The audio of the homily for the Holy Hour on 2/24/2013
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Tonight you have an opportunity to come before our Eucharistic Lord for a period of adoration. Perhaps adoration is something that might be new to you and if it is that’s perfectly alright. Eucharistic adoration provides us an opportunity to humble ourselves before Jesus who is truly present in the Most Holy Eucharist. I will continue our thoughts on the Blessed Sacrament in a few moments.
The Holy Season of Lent gives us an opportunity to be humble. There’s that word again “humble.” What does it mean? To be humble means to let go of self…letting go of our desires and wants. Maybe you wanted to be somewhere else this evening, wanting to be at home playing video games or hanging out with friends but instead you are here. Perhaps you were dragged out the door by your parents, but even if that’s the case let me repeat the words of Saint Peter which we heard in the Gospel this Sunday, “Master, it is good that we are here.” Yes indeed it is good that we are here tonight. Even if you were dragged out the door to come here this evening, it is great that you are here because our Lord wants you to unload your cares and concerns before Him who humbles Himself on the altar this evening for each of us.
Lent is an opportunity for us to grow closer to Jesus, to see Him clearly as He is as God’s beloved Son. That is why the Gospel account was the one of the transfiguration. For it was at the transfiguration where the voice from heaven spoke saying, “this is my chosen Son, listen to Him.” The word transfiguration kind of relates with another word perhaps you might be familiar with in relation to the most Holy Eucharist and that word is transubstation. Anytime we hear the phrase “trans” it means to change. At the transfiguration it’s not so much something changed but more like something was revealed and what was revealed is that Jesus is God’s Son, which means Jesus is God. During the consecration when the words of Jesus are spoken the bread and wine are changed they are miraculously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ.
Here is another good word we can focus on for Lent…change. The season of Lent is an opportunity for us to make a change in our lives. One thing you will hear often in the Sunday homilies and in the scripture readings for the next couple weeks are that we are all sinners. Yes it’s true, we are all sinners…no one here in this room is perfect even me. During this liturgical season we are encouraged and invited to turn away from sin and we should avail ourselves of the opportunity to go to confession. Talk about learning humility that sacrament provides us a great opportunity. It’s not easy for any of us to admit that we are wrong. Just think about how difficult it is for you to say your sorry when you hurt a member of your family, one of your friends, or teachers. It’s not easy and it sometimes takes a lot for us to admit that we are wrong.
A fear some people have about confessing certain sins to the priest is out of fear of what the priest may think. If that is a fear you have let it go, because I’ll level with you as I mentioned just a moment ago I’m not perfect, like you I am a sinner. I experience many of the same temptations you all do and in fact sometimes it’s much worse because I am a priest. Do not be afraid, be open and be honest! There is someone greater in the confessional than me and you and that is God. My role as a priest and this is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is essential and necessary my role is to make the voice of God heard. Now I am going to ask a rhetorical question, when was the last time you heard the voice of God during the day. Most of us go throughout most days not hearing it and the reason is simple…because it’s drowned out. When you hear me recite the words of absolution there is to be no doubt in your minds that those sins have been forgiven.
Lent is also about sacrifice and sacrifice is related to humility. As I mentioned at the beginning that humility is about letting go of our desires and wants but that is also what it means to sacrifice. Each Lent we are asked to make a sacrifice to give something up. Some of you might have given up junk food, others eating between meals, or perhaps some given up playing video games. If you’re someone who has decided to give up video games what are you doing with that extra time? Are you doing something which gives glory to God a service project or spending some time in prayer perhaps? A few weeks back when I used the example of giving up chocolate during lent I asked us to ponder what we are doing with the extra few bucks…are we keeping it to ourselves or are we putting it to good use perhaps giving some to charity. Whether you hear the word “humility” or the word “sacrifice” whatever the case may we should be reminded that Lent isn’t a time to be “self-centered” but rather an opportunity and a time to be “other-centered.”
As we come to a close in our reflection of Lent I want to say something briefly about the great gift we have before us, our Eucharistic Lord. If we want an example of humility we don’t have to go any further than Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist. The celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist, that very act is an act of humility. Think about the gifts we bring forward…the gifts and bread and wine. Is there anything spectacular about these things…no. They are simply bread and wine. It is at the moment of consecration at Mass when the humble piece of bread and the chalice filled with the humble element of wine that it becomes something great…the Body and Blood of Christ.
Jesus our Lord and Savior comes to us under the physical appearance of a humble piece of bread and it is in that humility He is glorified. Our Lord’s glorification didn’t come with the finest robes and a crown but rather it came with rejection, ridicule and a cross. It was in His humility He was glorified. The Eucharist is an example of humility and in return we are called to humble ourselves before Him who humbles Himself before us. That is why we kneel here in this Sacred Place and we pray. Adoration gives us an opportunity to gaze into the monstrance to see our Lord Jesus Christ in His humility. As you leave here I want you to meditate on your experience before Jesus in adoration and think about your own Lenten journey and how these experiences can light your way bringing you closer to Jesus who is our light and our salvation.
