Fr. Voigt, "Let's build a Temple!"
Not on Bread alone does man live but on every word that comes forth from God."
From the temptations of the flesh, the world and the devil the holy liturgy pushes us on to the goal of our lives: heaven. In the transfiguration of our Lord there is presented three freedoms that echo in everyone's heart. These three freedoms help us build the temple of God within our souls. If they are repeatedly meditated upon then they will make us the saints that God wants us to be. Let us consider these freedoms.
In the first place the reality of heaven frees my soul from any desire for sin. Once I have passed through this world by means of death's door, I no longer have any inclination toward sin. I am free to love completely and to be loved totally. There is no obstacle that can shut the door of heaven to me. What a great thought. No more evil, no more lust, no more greed, no more power to hurt, no more envy, no more detractions, this boggles the mind and lifts up the heart to desire this freedom above all else. It is a freedom which has but one object: Love Itself.
Our second freedom lifts us out of the concerns for the pleasure that are passing to those which are eternal. Hence when Peter saw the timeless Moses and the deathless Elias speaking to our Lord, he chose immediately to remain here. Let us build temples to house our Lord and the eternal pleasures that God has planned for those who love Him. Yes, I repeat let us build temples
which are eternal and internal. This freedom opens the mind to the reality that never ends and is capable of putting all our sorrows, our sicknesses, our worries to rest. As Don Bosco used to counsel his troubled clerics who had difficulties with the boys: "A little bit of heaven will cure all these ills."
Finally, the third freedom that comes to us is that of returning to the mundane. To commit ourselves to the eternal but to come down that heavenly mountain and walk to Calvary. It is the freedom to want to suffer for the salvation of many souls. We are truly free when we like the martyrs are ready to sacrifice all we possess in this world for the glory that comes from the salvation of souls. No one can take our life from us; only you and I can give it. Like the soldier who came home without a leg. When a gentleman accosted him and asked "How did you lose your leg, son?" His response was clear and simple: "I didn't lose it. I gave it." This is the freedom that Lent inspires in souls that will take up the call to penance.
Are you free? Do you want to be free? Then look at every day, every hour, every second as a means of bringing souls a transfiguration in Christ. Suffer for them to come to know Christ Jesus and Him Crucified. God forbid that we should want stay on the mountain of Transfiguration and neglect the battle below. It is the battle that purchases the glory of souls saved. You have not received the weapons of eternal salvation through the sacraments to stand by the battlefield and watch. It is time to do battle and to be a true Catholic.
May God lead you to the battle in Mary's legion to bring glory to God and salvation for souls. Your happiness will be in the freedom that you have won by the battle you fought. God bless you all.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Richard Voigt
P.S. Update on Health: Somehow through prayers, natural heart supplements, the Precious Blood, and whatever else is divinely hidden in the mix, I have passed from being a prime candidate for heart surgery to a situation of "wait and see" for now until June. My strength is returning, I am
headed to the Y for begin a toning program and reactivate sterile muscles. I am anxious to continue the protocol and see if nature alone can heal if we give it what it needs. I believe that I am on the brink of a complete healing but I will watch and discover how the body reacts to physical exercise and work.
