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The Glory

This is a summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily delivered at St. Charles on March 7, 2004, 2nd Sunday of Lent

"They saw his glory" Luke 9:32

EVERY FOOTBALL TEAM has its stars. Pato was the hero of our Iveleary team. One of the great marks of distinction in my youth is that I had the privilege of playing on the same team as Pato Galvin. Jack Mick Galvin was proud of Pato, his only son. Jack Mick was a colorful character with great force of personality. He was on the sideline at all the matches, our greatest fan. When Pato would leap in to the air towering over everybody to field the high ball, just as he was about to break the clouds, we would hear Jack Mick exclaim, "Glory on you, my son Patrick!" We were all exalted by this moment of grace.

I was reminded of this experience when I read the gospel's account of the transfiguration. "Then from the cloud came a voice that said, 'This is my chosen son; listen to him."

Mountain top moments change our lives. Recently I heard a lecturer ask an audience, "What were the three successive happiest days in your life?" The most common answers are a wedding and honeymoon, the birth of a child and a special vacation (such as a trip to Ireland).

In the transfiguration the apostles were given a glimpse of resurrection to sustain them for the days ahead.

To see the glory they were called to listen to the word. At the beginning of Lent the parish distributed booklets with reflections on the scriptures. The word of God opens our eyes to see the gleam of God's presence in the peak moments of life. We will also see the traces of his grace in the ordinary events, even in the game of football and in the Patos of the world. A romantic poet has written, "Trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home."

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