This Sunday’s Gospel is the Transfiguration. This is a story of change, in which we see Jesus as a Divine Person, the Son of God. We can make positive changes that draw us toward God at any time of year; however, the Scriptures we read during Lent especially encourage us.

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 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.

God Bless you as we journey through this Lenten Season,
Fr. Cyrus

Dear Parish Family,

In this Sunday’s Gospel Satan tempts Jesus who was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit for forty days. Jesus fasted throughout this time, but he did not yield to the false power and glory promised by the Devil.

I would like to share with you an Excerpt from Sermon 40 by Pope St. Leo the Great on Fasting

“Enter upon the celebration of the solemn fast, not with barren abstinence from food … but in bountiful benevolence. … Let works of piety, therefore, be our delight, and let us be filled with those kinds of food which feed us for eternity. Let us rejoice in the replenishment of the poor, whom our bounty has satisfied. Let us delight in the clothing of those whose nakedness we have covered with needful raiment. Let our humaneness be felt by the sick in their illnesses, by the weakly in their infirmities, by the exiles in their hardships, by the orphans in their destitution and by solitary widows in their sadness: in the helping of whom there is no one that cannot carry out some amount of benevolence. For no one’s income is small, whose heart is big. …” (Excerpt from Sermon 40)

These acts of self-denial help us to free ourselves from worldly distractions, to express our longing for Jesus.

God Bless you as we journey through this Lenten Season,

Fr. Cyrus

Dear Parish Family,

We are less than one week from Ash Wednesday and the beginning of our Lenten season. The word “lent” means “spring”, to “lengthening of days.” Historically, Christians have recognized the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, excluding Sundays, as a time to reflect upon Jesus’ time in the wilderness after his baptism

The reception of ashes is not intended to be a merely a sign but an external reminder that from the day of Ash Wednesday forward, you are preparing yourself for the observances of Holy Week.

We will hear about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the three spiritual practices that our Church especially recommends during this Lenten season.

During the season of Lent the Church calls us to a spirit of penance, above all fasting, prayer and alms-giving, “which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others” (CCC 1969, 1434.)

Prayer offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, rooted in our baptism.

Praying first thing in the morning, while the house is still quiet, or talking to God while on your commute to work are simple ways to add prayer into everyday life. Read a chapter of the Bible every day, what better way to get to know the heart and mind of God.

Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, attend the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings, praying the Rosary, visiting the Blessed Sacrament or attending a retreat are other ways to pray. The Sunday liturgy is the greatest form of prayer because it is where we receive the gift of the Holy Eucharist the very real presence of the Risen Christ. Attending weekly (or daily) Mass is an essential part of a healthy prayer life.

Fasting is a time to fast from those things or habits that may have become a roadblock to our relationship with God.

Alms Giving means making the needs of others our own, specially the needy of our world.

God Bless you as we begin this Lenten Season,

Fr. Cyrus