The Transfiguration of the Lord

Posted on by Cassie

This year the Solemnity of the Transfiguration falls on a Sunday in Ordinary Time.  It therefore supersedes the Sunday in Ordinary time and we focus today on the mystery of the Transfiguration.

Jesus’ transfiguration took place in the context of His speaking repeatedly about His coming suffering  and death.  The thought of His death caused His followers to be “overwhelmed with grief”.  To counterbalance their grief, the Transfiguration of Jesus gave them a foretaste of His risen  glory.  They were shown what would be the outcome of Jesus’ laying down His life:  He would be raised to eternal glory.  A share in His glory awaited those who were joined with Him and remained faithful to Him.

The transfigured Jesus is a glimpse of Him glorified by His Father, and a glimpse as well of  who we shall become when we are raised up to be with Him and like Him.  Jesus’ words to His disciples, “Rise, and do not be afraid”, tell us that we can live without fear because we look forward to being raised.

Grasping and living this hope takes faith—perhaps more faith than we can always muster.  However, remember that Jesus also tells us that a tiny bit of faith  can work wonders.  Nothing is impossible for God, not even raising us to eternal life.

God Bless

Msgr. Powell

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Cassie

Burying valuables in the ground was a common way of protecting them in ancient times.  A past owner of a field had done so, and the present owner was unaware of it.  The parable assumes that someone buying the field was entitled  to anything buried in it.  The point of the parable is the joy in obtaining the treasure, and only secondly the costs to the buyer.  The parable of the pearl makes the same point.  We should be filled with joy at the prospect of obtaining eternal life, and consider the cost secondary.

To enter the kingdom of God is beyond all that one could ever hope for.  Its value is beyond all ability to pay for it.  This is in fact what Christianity is all about. To be a Christian means to be reunited with God through Christ.  This is of greater value than everything else in this world.

The emphasis of these two parables is not on how much he gives up but on how much he finds—and how happy about it he is.  When we find the gift of salvation, we joyfully give up everything  else in order to possess it.

God Bless

Msgr. Powell

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Cassie

The parable of the seeds among the wheat teaches us that in the world and in the church there will always be a mix of good and evil people.  Since the sorting out will not take place until the final judgement, we are implicitly cautioned to refrain in the meantime from condemning anyone.  We must continue proclaiming the good news and offer mercy, hoping that before the end every heart will be drawn to God.

The mustard seed and the yeast describe the inexplicable expansion of the kingdom from unremarkable  beginnings to a vast,  all encompassing community of believers. Such mysterious growth can be explained only by the action of the Holy Spirit.

The church’s  mission began in a simple way with the twelve apostles.  But because of God’s power it has undergone tremendous development over the centuries.  If we nurture the seed of faith with the bread of the Eucharist and enrich our lives with the yeast of the Scripture, we cannot help but grow and expand and produce something marvelous for the Lord.

It does not matter how limited our talents are.  With God’s grace, we can use those talents to do tremendous things in the world.  With God behind us, we can accomplish mighty work for Him.

We need never get discouraged by how small the seed of our own resources seems to be. Under God’s care our tiny effort can grow and multiply to produce great things in His Kingdom.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell