Our Lady of Sorrows
    info@oladyofsorrows.org
    956-686-0251
    • Home
    • News
      • Weekly Bulletin
    • Homilies
      • Msgr. Gustavo Barrera
      • Dcn. Ray Thomas
      • Dcn. Johnny Gonzalez
      • Dcn. Crawford Higgins
    • About Us
      • Office Directory
      • Worship & Liturgy Schedule
      • Our Pastor
      • Photo Gallery
    • Donate
    • Sacraments
      • Baptism
      • Matrimony
      • CCD
      • RCIA
    • Ministries & Organizations
      • Adoration
      • Altar & Rosary Society
      • Altar Servers
      • Asamblea de Oracion de Matrimonios (AOM)
      • Catholic Daughters of the Americas
      • Homebound Ministry
      • JCDA
      • Choir
      • Knights of Columbus
      • Legion of Mary
      • Readers of the Word (Lectors)
      • Serra Club
      • Star of Hope
    • Faith & Spirituality Groups
      • Bereavement Support
      • Centering Prayer Group
    • Become a Parishioner
    • Funeral Information
    • Quinceañera Information
    • OLS YouTube Channel
    • School
    • Diocese of Brownsville
    • Contact Us

    2 LENT, CYCLE B

    3/2/2015

     
    Have you seen the advertisements at some restaurants that say, “Life is too short—eat desert first!”  The same mentality can translate to the Transfiguration.  Peter, James, and John were given the privilege to eat desert first before the Passion.  We can speculate about the reason from here to Kingdom Come and not have the correct answer.  Best to just accept the fact that Jesus singled them out to show them His divinity.

    The majority of us would have been left speechless—but not Peter.  St. Peter had plenty to say.  He would have blended right in with the cell phone users who love to take “selfies”.   St. Peter wanted to capture the moment, not to mention the thought of future revenue from the shrines built on the holy spot—one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.  Guess what, there is a Church of the Transfiguration on top of the mountain—a high mountain indeed called Mount Tabor.  Buses take the pilgrims up most of the way to the breath-taking site.  Peter could not have known what was going to happen, he just wanted to hold the memory.  Most of us want to do the same when we are fascinated by something.  Yet, in the fascination, in trying to stop the clock, in allowing our emotions to take control we miss out on the beauty of the moment.  Great number of us have forgotten how to appreciate the moment—to live in the “now”.  The past haunts us, the future worries us, and the present is often ignored.  The beauty of this moment will never pass again—even if we are videotaping.  We have become very distracted creatures.  Even animals can give us lessons on concentration.  They seem to have a better appreciation of the moment—they know how to focus.  Since animals do not sin, they are not bothered with guilt, much less about worries concerning the future.  Perhaps that’s one reason animals, especially dogs, are brought to nursing homes and can give comfort to the residents because they know how to appreciate the person in front of them.

    Not really fair for us to make judgment calls on poor St. Peter who must have been shaking in his sandals.  But we can imagine that he was quite excited.  He gave all the signals of wanting to take charge—of wanting to control the situation.  Took the voice of God to shut him up.  “Listen!”  Modern translation:  “Shut your mouth and listen to my Son.”  Frankly, that message has still not made it to the 21st century.  Now more than ever we have trouble shutting our mouths and just listening.  If that were not the case then we would have more people in Adoration.

    Who wants to just be quiet and listen?  Who wants to just come and waste time with the Lord?  Listening is not as exciting as doing something—accomplishing something—building something.  If all we do is listen, what can we show in the end?  How can listening be measured?  The art of listening is practiced less and less—even in families—where folks shout at each other.  Picture the scene of a typical family:  Father in one room watching TV, Mother in another room with her TV, children each with a computer, I Pad, or video game.  Homework, football, school projects—who’s got time to just sit and talk?  Who’s got time to listen?  Wonder why so many families are falling apart.  Certainly part of the problem is a lack of communication.  Spending time with each other can have lasting consequences.  That’s how the Transfiguration started out—just spending time with each other—and look at what happened.  Time invested in the family is worth more than all the money in the bank.  Those with children better wake up to the fact that time flies—turn around and the children are grown.  The results of broken families are all too obvious in the violence seen at schools, on the streets and in the repeated cycles of divorce.  Time to shut our mouths and listen.

    We are not in control—God is.  The Lord still has plenty to say.  The loudest message not yet heard is that we are loved without conditions.       



    Comments are closed.
      Picture
      Msgr. Gustavo Barrera,
      ​celebrated his first Holy Mass as pastor on September 15, 2007, the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. With his enthusiasm and spiritual guidance, OLS continues to serve our Catholic family in a way that challenges us to grow as an evangelizing community.

      Archives

      January 2023
      December 2022
      November 2022
      October 2022
      September 2022
      August 2022
      July 2022
      June 2022
      May 2022
      April 2022
      March 2022
      February 2022
      January 2022
      November 2020
      October 2020
      September 2020
      August 2020
      July 2020
      June 2020
      May 2020
      April 2020
      March 2020
      February 2020
      January 2020
      December 2019
      November 2019
      October 2019
      September 2019
      July 2019
      June 2019
      May 2019
      April 2019
      March 2019
      February 2019
      January 2019
      December 2018
      November 2018
      October 2018
      September 2018
      August 2018
      July 2018
      June 2018
      May 2018
      April 2018
      March 2018
      February 2018
      January 2018
      December 2017
      November 2017
      October 2017
      September 2017
      August 2017
      June 2017
      May 2017
      April 2017
      March 2017
      February 2017
      January 2017
      December 2016
      November 2016
      October 2016
      September 2016
      August 2016
      July 2016
      June 2016
      May 2016
      April 2016
      March 2016
      February 2016
      January 2016
      December 2015
      November 2015
      October 2015
      September 2015
      August 2015
      July 2015
      June 2015
      May 2015
      April 2015
      March 2015

      Msgr. Gustavo Barrera, Pastor.

      Categories

      All

      RSS Feed

    About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Office Directory
    • Stewardship
    • Pastor
    • Our History
    Sacraments
    • Baptism
    • First Reconciliation
    • First Communion
    • Confirmation
    • Marriage
    • Anointing of the Sick
    Parish Life
    1. Become a Parishioner
    2. Bulletin & Newsletters
    3. Planning Center Log-in​
    Worship and Liturgy
    • Daily Readings
    • Liturgy of Hours
    • Mass & Reconciliation
    • Eucharistic Adoration
    Faith Formation
    • CCD
    • RCIA​
    Links & Resources
    • CDOB
    • USCCB
    • Vatican: Holy See
    • American Catholic
    More
    • Homilies
    • Online Giving
    • OLS School
    • OLS on YouTube
    Our Lady of Sorrows Parish
    1108 W Hackberry Ave.
    McAllen, Texas 78501-4370
    Telephone
    : (956) 686-0251
    Picture
    Picture

    Website Development by The Parish Solutions Company
    Our Lady of Sorrow Image Copyright Cromo NB permission to use by CNB Basevi.
    Back to top