"God Keeps His Promises" - 2nd Sunday of Lent Homily

We have been presented a beautiful opportunity for almsgiving this Lent with our sister parish in Haiti.

The pastor emailed me and the pastor from the church in Baltimore that also supports the parish, saying he's in a crisis in the school, not able to afford both the teacher

salaries and feeding the children.

So the church in Baltimore is covering the teacher salaries and we've been asked to

to give $3,000 to Feed the Children.

So as you leave church today or anytime during Lent, in the back by the doors, we have a new pour box.

And be generous if you can to drop off a donation to Feed the Children.

And thank you.

The first time I preached on the Transfiguration, it was many years ago, and I used props to really reflect

Jesus Dazzling White or White is Light.

So I used three white t-shirts.

And the first one was all white.

It was pure, good and clean and everything like that.

And I said this is like, yeah, the Dazzling White.

But also this is a soul after baptism.

Totally clean, totally pure, Dazzling White.

And then I went to the second t-shirt, which was white with a little bit of dirt on it.

And I said this is like the soul.

after baptism with venial sin.

But then you go back to the white shirt, the first one it's like one confession, you're back to dazzling white like after baptism.

Then the third t-shirt was caked in mud.

I mean you can see anyone on the same, all afternoon I'm like spreading in mud, it's like totally gross.

And I'm like showing to people like this is a soul after baptism in mortal sin.

But one confession and you're back to the dazzling white.

Well, one problem with using the props like that, I knew that somebody would move them before mass.

Like those don't belong there.

So I waited the last possible second, put them in the altar area, go to the back, like literally a minute before mass, and then mass starts.

Go through all that, get up to the altar area, mass has begun, the shirts are gone.

I knew it, right?

Well, what I didn't know, my mother was coming for a surprise visit.

And she's like, those don't belong there.

Let me move those.

I'm like, mom, you stopped doing my laundry.

Jeez, come on.

So we do go up the mountain, the high mountain, every second Sunday of Lent for the Transfiguration.

Seems kind of odd.

I last week we're down in the low area of the desert with Christ and the temptation.

So there's something to this that the Church sees connection for us.

Ten days in Lent on the mountain with this glorious vision of Christ with Moses and Elijah.

So there things to draw from it in our Lenten journey.

think the biggest one is hope.

To not ever lose hope no matter how bad our trials might get.

But coupled with the first reading, I want to focus on God's promises.

that God keeps His promises always.

We hear the promises of Abram for a great nation, a great name, blessing.

We know elsewhere he would say, descendants of which we are part, promises made to Moses and the Israelites to get them out of slavery to the promised land.

Through Elijah and all the prophets that he would send a messiah.

So all the Old Testaments, all these promises God makes in covenant with us, in relationship, and in the future of what's coming, and that's fulfilled in Christ and the

New Testament.

Then within Christ is the promise of glory, the promise of heaven.

That's what the Transfiguration shows.

There's a book that came out years ago about Dr.

Scott Hahn, and the title was A Father Who Keeps His Promises.

And he's a scripture scholar, so he goes through all the things, as I'm mentioning, with the covenant and all the things that the Father promises and keeps.

And what struck me that title

was the contrast, I think implicit, that their fathers don't keep their promises.

And the ubiquitous experience, unfortunately, the wound of people around us who haven't kept their promises, their parents, their spouses, their family members, their friends,

God knows our wounds with those who have not kept their promises.

Deep wounds.

Big time promises, not kept.

And so it's a really important fact and statement and reality in relationship with God to recognize finally someone who's always going to be there for me.

He's not going leave.

He's not going reject me.

He's not going to hurt me.

He keeps his promises because he makes strong, strong promises throughout.

And part of the thing of Revelation is that he says, I promise and I will do it.

Now, then we get to Lent, and it's kind of reflection on our own promises.

Ten days in, it's like, uh I haven't kept my promises.

There's little promises we make in Lent, but so many people already have come to me saying, Father, I've already failed.

Deacon Ted, Friday night after stations is like, have you fallen in your promises already?

I mean, Jesus fell three times with the cross.

Get back up.

Keep going.

Keep trying.

It said about a saint, a saint is a sinner who keeps trying.

Now let me offer just maybe two thoughts if we have failed already.

And now we have a third day challenge now, so let's get back up and do it.

But we may have taken on promises that were too many.

We should just take on one or two and also ones that we can do.

I know we're full of uh fervor and zeal on Ash Wednesday.

Now reality set in, it's like, maybe I bit off more than I can chew.

I talked to parishioner the other night.

She's focusing on, she's taking the Lenten challenge I gave for daily Mass.

She said, I'm going to Sunday Mass and one time during the week, twice a week total throughout Lent, and I love it.

And I think it's awesome.

Focusing on prayer during Lent, it's great.

But something small that you can do

to enter into that realm of keeping a promise.

And if you haven't, again, let it go.

Focus on 30 days.

Do your best.

The other part of the challenge Ash Wednesday was to go to Adoration in our new chapel, which by the way, is one year anniversary on Tuesday.

That's awesome.

Way to go.

We have 200 adores on our list.

And we're going to say thank you.

You made this possible.

24 hours for one year.

straight through.

I don't even think we put the cover on one time when there's an emergency and no one's coming and you cover it like the tabernacle where you don't have to have someone there.

That's an emergency.

We haven't even used that.

I mean, they're crazies like me that are there through the snowstorm.

But that's another story.

But the whole colossal team effort.

I live at the house where all the cars come back, you know, pass by every hour, every day.

It's incredible.

But the challenge is to do that one time before Easter and really appreciate God keeping His promises in that context.

Jesus said, I'll be with you until the end of time.

And in that chapel, like he's there all the time.

He's always there.

He is always there until the end of time in the Eucharist, in the church, and in the poor.

The Father keeps his promises to us in Christ.