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From: 2 Timothy 1:8b-10

St. Paul, Herald of the Gospel

[8b] But take your share of suffering for the Gospel in the power of God,
[9] who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our
works but in virtue of His own purpose and the grace which He gave us in
Christ Jesus ages ago, [10] and now has manifested through the appearing of
our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and
immortality to light through the Gospel.

Commentary:

9-10. There is a theological basis for courageously confronting the
difficulties the Gospel brings with it--the fact that we have been
called by God, who has revealed Himself as our Savior. As elsewhere in
these letters (cf. 1 Timothy 3:15ff; Titus 3:5-7), St. Paul here speaks
a succinct hymn in praise of salvation, probably using expressions based
on some liturgical hymn or confession of faith.

The salvation which God brings about is viewed in this passage as it
applies to Christians (verse 9) and is manifested in the Incarnation of
Christ (verse 10). Four essential aspects of salvation are identified:
1) God has already accomplished salvation for everyone; 2) it is God,
too, who calls all men to avail of it; 3) it is entirely a gift: man
cannot merit it (cf. Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9); and 4) God's plan is
an eternal one (cf. Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:11).

"The appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ" (verse 10) refers in the
first place to His Incarnation (cf. Titus 2:11; 3:4) but it includes
His entire work of redemption, which culminates in His appearing in
glory and majesty (cf. 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8). The
Redemption has two wonderful effects--victory over death (physical and
spiritual) and the abundant and luminous gift of everlasting life. "He
is the true Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. By dying He
destroyed our death; by rising He restored our life" ("Preface of
Easter", I).

"Ages ago": literally, "from the times of the ages", a primitive
expression meaning the same thing as "eternity".

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 17:1-9

The Transfiguration

[1] And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John,
his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. [2] And He was
transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His
garments became white as light. [3] And behold, there appeared to them
Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. [4] And Peter said to Jesus,
"Lord, it is well that we are here; if You wish, I will make three
booths here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah." [5] He
was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a
voice from the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased; listen to Him." [6] When the disciples heard this, they fell
on their faces, and were filled with awe. [7] But Jesus came and
touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." [8] And when they lifted up
their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

[9] And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them,
"Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."

Commentary:

1-13. Realizing that His death will demoralize His disciples, Jesus
forewarns them and strengthens their faith. Not content with telling
them in advance about His death and resurrection on the third day, He
wants two of the three future pillars of the Church (cf. Galatians 2:9)
to see His transfiguration and thereby glimpse the glory and majesty
with which His holy human nature will be endowed in Heaven.

The Father's testimony (verse 5), expressed in the same words as He
used at Christ's baptism (cf. Matthew 3:17), reveals to the three
Apostles that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the beloved, God
Himself. To these words--also spoken at Christ's baptism--He adds,
"Listen to Him", as if to indicate that Jesus is also the supreme
prophet foretold by Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15-18).

3. Moses and Elijah are the two most prominent representatives of the
Old Testament--the Law and the Prophets. The fact that Christ occupies
the central position points up His pre-eminence over them, and the
superiority of the New Testament over the Old.

This dazzling glimpse of divine glory is enough to send the Apostles
into a rapture; so happy are they that Peter cannot contain his desire
to prolong this experience.

5. In Christ God speaks to all men; through the Church His voice
resounds in all ages: "The Church does not cease to listen to His
words. She rereads them continually. With the greatest devotion she
reconstructs every detail of His life. These words are listened to
also by non-Christians. The life of Christ speaks, also, to many who
are not capable of repeating with Peter, `You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God' (Matthew 16:16). He, the Son of the living God,
speaks to people also as Man: it is His life that speaks, His humanity,
His fidelity to the truth, His all-embracing love. Furthermore, His
death on the Cross speaks--that is to say the inscrutable depth of His
suffering and abandonment. The Church never ceases to relive His death
on the Cross and His resurrection, which constitute the content of the
Church's daily life [...]. The Church lives His mystery, draws
unwearingly from it and continually seeks ways of bringing this mystery
of her Master and Lord to humanity--to the peoples, the nations, the
succeeding generations, and every individual human being" ([Pope] John
Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 7).