Pastor's Letter

“It’s Good We’re Here” (Mark 9:5) 

In today’s gospel, we’ll hear Mark’s account of the Transfiguration—the great moment when Jesus gives us a glimpse of his glory in heaven.
 
Peter, James and John are on the mountain top with Jesus to experience it, and Peter’s reaction says it all: “Rabbi, it’s good that we’re here!”
 
Peter thought he could be of some help by putting up some tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah so that they’d have a place to stay. But he misses the point. He was there simply to see and to listen. All he was meant to do was take in the experience.
 
Sometimes that’s all we need to do in our lives, too. When we get in the busy mode, we don’t always take time to stop and listen to what God is doing in our lives, how he’s leading us, what he’s hoping we’ll see.  Sometimes we focus on doing instead of simply being. 
 
That’s why Lent can be an important time for us. We can spend a lot of time doing the external things.  But what’s also important is doing the internal work of noticing. To do that we need to slow down and take some time to breathe.
 
So a great Lenten discipline we’re encouraged to do, is simply to pray a little bit more than we normally do, because prayer is our mountain top experience. It’s the moment when we encounter God, who is ready to spend time with us. We just have to take it in. And it leads us to say, with Peter, “it’s good to be here…with You!”
 
Around the Parish

• This Sunday afternoon the Stewards are hosting the annual Bowling Party. Good luck to all the bowlers.
• Save the dates:  Our parish mission is March 4^th, 5^th and 6^th at St. Marcelline. See the full-page announcement on page 7 for more information. We hope to see you there!
•  We ran out of our Lenten Reflection booklet, which is now out of stock. So for those who missed a chance to take one, we’ve ordered an alternative which we’ll put out once they come in. In the meantime, check out our website for a link to Bishop Baron’s Daily Lent Reflections.
• With some changes in the Mundelein Seminary calendar, our seminarians haven’t been here on as many Sundays as in the fall, but they’re still very active in their ministries. David Jameson is       co-teaching 5^th graders in our Religious Education program on Saturdays, and Ryan Brady has been working with the parents of our students in the Children’s Ministry of Initiation Program.  Tom Heathershaw is currently on pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Thank you again for making them feel at home and a part of St. Hubert.

May God lead you as we continue our Lenten journey toward Easter.