St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Friends,

The Gospel of the Transfiguration is highly symbolic.  Jesus went up a mountain with his three chosen followers.  In scripture, mountains are holy places.  Moses went up Mount Sinai, and God gave him the 10 Commandments and when he came down, his face was glowing with a bright light.  On Mount Tabor, Jesus is radiant with a divine light as he talks with Moses and Elijah, great figures of the Old Testament.  Luke asserts that Jesus’ path has been given to him by God in the same way that God guided the paths of Moses and Elijah.  However, at the end of this Transfiguration scene, God speaks only about Jesus: “This is my chosen Son.  Listen to him.”

What this Gospel tells me is that God has chosen a path for me, and God expects me to follow that path by listening to Jesus.  I truly believe that God has chosen each one of us through Baptism, and God has chosen a path for each one of us to follow.  Listening to Jesus is the key to not getting lost on our journey.  Lent is a perfect time to reflect upon the path God has chosen for you.  And Jesus is the key to staying on that path.  Listen to him.

Peace,

Fr. John

Friends,

It seems that we just finished celebrating Christmas, and now we are in the sacred season of Lent.  The Church knows that we need a lot of help to prepare for the Holy Week, when Jesus celebrated the Eucharist with his friends, and then the next day was betrayed, suffered, died and was buried.  The fantastic miracle of Jesus rising from the dead on Easter morning is the culmination of Lent and Holy Week.  We all need help in remembering these wonderful events of our salvation, and that is why we have the season of Lent.  Here at St. John’s, we will start our Lenten observance with our old friend Mark Price.  Mark will bring Judas Iscariot to life at all the weekend Masses on the First Sunday of Lent.  And then on the next Monday at 7:30, Mark will re-create the image of St. Joseph.  I think this is a great way to begin Lent.  Come and be renewed by Mark Price.

Also during Lent we will have two daily Masses: our usual 8 a.m. Mass and an evening Mass at 7 p.m.  When we attend Mass, we are participating in the real presence of Jesus.  That might be something you could do as your personal Lenten observance.

Traditionally, some of us make sacrifices during Lent.  We give up candy or something else.  We pick up our Bibles and do some extra reflections and prayers.  We give some alms or money to the poor.  The key is TO DO SOMETHING.  God has blessed us abundantly.  Lent is a time to say thanks by using this sacred time to improve our spiritual life.

Peace,

Fr. John

Friends,

Happy St. Valentine’s Day …  Even though the actual man we celebrate today might not have even existed, the idea behind St. Valentine is still very potent.  St. Valentine and Valentine’s Day is about LOVE.  We can never have enough love.  We can never love enough.  We can summarize the basic message of Jesus in the word: LOVE.  “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love others as you love yourself.” (Mark 12:30)  That fits in perfectly with Valentine’s Day as a day of love.  Here is a suggestion: think of someone who is lonely, sick, home-bound or just trying to survive.  On Valentine’s Day, give them a phone call or pay them a visit.  That is love in practice.

I got my first e-mail from Sr. Denise.  She survived the earthquake because of a young girl who helped her out of the Mother House.  Sr. Denise calls this a miracle, and the young girl a real angel sent from God.  Sr. Denise is back in Baraderes and our sister parish.  However, she is not well.  The results of seeing all of the dead and the destruction of the city and the convents and churches is a huge psychological trauma.  I believe Sr. Denise is suffering from post-traumatic syndrome, as well as her high blood pressure.  Say a very special prayer for her and our sisters and brothers in Haiti.  That is love.

Much love,

Fr. John

Friends,

I am so proud of you for your generous response to the earthquake in Haiti.  When we took up a special second collection, you dug deep into your pockets and gave more than $13,000.  That is a huge collection and love offering.  Then last weekend, our kindergarten children led our 9:30 liturgy and this one grade gave me a check for $2,028 that they have been collecting since September.  (Richard Keller figured out that if we used this $2,000 only for a beans and rice dinner, it would feed 50,000 people.)  Your generosity both pleases me and amazes me.  Our Sister Parish Committee will send this money to Haiti and let the sisters decide when it can be best used.  I assure you that every cent will be spent for the poor.

In the Gospel today, Jesus calls poor fishermen to come and follow him and be the nucleus of the early church.  Jesus likewise calls each one of us to follow Him and be the Good News to the poor.  At your Baptism, you were chosen to be a child of God and a follower of Jesus.  Each one of us has a job to do in bearing witness to the love of Jesus.

Gratefully yours,

Fr. John Maxwell