Just six days prior to this glorious event of the Transfiguration, Jesus spoke for the first time to His disciples about His pending crucifixion and death. He taught them that “the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days” (Mark 8:31).

Recall that Peter had a difficult time accepting this teaching. Jesus went on to rebuke Peter for his refusal to accept this prophetic teaching and further explained that “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

What an amazing event we reflect upon today. Jesus, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity humbled Himself in two ways in the passage quoted above. First, He allowed Himself to endure the temptations of Satan. Second, He permitted His very own creation, the good angels, to minister to Him in His human form. First of all, recall that Satan is a fallen angel. He was created by God and was created good. But the Book of Revelation (12:4) indicates that one-third of the created angels were cast out of Heaven to roam the earth.

In the Old Testament, Leviticus 14, God gave Moses a purification rite to be used for those who were cured of leprosy. This detailed rite that spanned several days was used to reintegrate a healed leper back into society. After Jesus healed the leper in today’s Gospel passage, He ordered him to “go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” Thus, Jesus not only healed the man but instructed him that he was ready to be restored to the community. At that time, leprosy was a horrible disease, not only for its physical effects, but also because the leper was not permitted to be a part of the society. This was because leprosy was quite contagious. By keeping those infected separate, the disease did not spread as easily to others.

This weekend, we are hosting our annual Ministry Fair at the end of the Palo Verde Walkway. With an active building project and capital campaign, we often hear about how to best utilize our treasure in service to Christ and our Parish; now everyone has the opportunity to utilize, in a tangible and meaningful way, their talent in service to Christ and our Parish! Stewardship, the way we share our gifts of time, talent, and treasure, is just one way we participate in the New Evangelization!