St. John Nepomucene

 Look Up

Speaker Ron Hutchcraft tells about a news story that gained worldwide attention a few years ago.  It was about an earthquake that rocked the mountain kingdom of Nepal.  “Thousands of people lost their lives,” reports Ron Hutchcraft.  Many more found their world, their homes, their very lives were wiped away

“There were some who survived the quake,” he continues, “but they faced the prospect of dying in the aftermath.”  For example, there were climbers on Mount Everest, trapped on the mountain by massive avalanches.  Eighteen of them died when part of Everest collapsed on their base camp.  “There were 140 surviving climbers, but when they tried to go down through the escape route, it was impossibly blocked by fallen rocks and as time passed their food was running out; their water was running out.”

But then, when it looked like they would all perish, there was a wondrous sound in the sky.  They looked up and saw helicopters.  One after another, the  helicopters somehow landed on that mountain, saving those climbers, two at a time.  Their lives depended upon looking at a rescuer from above.  Our lives too depend on looking up to our Rescuer from above, looking up to Our Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.

Look up, is a phrase from our First Reading from Genesis.  Abraham sees the numerous stars in the heavens and is given hope to continue his journey, for the promise of God is that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars that he can see in the heavens.  In our Second Reading, St. Paul says our citizenship is in heaven.  He calls us to look up.  In the Gospel, Jesus has His apostles look up to see Him in heavenly glory to prepare them for his coming suffering and death. Lent calls us to look up, to get a new perspective, to have a new vision.

What are the ways we can look up?

1.  This week we are highlighting “Growing in Holiness…Through Fasting”.  Fasting calls us to look up towards our heavenly destination.  We give up material things and pleasures because we are looking at our heavenly destiny.  Please visit the Stewardship table after Mass.  The table is to the left of the Gospel pulpit.

2.  We have confession from 5 to 8 pm in our church and all Catholic churches on this Wednesday, March 20^th.  With the good thief, we look up to see the Savior on the Cross, who will set us free from our sins.

3.  On Saturday, March 23^rd we are invited to look up and adore our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist.  After our 4 pm Mass, we will have private Eucharistic Adoration from 5 to 5:30 pm.  Our Closing Eucharistic Service will be at 5:30 pm.  Come and look at our Eucharistic Lord.  Look up at Him.

Lent calls us to look up.  Hopefully you respond to these invitations as well as others to look up at our Rescuer from above.