From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.

Last Saturday, the First Saturday of Lent,  twenty-seven members of our parish participated in our parish Lenten retreat lead by Fr. Lubomir Zhybak. Fr. Lubomir addressed the Theological Virtue of Hope as he presented the theme “What Do We Hope For?”

His insightful presentations identified Hope as the hinge between the Theological Virtues of Faith and Love.

The attendees had many positive comments and appreciated him identifying Hope as a deep-seated belief in God’s providential acts for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world.

Hope is united with the Virtues of Faith and Love for all three work in tandem. Much like a three-legged stool, without all three legs the stool cannot stand; so too one cannot separate Faith, Hope, and Love as they work together to achieve God’s divine plan to rescue us from everlasting death.

Faith is different than Hope. Faith is in Jesus Christ while Hope is in His promised actions to us. Both flow from God’s infinite Love for us. As a theological virtue, Hope does not disappoint because it is rooted in God’s promises to us and His love for us. As a virtue, it is a total expectation that God’s promises will be fulfilled.

It is not wishful thinking like when we wish for something earthly such as, “I hope I can find a job” or “I hope we can go on vacation this year.” Those types of hope are relatively short-lived and are desires to make our life on earth peaceful and happy. Rather, Hope in God is waiting in great anticipation for His Divine Plan of Salvation to be fulfilled. It is the sure and certain expectation of divine blessing promised us by the LORD Himself.

What is our greatest hope? What is our greatest desire? The Hope of our belief in Jesus Christ goes beyond any earthly action but finds it’s fulfillment in the desire to be in God’s presence for eternity.

In Jesus’ Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John had a glimpse of Jesus’ divine glory and God’s promise to us of the beatific vision of being in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. St. John tells us, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; …when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1Jn 3:2). God promises that all who believe in the Resurrection of Christ will be united with Him in the Resurrection of the Dead and raised up on the Last Day. And this is our Hope; that just as Peter, James, and John were in the presence of Jesus’ transfigured body we too will experience the fullness of Christ’s divinity for eternity. St. Paul reminds us of a promise of future glory when he says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. [Jesus] will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body” (Phil 3:20-21).

In our First Reading, Abram believed and put his faith in the LORD. To seal the promise that the descendants of Abram (whose name God would change to Abraham) would be more numerous than the stars of the sky, the LORD made a covenant him. To seal this covenant, God told Abram to offer sacrifice.

In those days, men sealed a covenant with God by sacrificing animals; splitting each animal in half. Both parties would then walk between the halves signifying violators of the covenant would invoke the fate of  the animals upon themselves. Given that God knows human weakness, only He, represented by the smoking fire pot and flaming torch, passed between the pieces of the animals. This signifies that, no matter what, God will remain faithful to His part of the covenant.

The fact that Abram didn’t walk between the split animal carcasses by no means makes the covenant void. Abram’s act of faith in God’s promises was regarded as an act of righteousness. He remained faithful to the LORD and the LORD blessed him and his descendants thus fulfilling the covenant.

The point is, are we faithful to the promises we made to God at our Baptism? Are we the best Catholic we can be?

Peter, James, and John got to experience the fullness of Jesus’ divinity but only for a short while. Even in their human frailty God revealed Himself to them in the cloud as His voice thundered, “This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.”

To whom do we listen?

Our conversion should be and ongoing daily journey to Christ. The Season of Lent assists us in this process as we strive to reset our priorities by listening and responding to the Word of God with a greater sense of urgency. If Jesus had to pray, surely we must pray. As He carried His cross we must embrace the cross of suffering.

We may not have the experience of Peter, James, and John to see the Transfigured Christ in the here-and-now but we do have the promise that, if we remain faithful, we shall see and experience the full divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for eternity. And this is what we Hope for; to be with our Lord for eternity.

Deacon Mark Izzo, Permanent Deacon, Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Saint Anthony Parish

The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

R. (1a)  The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.