Notes from the Pastor

In today’s Gospel (Mark 9:2-10), Jesus wants to bring some focus to Peter, James, and John by having them witness the Transfiguration. The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent always includes the Transfiguration. Jesus begins by leading the three Apostles up a mountain the traditional place to which one went to encounter God. Once there, Jesus is transfigured before their eyes. “His clothes became dazzling white…”. And, as a sign that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, he is joined by Moses and Elijah. Suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from Heaven declares: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” The Apostles fall down to the ground in fear. Were they afraid of the cloud, the voice, or the message? It was a simple command, but a very tall order: “Listen to him.”

In our First Reading today (Genesis 9:8-15), God speaks to Noah and his children. It is God who takes the initiative, who acts first. By speaking to Noah, God intervenes in human history in order to establish a special relationship a covenant
with Noah and his descendants. Today’s Reading describes the essence of God’s promise. Never again would God destroy his creation as he had with the great flood. Instead, God will honor his creation even when his people fail to live up to their part of the covenant. God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant that existed between God and man.

Wednesday of this week is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. There are some people who seem to have a mistaken understanding of the reception of ashes and assign more importance to receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday than they do to attending Sunday Mass. Do not be misled. The ashes are NOT a Sacrament. They are what is called a “sacramental” and are no different than blessing yourself with Holy Water when you enter or leave the church. What is exceptional about the reception of ashes is that it normally occurs only one day a year (on Ash Wednesday), and that it is an outward sign – a public declaration, if you will – that one is a sinner and is in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. If we receive the ashes and then do not follow it up with a Sacramental Confession at some point during Lent, we have done nothing but condemn ourselves as hypocrites.

Next weekend is the beginning of our Annual Catholic Appeal campaign for 2021 and we will have the opportunity to complete pledge cards. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Love Your Neighbor.” Parishioners who have made a pledge to the ACA in the past three years recently received a letter, pamphlet, and pledge card from Archbishop John Wester regarding the importance of the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA). Unlike the tithing renewal that we normally do in November in which we commit ourselves to a weekly tithe to the support of our local parish, the Annual Catholic Appeal is our opportunity to consider the needs not just of our own parish, but of Catholics across the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

Today begins a nationwide observance of Catholic Schools Week, recognizing Catholic Schools as communities of faith, knowledge, and service. Within our own parish, Our Lady of Fatima School has been fulfilling this role for 71 years. Tens of thousands of students have benefited from the education and spiritual formation they received at Our Lady of Fatima School over the years, and today’s students continue to do so.

Opportunities may arise each day that may not come our way again. In order to take advantage of them, one must seize the day (“Carpe diem!” as it is said in Latin). Sad to say, many times people just fail to respond, and lose out on an opportunity. God places an array of opportunities before his people; opportunities to choose life. God not only gave us life, he redeemed our lives and showed us the path to everlasting life through the ministry and sacrifice of his Son, Jesus.

Having concluded the Christmas Season last Sunday with the Baptism of the Lord, we now begin the Mass readings for Ordinary Time. The Sunday Mass readings are on a three-year cycle with Year A containing the Gospel of Matthew, Year B containing the Gospel of Mark, Year C containing the Gospel of Luke, and readings from the Gospel of John appearing in all three years.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and the official end to the Church’s observance of the Christmas season. After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, he was praying when Heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove; and a voice came from the heavens declaring, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11).