt us. Lord, be merciful in your judgement of him.
We do not waiver in our faith that God is the One who will judge us all, and therefore we shall not judge others. If we do, we will be held to the same standard at our own judgement. We ask God to be merciful on us, thus we must be merciful to all others. In the Our Father, we ask God to forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. We will be judged in the same measure that we judge others. Let us all reflect on this lesson that David, Paul, and Jesus teaches us: All that the Lord God has created is to be treated as holy and belongs to Him; therefore, we are called to love others as God has loved us.
The big picture has nothing to do with the COVID drama. The big picture is always eternal life with God or eternal separation from Him. That is the choice we have to make. Everything else is temporary or fleeting; it all passes. So, we shift our overall focus toward certainties, things that absolutely will happen.
First, and I know this sounds harsh, but it must be said: we are all going to die. There is no escaping death. Yes, it’s painful when someone we know and love dies. That is absolutely true. Let’s take a look at this certainty through the Catholic perspective.
The Last Judgment by Michelangelo Buonorotti 1536-41 Fresco Sistine Chapel, Vatican City WikiMedia Commons image, Public Domain
We believe that there are “4 last things:” Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. All 4 of these are certainties. We will all die. We will all be judged. There are only 2 places we can spend eternity, either heaven or hell. Death is the portal through which we all must enter so that we may be judged by our Lord on our temporal lives. We will spend eternity in either heaven with God or we will be eternally separated from God in hell.
The Fall of the Rebel Angels Getty Museum Public Domain
Why do I mention this? This ought to be on the minds of everyone, particularly when we are in the midst of trials. How we endure these trials is one of the details that Jesus Christ will use in judging us. How merciful are we? How obedient are we to those appointed over us? How patient are we in difficulties? How well do we walk alongside others in their trials? How well do we evangelize? How do we include God in our decision-making? The list goes on and on.
Allegory of the Catholic Faith by Johannes Vermeer, Dutch ca 1670-72 Oil on Canvas The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY Public Domain
Sometimes, especially during this COVID pandemic, don’t we get caught up in the political drama or have a hard time reconciling vaccination mandates with our personal beliefs, or do we just blindly go along to get along to avoid conflict? This list of questions is long as well. All of the minutiae that we can name are mere distractions from the big picture. They distract us from God and His will in our lives. They turn us away from God and, generally, lead us into error or even into sin. Don’t get caught up in the minutiae. Keep your mind on where you want to spend eternity.
Let’s change the perspective of our situational analysis. Yes, sometimes it is God’s will that someone we love very much becomes very ill or even dies. We have to accept that. God will use the evil of the moment to bring about the good. We tend to forget this. For example, sometimes, God answers our prayers with a yes, but the only way that our intentions could possibly happen is through difficulties that we could never have imagined. Maybe COVID is the means through which more people answer His call. Maybe disease or even vaccination mandates mean better reconciliations with estranged family members. Maybe the best and most complete reconciliations happen when death is imminent. Maybe our hardened hearts can only be cured by seeing someone close to us suffer. Whether it is us or them with the disease, both parties suffer. Maybe suffering together is the only way to reconciliation. Maybe.
Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt Van Rijn, Dutch Between 1626-1669 Drawing Teylers Museum, Haarlem, North Holland, Netherlands
This perspective obviously requires anenormousamount of trust in God. Trust that He has your absolute best interests in mind when we are faced with difficulties like this. We must Trust that only He knows the outcomes and invites us to spend eternity with Him. Trust that He created us to love and serve Him. Trust that He loves us enough to give each of us free will. He loves us individually. None of this is easy, especially while living in the world.
Live in the world, not of it.
Remember to keep this passing world in the proper perspective. Because this world (and everything in it) is passing away, even COVID. Take a moment and think about your own perspective. Maybe you can benefit from altering it a bit by evaluating the situation in terms of the big picture: Eternal Life with God or Eternal Separation from Him. Everything else is passing details that should not rule over us.
As I was praying the rosary this morning, the Joyful Mysteries, the Holy Spirit flooded my mind with work that must be done. Not in a distracting way, but in a pastoral way that related directly to the present mystery. I’d like to share this experience with you this morning.
