Tag: Transfiguration

“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” | Second Sunday of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:28b-36, today’s readings)

As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray, where they are witnesses to the Lord’s Transfiguration. During that time, Moses and Elijah appear, speaking with Jesus and revealing through their presence that he is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Peter wants to remain in that place, making three tents for them. But the mission of Jesus and the disciples lay ahead of them. Even as Peter speaks, a cloud overshadows them, and they hear the Father’s voice declare, “This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.” Just as God makes a covenant with Abraham, revealing his divine plan through a mysterious vision, God’s glory is revealed in the Transfiguration. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise, strengthening the disciples for the suffering to come. Like Peter, we want to hold onto moments of spiritual consolation, but discipleship calls us to bring Christ’s light into the world.

God, you call me to move forward in faith even in those moments when I sit quietly with you after receiving the Eucharist or before you in the Blessed Sacrament. Give me the courage to follow you, even when the path leads through trials and uncertainty. Strengthen me with your gifts of grace so that I can bring your light to the world and trust in the glory yet to come. Help me to listen to you and embrace the mission you have given me. Jesus, I trust in you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” | Third Sunday of Advent

From the responsorial psalm: “God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 3:10-18)

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Today we hear the voice of the one who prepares the way of the Lord. Crowds come to John the Baptist asking what they should do. John tells them to be generous with the poor, not to be greedy, and to treat others and oneself justly. The good news that John preaches to the people fills them with hope and expectation, but John is not the Messiah. John baptizes with water, but one mightier than himself will come. The one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire will, as John says, “gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” John prepares the way for Jesus, the one Zephaniah speaks of in the first reading: “The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love.”

“God is indeed my savior,” the psalmist prays, “I am confident and unafraid.” How is it, Lord, that I can make this prayer my prayer? Discouragement comes, but I hear in the first reading don’t be afraid and “be not discouraged.” Saint Paul recognizes anxiety by naming it, not denying it, “but in everything,” he says, “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” Lord, you know me and know my needs. Grant me the peace and joy of knowing you are in my midst, a mighty savior who is nearer than I can comprehend. Throughout the day, let me rest with this and trust in it: “My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior.” Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Maximilian Kolbe Shrine—Blessed Sacrament

Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church

From the responsorial psalm: “Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; Take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted, the son of man whom you yourself made strong. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 17:9a, 10-13)

As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Jesus speaks to the disciples immediately after his transformation on the mountain, where Moses and Elijah appear to him. According to Jewish belief, Elijah would appear again before the coming of the Messiah. Jesus makes clear that Elijah has appeared again, referring to John the Baptist and his message of repentance and baptism. Just as people failed to listen to John, they will fail to listen to Jesus, rejecting him and putting him to death on a cross. In indicating that the disciples understand Jesus, Matthew expresses in his account that John brings to fulfillment the role of Elijah in the continuity between the greatest of prophets and the mission of Jesus.

God, help me understand more deeply that regardless of what reality looks like on the surface, you have a plan. Jesus reveals this to the disciples, and in revealing it to them, reveals it to me. As the psalmist prays, in turning to you, we see your face and are saved. “Take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted. . . .” In today’s Gospel, Peter, James, and John had just witnessed the Transfiguration, and they were full of questions. In pondering your glory, Lord, help me turn more and more to your saving power, your plan for me; let me see your face. Saint John of the Cross, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Maximilian Kolbe Shrine—Blessed Sacrament

“This is my beloved Son.” | Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

From the responsorial psalm: “The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:2-10)

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

All of the readings for today’s Feast of the Transfiguration point to the relationship of Jesus to the Father and to the kingship of God. The refrain from the Psalm is “The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.” In the second reading, Peter says, “For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, ‘This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ And in the Gospel, the Father speaks to his beloved Son in the presence of Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John. In the Gospel, Peter hardly knows what to say. By the time he writes a letter to the first Christians, he knows exactly what to say to them about the Transfiguration: “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. . . . You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

Father in heaven, you sent your Son for the sake of our salvation. Bringing all who believe in him the hope of eternal life through his death and resurrection, Jesus brings us into relationship with you as your adopted sons and daughters. Give me the grace to receive the gift of the Eucharist, knowing that in receiving it, I unite with your Son to become like him. Help me recall throughout the day the Prayer after Communion: “May the heavenly nourishment we have received, O Lord, we pray, transform us into the likeness of your Son, whose radiant splendor you willed to make manifest in his glorious Transfiguration. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.” Lord, help me listen to your beloved Son.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” | Second Sunday of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:2-10)

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. . . . Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.

