I like how Fr. Paul, our visiting priest, explains today’s gospel reading (Mark 9:2-10). He starts off asking the congregation, “What did you do this morning to transform your face?” He goes on to explain that because of our desire to transform our faces, we have sustained these multi-dollar companies who would sell us products that would conceal, change, or transform how we physically look!
On Ash Wednesday, he explains, we wear Christ’s cross on our forehead which is the one good face transformation Christians do every year. He says that by doing this, we remember Christ everyday especially during Lent, and let Him transform us. But to get transformed, he says, we need to recognize three storms in our life that may either block or allow change to happen.
“The Storm of Fornication is the first type of storm in our life,” says Fr. Paul. He explains that this storm refers to our intimate desires – not just sexual but also all other worldly things we want. He says that for transformation to take place, we need to identify hidden desires that we need to curb such as “overworking for the love of money,” “overbuying goods,” etc.
The Storm of Blasphemy is the second type of storm, according to Fr. Paul. He cites the events of the past three years that ignited anger and fear among people. He mentions the war between Ukraine and Russia, the war Between Israel and Gaza, and the many more ordinary circumstances when we feel anger toward others. He says that during this Lent, we try to observe silence by not being carried away by this strong emotion of anger and hate. We try to confront lies and untruths in a way that we do not hurt others.
The third storm, according to Fr. Paul, is the Storm of Being Directionless. He says that this is the summation of not knowing what we need to do and where we are going. What is the purpose of doing what we are doing? He then says that during Lent, we need to pause a while and reflect.
All in all, Fr. Paul concludes that to get transformed during Lent, we need to recognize and overcome those storms that come our way. He says that those storms in our lives come not as punishments but as ways to transform us in ways that conform to what Christ wants us to become.
This Borrowed Scrap of Time 