Fr. Tom's Blog

The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent is always the story of Jesus going up the mountain to pray with his chosen disciples and being Transfigured before their eyes. The mountain is an important image throughout scripture of where one goes to encounter God. As I mentioned on Ash Wednesday, Lent is not so much a time to get through but a place we are invited to go. By climbing the mountain of Lent, we experience conversion. Initially, when Jesus’ face changed in appearance, he is conversing with Moses and Elijah, two great figures of Israel who represent God’s former covenant. But then Peter, John, and James get a glimpse of who Jesus is when the voice from the cloud says: This is my chosen Son; listen to him. Jesus stands alone as the fulfillment of all God’s promises. We are called to spend this sacred time of Lent listening to Jesus and spending time with him in prayer. As we do, we recognize that our lives are changed and that we are different because of our encounter with Christ.
 
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! This Sunday, March 17, we remember and celebrate St. Patrick, one of our most popular saints. After being imprisoned and forced to work as a slave in pagan Ireland, St. Patrick escaped back to his native Britain. But after prayer and religious studies, he felt called to go back and convert the Irish people to Christianity. He became a priest and bishop and died on March 17, 461. Whether we are Irish or not (I am), may we be inspired by St. Patrick’s example of faith and missionary zeal.
This Tuesday, March 19, marks another important day in our Church – the Feast of St. Joseph. We celebrate Joseph as the earthly father of Jesus and the righteous man who upheld the dignity of Mary in a difficult situation. As protector and provider for the Holy Family, Joseph is a model of humility and faith. St. Joseph is the patron of the Universal Church, workers, fathers, and one of the patrons of our diocese. Let us call upon the intercession of St. Joseph to help us build up God’s kingdom through the work of our hands.
St. Joseph and St. Patrick are great models of faith for us on our Lenten journey.
A big thanks to all those who participated in our St. Joseph Table last Sunday. We had a great crowd and are grateful for all the contributions to support the homeless through our service partner, Uplift.
 
Please join us for our next Lenten Reflection Evening at 6:30pm this Monday, March 18. Our presenter, Biagio Mazza, will continue to speak on the call to holiness.
 
Next weekend, the Little Sisters of the Poor will be present at all the Masses to speak about their important work and ask for your financial help. Please make checks payable to Little Sisters of the Poor and please be generous.
Many Blessings!

In the Gospel for this First Sunday of Lent we hear Luke’s version of the story of Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. Jesus overcomes all the temptations presented to him as he places his trust in God and follows the commands of God. Although we do not physically have to go to the desert, we are given this forty day period of Lent to confront our own temptations and deepen our trust in God. Let us remember that the same Spirit that led Jesus through his temptations, is also there to lead us. How do we call upon the Holy Spirit on our journey of faith? What temptations do we need to confront? In what ways do we need to be cleansed and purified during these forty days? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may this season of Lent lead us closer to Christ.
 
This weekend, the catechumens and candidates from our parish will be celebrating the Rite of Election with Bishop Johnston at the Cathedral with others from around the diocese preparing to enter the Catholic Church at Easter. We are blessed by the presence of these catechumens and candidates in our community. Please keep them in your prayers.
 
This Sunday, March 10, join us for our parish St. Joseph Table. The traditional pasta meal will be served from 11am-3pm. You are asked to make a free will donation for the meal. There will also be delicious cookies and baked goods available for sale. The St. Joseph Table is rooted in a long tradition of honoring St. Joseph, praying for his intercession, and giving to those in need. All proceeds this year will go to help the homeless through our service partner, Uplift Organization. A big thanks to our 6^th grade teachers, April Haggerty, Susie Kenney, and Amy Matlock, and their students and families, for all their work in organizing the event.
 
All parishes in our diocese are participating in The Light is On for You program which encourages participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent. At Presentation, besides our usual weekend times for Reconciliation, we have added times on Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday evenings during the Lenten season. We will also have our parish Lenten service on Sunday, April 7, at 6:30pm. See the bulletin for the details.
 
Please join us this Monday, March 11, at 6:30pm for our first Lenten Evening of Reflection with Biagio Mazza. Biagio is well known around our diocese as a talented teacher and presenter. This is a great opportunity to come and grow in your faith as we reflect on our call to holiness.
 
Please take advantage of all the opportunities we have during Lent to deepen your faith and prepare for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection. We have additional weekday Masses and Stations of the Cross every Friday. Check the bulletin each week to stay informed.
Many Blessings!  
 
 

The Gospel for today begins with the question: Can a blind person guide a blind person? Jesus continues by reminding us of the importance of not judging others lest we condemn ourselves. Are we often times blind to our own faults and weaknesses and quick to see the faults of others? Unless we see clearly with the eyes of faith and make the needed changes in our lives, we are unable to guide others to Christ through our example. Jesus also says that every tree is known by its own fruit. Are we producing the good fruit of our faith? Let’s take a close look at what is in our hearts and allow the goodness of God’s love to fill our hearts.   
 
This Wednesday, March 6, we begin the season of Lent with our celebration of Masses for Ash Wednesday. We will have 4 Masses on Ash Wednesday, at 6:30 & 8:15am and 5:30 & 7:00pm. Please note that the 8:15am Mass will include the school students and the 7:00pm Mass will include some bi-lingual elements. We hope to see you as we begin our yearly journey of Lent together.
 
The season of Lent gives us an opportunity each year to get back to the basics of our faith. Here at Presentation we will be offering a number of ways for you to deepen your faith during this holy season in preparation for Christ’s Resurrection. This weekend we are passing out the Magnificat Lenten Prayer booklet for you to use for daily meditation during Lent. This is a way for us to unite together in prayer even as we are praying at home. Please be sure to take a copy. On the cover of the prayer booklet is a schedule of many of the activities during Lent and a parish Lenten Guide is also inserted. Please be sure to put these resources in a handy place so you can join us throughout the Lenten season.

The best advice we can all take during Lent is to find ways to simplify our lives and devote ourselves to the spiritual disciplines that will help us grow closer to Christ. Pick something you can commit to every day that will help you focus your efforts during these 40 days.
 
I read an article recently titled Make Your Lent More Meaningful. It included some good ideas to practice during Lent. I’ve included a couple below that you might find helpful.

• Give up negative thinking. Work on a patient, positive attitude toward others. Catch yourself when you mentally berate someone and turn it into a prayer for that person.
• Give up some of your “screen time” each day, whether it’s watching TV, constantly checking your phone, or surfing the Web. Put the extra time to use by reading some scripture, praying or visiting a lonely relative or friend.

 Let us especially keep one another in prayer as we begin our journey.
Many Blessings!