From the Pastor – 4th Sunday of Lent
From the Pastor – 4 th Sunday of Lent
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Do we really need a more powerful reminder of the importance of Lent and Easter than that?
That verse (from John 3:16) has become very popular in modern culture, to the point that we see it often at athletic events. When the University of Florida played for the national college football championship in 2009, quarterback Tim Tebow did not wear the regular eye black under his eyes. Under his right eye it said “John” and under his left eye it said “3:16.” God sends us messages all the time, if we listen and are attentive.
Tebow did not have a remarkable professional career, but he was the quarterback of the Denver Broncos against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2012 playoffs. The Broncos won, and in that game Tebow passed for 316 yards; his completed passes averaged 31.6 yards; perhaps the key play in the game came on third down and 16; the TV ratings for the game were 31.6%.
That is not the important aspect, however. What is important is that the truth of that statement is so simple; nevertheless, it is difficult for us to completely grasp its significance. The truth is that God loves us, no matter what we are or what our attitude toward God is. The world that God gave His Son to save is our world. We are the children of God.
This Lenten season is a time to see that and accept it as truth.
Pastoral Pondering
We continue our discussion on reverence with a discussion of Sacred Silence. Robert Cardinal Sarah, the prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, points out: “Many Catholics rightly complain about the absence of silence in…the celebration of our Roman liturgy. It is…important, therefore, to recall the meaning of silence as a Christian ascetical value, and therefore as a necessary condition for deep, contemplative prayer, without forgetting the fact that times of silence are officially prescribed during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, so as to highlight the importance of silence for a high-quality liturgical renewal.”
We live in a world that at times can be chaotic. We are surrounded by noise on all sides. The importance of the liturgy is that it is to take us out of the world and lift us to the halls of heaven. This of course can be difficult if you happen to be in the narthex with a screaming two-year old :).
Because the world is so noisy, we have to consciously find space in our lives for silence. That doesn’t mean that when coming into the church building we should shun people or not say hello. The narthex, especially at the beginning and ending of Mass, is for meeting and greeting. As much as possible conversations of any length should be kept out of the nave of the church. People are usually praying before or after Mass, and we all need to be conscious of that.
In my experience, most of the time, we simply don’t think about it or are unaware. We shouldn’t expect the church to always have the silence of a mausoleum; however, we also shouldn’t expect the church to be a cacophony of unnecessary noise. Hence, be conscious of the necessity of silence in our busy lives and the importance of maintaining a reverent silence in church so that we can properly prepare for Mass or reverently give thanks to God for the Mass just completed.
The main thing that we need to remember is that silence is importance and an absolute necessity to reverence. As our Holy Father Pope Francis recently said: “Silence is not reduced to the lack of words, but in being open to listen to other voices: That of our heart and, especially, the voice of the Holy Spirit,”