As Peter witnesses the Transfiguration, he says to Jesus: “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Then, giving insight into Peter’s state of mind, Mark tells us, “He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.” Next, God’s voice comes from heaven telling Peter, James, and John to listen to the words of his beloved Son. Suddenly, all was as it had been before, and Jesus stood alone with them. He tells the disciples to relate to no one what they had just witnessed. Finally, Mark leaves us with this statement, which every Christian ponders throughout life: “So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.” In the Transfiguration, Jesus reveals in an astounding way the realization that he is the Son of the living God; even more, he unveils for a moment what one day we may become in remaining in him.

Father in heaven, help me connect the two voices I hear in today’s readings. In the first reading, you speak to Abraham, who you asked to sacrifice his own beloved son but then held him back, sparing his life. “Because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore.” Ages later, you gave your beloved Son as a sacrifice for all, and did not hold back his death, but he willingly accepted death in order to destroy it and rise to new life—not for himself alone but for all. As Saint Paul said, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Strengthen my faith, Lord, so that I stand side by side as a witness of the Transfiguration, confirmed in hope of the glory of the Resurrection.

From the responsorial psalm: “I believed, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.” If God is for us, who can be against us?

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord | August 6, 2023

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 17:1-9)

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

In the Transfiguration of the Lord, as his face shines like the sun and his clothes become brilliant white, Jesus reveals his divine identity to Peter, James, and John. In conversing with Moses and Elijah, Jesus shows that he is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. At the same time, the Father reveals his relationship with the Son with the words “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” This is the same relationship Jesus invites us into as he prays the Lord’s Prayer with his disciples. In that relationship, the Father of the beloved Son becomes Our Father, who is well pleased in our love for his Son.

God, help me understand that although the Transfiguration occurred in history, it is more than a historical event. After Jesus becomes transfigured before them, the disciples fall to the ground in fear. It is your Son alone they see when they look up and hear him as he touches them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” Peter says of the Transfiguration: “Beloved: We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.” This is the same man who denied Jesus three times. God, help strengthen my faith and my resolve to share in the relationship your Son has with you.

From the responsorial psalm: “The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the LORD of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory.” Overshadow me, Lord, with your majestic glory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus said to his disciples: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.”

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus continues to speak to the disciples about the Old Testament teachings, bringing to fulfillment each one beginning with the words “But I say to you.” What Jesus proclaims reveals his divine authority to bring about the New Covenant. “You have heard that it was said,” Jesus says, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.” And he says: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” What is the aim of all of this? What is its end? Jesus says, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Alone, with self-reliance as the only ally, this is an impossible task. But God makes being perfect possible.

God, help me understand that along with the command to achieve perfection, your perfect mercy accompanies me along the way. The way to become your children, Jesus says, is to pray for those who persecute us. The rest is not up to me. It is you, God, who make your sun rise on the bad and the good; it is you who causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Thanks be to God, that task is out of my hands!

Lord, let me keep in mind today’s Gospel acclamation: “Whoever keeps the word of Christ, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings

Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

In today’s Gospel, Mark relates the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus as he is present with Peter, James, and John. During the Transfiguration, Jesus’ clothes become dazzling white and then Elijah and Moses appear to Jesus, conversing with him. Terrified and struggling to find words, Peter suggests that they make three tents—one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Then a cloud envelops them, which Matthew describes as a “bright cloud,” and a voice comes from it, the loving voice of God the Father. Suddenly, Mark tells us, the disciples no longer see anyone but Jesus alone with them. On their descent from the mountain, Jesus charges them “not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” Today we have what the disciples did not yet have: the risen Christ among us. As God’s children, what does that call for so that we can hear the Father say to us what he said to his Son?

God, help me understand today’s Gospel reading. In it, Jesus answers Peter, John, and James when they ask him what rising from the dead meant. Their understanding of your word in the Scriptures informs them that Elijah must come first. Just as Elijah preceded Jesus to restore all things, so did John the Baptist. “Yet,” Jesus says, “how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt?” As for John, King Herod had him beheaded. With all of this to take in, let me remember the loving words you spoke to your Son during the Transfiguration, giving him authority to be heard as the Word Incarnate.

Lord, overshadow me today with the bright cloud of your presence; in it, I want to be your beloved son. I can’t see you, but I know you are with me. “Faith is the realization,” Saint Paul says in the first reading, “of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” God, strengthen my faith today and let me hear your voice!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Readings