Weekend Reflections for 3/6/20

     God, in his tenderness, wishes to give us courage in our struggles this Lent.  He wants to give us his heart to push through sufferings and difficulties, with a joy-filled spirit.

     In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus takes his disciples up Mount Tabor to give them a glimpse of his glory, to offer them a steadfast hope that will supply them with confidence during the suffering he knows is around the corner.  Many of us White House retreatants experienced this mountain ascent and descent two weeks ago, on our Holy Land pilgrimage open to all.  Jesus reveals his glorious face to his disciples there so as to strengthen them in their upcoming struggles.  On the way back down the mountain, Jesus encourages them and tells them that the momentary light they experienced was really meant to help them through the upcoming darkness. 

     So it is with you and me. The light of Jesus' face we occasionally experience in prayer, our own "Mount Tabor experience", is meant to help us through our upcoming trials.  Interestingly enough, as many of us pilgrims walked down Mount Tabor by foot, with its glorious view of Nazareth and the Jezreel Valley below, heading back to the level plain, we were disheartened to see so much trash lying alongside the road.  Nonetheless, the joy of our Mount Tabor experience remained greater than the disappointment we encountered on our way back down, and we were motivated to search for an inspired way to make our messy world a better place.

     Indeed, our Christian life is made up prayer experiences followed by a barrage of simple daily experiences, sufferings too, into which we are called to inject God's love and hope. May our Lenten prayer illuminate our acts of almsgiving and fasting with a new hope, a new ability to see God in the humdrum of our daily lives.  

-Fr. Anthony Wieck, SJ