The Annunciation, Book of Hours, Simon Bening; Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment; modern red leather binding; 1535-6, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, Public Domain
The first mystery, the Annunciation, He instructed me to accept God’s Holy will in my life, so I may be healed. At Mass, we pray the Centurion’s prayer with hope with and a confident understanding that nothing is impossible for God. He can heal us no matter how sick or broken we are. I must remember that because He can heal me, He can heal anyone. Allowing God’s will in my life, will only progress my healing. He gives me exactly what I need for my own, individual cure. He wants me to be cured of what allows me fall to temptation. I have to want to be healed. If I truly do, I will accept His remedy, and be healed: “your faith has made you well.” (Mk 10:52, RSV-CE)
The Virgin and Saints Interceding before Christ for the Souls of the Lost, ca. 1771, Joann Baptist Enderle, Pen and black ink watercolor and gouache on laid paper, The Met, Public Domain
The second mystery, the Visitation, He reminded me that in order to be a true and faithful disciple of Christ, I must avail myself to the needs of others, no matter how dire my own situation might seem. in this mystery, Mary has just been informed that she is to be the Mother of God. She’s a young teenager, just betrothed, who has become pregnant in a world that condemns women to death for adultery. Yet, her faith in God is so deep, her trust in His Holy Will for her life outweighs her fears of what this would “surely” bring. Shouldn’t I trust God’s will in my own life with the same conviction?
Annunciation to the Shepherds, Claes Moeyaert, drawing, c1633 – c 1637; Rijksmuseum, Netherlands, Public Domain
The third mystery, the Nativity, He explained to me that proclaiming the Gospel, the evangelium, to all who would listen, is necessary for the salvation of souls. Of all the needs in this world, this is the most important and dire one. The Creed tells us exactly what we need to know and teach. There is nothing more important than explaining the life of Christ to others, in order to bring souls to Him. This is why I am a Lay Dominican. I was created to do this. I pray that I might do this well, to bring as many souls to Christ as possible.
Simeons Song of Praise – Arent de Gelder, 1700, oil on canvas, Mauritshuis, The Hague, South Holland, Public Domain
The fourth mystery, the Presentation of the Christ Child in the Temple, He reminded me that the road of discipleship is not an easy one. Choices, difficult choices, must be made throughout this journey. That choosing Him over the distractions of the world is the one thing I must do each day as His disciple. Making God the one and only priority that is superior to all others, to do things that I might not feel up to doing at that moment, but heed the call nonetheless without delay.
Note Dame Gargoyle, WikiCommons, Public Domain
The fifth mystery, Finding the Christ Child in the Temple, He reminded me that Jesus is always present in the Church, no matter what I see in this corrupt world; even if evil is done inside His church or by His clergy, He is still here, with us, until the end of the age, and vengeance is His alone. I am not faithful for the sake of corrupt laity or clergy, I am to be faithful in spite of them. The Lord is better able to administer justice than I could ever be. The Holy Spirit urges me to pray that they encounter Christ, as St. Paul did: profoundly. They are human too and are subject to temptation and sin; clergy especially, are the focus for the evil one’s temptations. He and his minions tempt all of us, and so many people leave the Church because of scandals, abuse, sins committted in the Church or by clergy. Don’t let that separate you from Christ in the Eucharist. There is only one place where He truly resides, physically and spiritually: in every Tabernacle of every Catholic Church in the World. Don’t leave; He is truly present in the Eucharist, even if consecrated by unholy men. His holiness is more powerful that their unholiness.
The Conversion of Saint Paul by Schelte Adamsz Bolswert, 1621-1633, Engraving in black on cream laid paper, The Art Institute of Chicago, Public Domain
The Lord put these things on my heart today. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you.
Hey everyone! I’m so sorry that the livestream did not work, but at last, the video is here! Thank you everyone who attended Mass with us today and to everyone who watches and shares this video! May God bless you all abundantly!
Congratulations to Mrs. Peggy Brechtel, OP, Mr. William Schmidt, OP, Ms. Renee Valenzuela, OP, Ms. Cheryl Riley, OP, Mrs. Marilyn Pipkin, OP, and Mrs. Helen Hawkins, OP on making your final professions today! May God bless our newly professed in their vocations in the Order of Preachers.
Today, Aug 6th, is the feast day of the Transfiguration of our Lord. In the Order of Preachers, we know this day to be the day that our holy Father, St. Dominic, died in 1221, exactly 800 years ago. We celebrate this day called Dies Natalis, the birth of St. Dominic into eternal life. Thanks be to God for the saintly beauty of this man, a true gift to the world for the last 800 years.
The Transfiguration of Jesus, by Fra Angelico, ca. 1440-1442, fresco, Basilica of St. Mark, Florence, Italy, Public Domain
Today, an introspection is in order. Looking at the image above, we see the apostles Peter, James and John astonished by the sight of Jesus’ transfiguration with both Moses and Elijah present, as recalled from the Gospel reading today, Mark 9:2-10.
