Dear Parishioners,
This Sunday’s Gospel prepares us to journey with Christ during Holy Week, reminding us that Jesus stayed focused on his purpose and gave glory to God by accepting suffering and death for our salvation.
Jesus is teaching about his death as he is already in Jerusalem for Passover. He forcefully says that his “hour has come” and that it is when he will be “glorified.” Jesus prays, “Father, glorify your name!” The Father in heaven says “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Jesus will be glorified through death on a cross.
Jesus teaches his disciples and us that those who want to follow him must serve others by thinking about others’ needs before their own. When we do this, we, too, give glory to God.
This Gospel reminds us that Jesus stayed focused on his purpose and gave glory to God by accepting suffering and death for our salvation. Jesus teaches his disciples and us that those who want to follow him must serve others by thinking about others’ needs before their own. When we do this, we too, give glory to God.
We are reminded of the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to strive for spiritual growth and transformation.
God Bless as we continue to Journey through Lent.
Pray for peace.
Fr. Cyrus
Dear Parishioners,
In today’s Gospel, Jesus refers to himself as “light” and says that some prefer darkness to light. What can a person do to “see” the things of God more clearly and more deeply?
We do not always seek God, as we should; we sometimes choose darkness over light, but God never stops seeking us. God is always calling us with love trying to get into our hearts in a way that will keep us close.
Our Lenten practices of prayer fasting and almsgiving are intended to make room for God with the clarity that comes from these practices we can choose to live in the light of Jesus Christ.
The light came into the world, but the people preferred darkness to light.
God Bless as we Journey through Lent,
Pray for peace.
Fr. Cyrus
Dear Parishioners,
In this weekend’s Gospel, we read about how Jesus overturned the tables of the merchants and the moneychangers in the Temple at Jerusalem.
Jesus tells us that the real temple of God lies within us. His cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem calls us all to cleanse ourselves. We have the days of Lent to make a special effort to become more loving and to renew and deepen our covenant with God. It is about remembering our priorities.
This is a time of purification and penance, of prayer and fasting, of living alms and giving of ourselves, of doing without and turning away from the distractions of life to rediscover what it means to love God and love our neighbor – as we await the great feast of Easter.
God Bless as we Journey through Lent,
Pray for peace.
Fr. Cyrus
Dear Parishioners,
On this second Sunday of Lent the Gospel reading proclaims the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain and revealed His glory to them. The Transfiguration gives us a vision of Christian living. It gives us a notion of ourselves transformed by the power of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.
We need to remember what our Heavenly Father said to Peter up on the mountain of transfiguration when he was confused. He said to Peter, “This is my Son whom I have chosen, Listen to Him!”
It is most important that we listen to Jesus. God the Father was saying that Peter needed to slow down and listen to Jesus. I think that is also pretty good advice for us today. We can listen to Jesus by reading about the life of Jesus in the bible. We can read what he said and taught, and we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand too.
As we journey through Lent let us use this opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, and strive to live out the values of love, compassion, and forgiveness in our daily lives.
God Bless as we Journey through Lent,
Pray for peace.
Fr. Cyrus
Dear Parishioners,
On the first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of Mark 1:12–15 describes Jesus’ time in the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan for forty days.
The desert is a place of testing, but it is also a place to be close to God. Jesus’ time in the desert calls us to make Lent a season of growth, a season for developing habits that will make us more loving toward God and one another.
Jesus began his ministry in Galilee proclaiming the good news of God, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” This Gospel passage reminds us that Lent is a time of repentance and preparation for the coming of the kingdom of God. Let us use this time to reflect on our own lives and turn away from sin, so that we may be ready to receive the good news of God’s kingdom.
God Bless as we Journey through Lent,
Pray for peace.
Fr. Cyrus
