A young boy Tom while sitting at church asked his parents: " Who are these people on the windows? “These are the Saints" responded his dad... A few weeks later, the religious education teacher asked Tom: "Who are the saints?" He did not hesitate: "THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THROUGH WHOM THE LIGHT SHINES."

"The SAINTS are the people through whom the light shines!". What an inspiring answer given by a child! The first time I heard this beautiful story was last week at the Funeral Mass for our founding pastor Fr. Alliata. Fr. Daly used it very effectively at the end of his long homily covering the entire life of his very close friend: a difficult childhood and over 60 years serving people as a priest.

Like Fr. Alliata, since our baptism we are all called to be SAINTS, we are all called to let the LIGHT of Christ SHINE in our hearts, we are all called to share that Light of Christ with others we encounter, we are all called to let the Light of Christ shine THROUGH US. We cannot keep His Light hidden!

This coming Sunday Jesus heals a man blind from birth. The very long Gospel (John 9:1-41) is all about darkness and LIGHT, about spiritual death and spiritual LIFE.

His disciples asked Jesus: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?" Jesus answered: “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of GOD can be made VISIBLE THROUGH HIM. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD."

Making clay with saliva and smearing the clay on his eyes, Jesus asks the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. He obeys Jesus. He goes and washes: he is able to see! We cannot imagine his surprise and joy: he had never seen any light, any color, any human being. Now he can see! He is transformed! Through the long interrogation by the Pharisees, who could not believe that he was born blind, and through a second encounter with Christ he becomes a new believer in Christ the Son of Man, the Messiah.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we can reflect on our own spiritual blindness, our own darkness, and our sinfulness. We may not be blind physically, but we are all sinners, we are all living in some darkness. We all need the light of Christ to get out of our darkness.

We can ask Christ to take away the darkness of our attachments to sin: go and encounter Christ's healing in the Confessional, He is waiting for you. Without Christ we are blind. Like the Pharisees, we may believe that we can see, but we too are blinded every time we commit a major sin. The Pharisees were unable to recognize that Christ was the Messiah they were waiting for! We may be unable to recognize Christ's presence in our daily life.

I invite all of us to come and spend one hour face to face with Jesus in ADORING HI IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT,  in letting the LIGHT OF HIS FACE SHINE IN OUR HEARTS: COME AND JOIN US for ONE HOUR in our chapel as we enter into OUR LENTEN 40 HOURS OF ADORATION this Monday from 6 pm through Wednesday 10 am. COME AND FIND PEACE in Silence in the presence of the Lord. COME AND SEE His Eucharistic Face in the Consecrated Host exposed on the altar. COME AND ENCOUNTER JESUS: talk to Him and hear His response in the silence of your hearts. We do not have stained glass windows in our chapel, but the LIGHT OF CHRIST WILL BE SHINING. Let His Light shine in your hearts. As you leave the chapel, let the Light of Christ shine through you to others. May that Light help you to see the face of Christ in whomever you encounter whether a stranger, a poor (materially, emotionally, or spiritually), a sick, a friend, or a family member...

The only stained-glass window we have in our church is THE HOLY SPIRIT in the form of a dove above the baptistry. Next time you leave the church, LOOK UP: LET THE LIGHT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SHINE UPON YOU!

Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with the LIGHT OF CHRIST! Heavenly Father, give us the Grace to reflect the Light of Your Son on whomever we encounter!

Lord Jesus, in this Lenten season, help us to surrender to You. Help us to reach out to those in need. Help us to let Your light shine through us. Help us to become saints.

One in Christ,

Fr. Alain

Come and pray any time, day or night. You can stay as long as you like.
Tell Him all your cares and worries. Ask him for the help you need,
He will answer you. 
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