We also see two other figures, flanking our Transfigured Lord. On the left is the Blessed Virgin Mary and on the right, St. Dominic. Fra Angelico has captured our dual feast day perfectly in this image. The transfiguration also calls to mind that on this day, St. Dominic has received the ultimate gift, the beatific vision. St. Dominic has been born into eternal life with our Lord, our Savior, our Creator, our Triune God.
The reason why Peter, James and John were astonished is something we should ponder in our hearts. Is it mere visual stimulation that astonished them? I don’t think so. It is a glimpse of the immensity of the beatific vision. Such holiness had only been seen a few times before this moment. These are the two that are significant here: when Moses’s face became radiant in Exodus 34:27-35 and when Elijah was transported to heaven in 2 Kings 2:11. In both cases, those who witnessed this holiness were shaken with emotion, with fear and awe.
Annunciation to the Shepherds, by Claes Moeyaert, ca. 1633, ink on paper, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Public Domain under CC01
If we witnessed something like this personally, how would we respond? We would probably be gripped with fear and trembling because what would be running through our minds, at that point, is clear: How is this possible? What is happening? What am I seeing? Is anyone else seeing this too? It is our unbelief would be called into question. It isn’t so shocking when our faith, the act of believing itself, is challenged, but when we are faced with undeniable holiness, something we cannot explain no matter how smart we are, this is when we are astonished. Miracles can and do happen. And that is how we characterize this type of holiness.
I say that it is our unbeliefthat is called into question because when we are face to face with a real miracle, like levitation, bilocation, transfiguration, the biological forensic evidence of a eucharistic miracle, just to name a few, a confrontation takes place between our minds and our hearts: What if God isreal? What if I really will be judged when I die? What does this all mean? Am I prepared to change the way I live? The reality of our mortality and the state of our soul comes into question, and immediately, we find ouselves uncomfortable. We realize that we have a choice to make: to believe that all of this is true or to continue to ignore our call to holiness. It’s a tough choice, because one requires action on our part and we know it, whereas the other requires no effort at all and we know that, too.
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, by Francesco Merano, ca. 1639-1657, drawing, Art Institute of Chicago, Public Domain
Holiness really does exist, but where do we see it today? Well, that really depends on the depth of our faith. One place to start is this: Do you really believe what we profess in the Creed? This is a question that we should all ponder in our hearts. I’m challenging you today, on the feast day of the Transfiguation of our Lord and the birth of St. Dominic into eternal life, to look at the Creed. Read each line and ask yourself, “Do I truly believe this?” Answer yourself truthfully, because this is the only way you can move forward. We are each called to holiness, individually. God made each one of us indvidually, and that is exactly how we are called: by name.
The place where we see holiness every day should be wherever we look in the mirror. That’s right. God is calling you and me to be holy, everyday. We should see holiness in our own image. I know it’s hard, and I don’t always succeed at it either, but it’s certainly not impossible. We have choices to make. These choices may not seem important at the moment, but they really are. Choosing one way or the other can mean the difference in where we will spend eternity. Choose to be holy. It doesn’t matter what others think or say, the only One whose opinion matters is God. He is our only judge. Maybe, when you choose holiness, others might even follow your example. The reverse is also true, when you choose unholiness, others also may follow your example.
I would love it if every person in the history of the world would merit heaven. Unfortunately, I know that will not happen. This is what makes our choices, our responses, how we live our lives, what we believe, how we act… all of that matters. There are serious consequences; whether we understand them or not, has no bearing on the reality of the consequence we will experience in the future.
Having been created in the likeness and image of God, we have the innate desire to know Him. Our curiosity can lead us to Him or away from Him. If you’re a rebel, rebel against the world and run toward God. How does one run toward God? The best place to learn this is in the Catholic Church, the Bride of Christ.
For those who are not Catholic, if you’re interested in learning more about God and His Bride, the Catholic Church and what we teach, seek out an RCIA class at a local parish, which, classes will begin soon. While the Church itself seems to be far from perfection because it is comprised of sinners, and we’re all working on getting to heaven, it is the surest way to spend eternity with Christ. This is His Church, He founded it upon Peter’s faith, and He is truly present in every tabernacle of every Catholic Church in the entire world. It’s the only Church where Jesus Christ is actually present, body, blood, soul, and divinity. A great resource can be found here.
You are called to holiness and to spend eternity with God. I want to help you get there. Please, help me get there, too. Comment below, start a converation, ask a question, I will respond as soon as I can, by Sunday at the latest! I still have lots of prepping to do before 8am Sunday!
Have a blessed and holy weekend, everyone! Pray for our Lay Dominican community as six of us prepare to make our final professions on Sunday! I will livestream it on facebook! Give us a like and a share, too!
