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Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 03-04-12, Second Sunday of Lent
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 03-04-12 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 03/03/2012 8:57:30 PM PST by Salvation

March 4, 2012

 

Second Sunday of Lent

 

Reading 1 Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that 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;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing-

all this because you obeyed my command."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19

R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Reading 2 Rom 8:31b-34

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died-or, rather, was raised-
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.

Gospel 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 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."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,

questioning what rising from the dead meant.



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; lent
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To: annalex
2. And after six days Jesus takes with him Peter, and James, and John, and leads them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
3. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.
4. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
5. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
6. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.
7. And there was a cloud that overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
8. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

PSEUDO-JEROME; After the consummation of the cross, the glory of the resurrection is shown, that they, who were to see with their own eyes the glory of the resurrection to come, might not fear the shame of the cross;

wherefore it is said, And after six days Jesus takes with him Peter, and James, and John, and led them up into an high mountain apart by themselves, and he was transfigured before them.

CHRYS. Luke in saying, After eight days, does not contradict this; for He reckoned in both the day on which Christ had spoken what goes before, and the day on which He took them up. And the reason that he took them up after six days, was that they, might be filled with a more eager desire during the space of these days, and with a watchful and anxious mind attend to what they saw.

THEOPHYL. And He takes with Him the three chiefs of the Apostles, Peter, as confessing and loving him, John, as the beloved one, James, as being sublime in speech and as a divine; for so displeasing was he to the Jews, that Herod wishing to please the Jews slew him.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. He does not however show His glory in a house, but He takes them up into a high mountain, for the loftiness of the mountain was adapted to showing forth the loftiness of His glory.

THEOPHYL. And He took them apart, because He was about to reveal mysteries to them. We must also understand by transfiguration not the change of His features, but that, whilst His features remained as before, there was added unto Him a certain ineffable brightness.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. It is not therefore fitting that in the kingdom of God any change of feature should take place, either in the Savior Himself, or in those who are to be made like to him, but only an addition of brightness.

BEDE; Our Savior then when transfigured did not lose the substance of real flesh, bit showed forth the glory of His own or of our future resurrection; for such as He then appeared to the Apostles, He will after the judgment appear to all His elect. It goes on, And his raiment became shining.

GREG. Because, in the height of the brightness of heaven above, they who shine in righteousness of life, will cling to Him; for by the name of garments, He means the just whom He joins to Himself. There follows And there appeared to them Elias with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

CHRYS. He brings Moses and Elias before them; first, indeed, because the multitudes said that Christ was Elias, and one of the Prophets, He shows Himself to the Apostles with them that they might see the difference between the Lord, and His servants. And again because the Jews accused Christ of transgressing the law, and thought Him a blasphemer, as if He arrogated to Himself the glory of His Father, He brought before them those who shone conspicuous in both ways; for Moses gave the Law, and Elias was zealous for the glory of God; for which reason neither would have stood near Him, if He had been opposed to God and to His law.

And that they might know that He holds the power of life and of death, He brings before them both Moses who was dead, and Elias who had not yet suffered death. Furthermore He signified by this that the doctrine of the Prophets was the schoolmaster to the doctrine of Christ. He also signified the junction of the New and Old Testament, and that the Apostles shall be joined in the resurrection with the Prophets, and both together shall go forth to meet their common King. It goes on, And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for or Elias.

BEDE; If the transfigured humanity of Christ and the society of but two saints seen for a moment, could confer delight to such a degree that Peter would, even by serving them, stay their departure, how great a happiness will it be to enjoy the vision of Diety amidst choirs of Angels for ever? it goes on, For he wist not what to say; although, however, Peter from the stupor of human frailty knew not what to say, still He gives a proof of the feelings which were within him; for the cause of his not knowing what to say, was his forgetting that the kingdom was promised to the Saints by the Lord not in any earthly region, but in heaven; he did not remember that he and his fellow-Apostles were still hemmed in by mortal flesh and could not bear the state of immortal life, to which his soul had already carried him away, because in our Father's house in heaven, a house made with hands is not needed. But again even up to this time he is points at, as an ignorant man who wishes to make three tabernacles for the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel, since they in no way can be separated from each other.

CHRYS. Again, Peter neither comprehended that the Lord worked His transfiguration for the showing forth of His true glory, nor that He did this in order to teach men, nor that it was impossible for them to leave the multitude and dwell in the mountain. It goes on, For they were sore afraid. But this fear of theirs was one by which they were raised from their usual state of mind to one higher, and they recognized that those who appeared to them were Moses and Elias. The soul also was drawn on to a state of heavenly feeling, as though carried away from human sense by the heavenly vision.

THEOPHYL. Or else, Peter, fearing to come down from the mount because he has now a presentiment that Christ must be crucified, said, It is good for us too be here, and not to go down there, that is, in the midst of the Jews; but if they who are furious against You come hither, we have Moses who beat down the Egyptians, we have also Elias, who brought fire down from heaven and destroyed the five hundred.

ORIGEN; Mark says his own person, For he wist not what to say. Where it is matter for consideration, whether perchance Peter spoke this in the confusion of his mind, by the motion of a spirit not his own; whether perchance that spirit himself who wished, as far as in him lay, to be a stumbling-block to Christ, so that He might shrink from that Passion, which was the saving of all men, did not here work as a seducer and wish under the color of good to prevent Christ from condescending to men, from coming to them, and taking death upon Himself for their sakes

BEDE; Now because Peter sought for a material tabernacle, he was covered with the shadow of the cloud, that he might learn that in the resurrection they are to be protected not by the covering of houses, but by the glory of the Holy Ghost; wherefore it goes on, There was a cloud that overshadowed them. And the reason why they obtained no answer from the Lord was, that they asked unadvisedly; but the Father answered for the Son, wherefore there follows And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

CHRYS. The voice proceeded from a cloud in which God is wont to appear, that they might believe that the voice was sent forth from God. But in that He says, This is my beloved Son, He declares that the will of the Father and the Son is one, and that, save that the is the Son, He is in all things One with Him who begot Him.

BEDE He then whose preaching, as Moses foretold, every soul that wished to he saved should hear when He came in the flesh, He now come in the flesh is proclaimed by God the Father to the disciples as the one whom they were to hear. There follows, And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves; for as soon as the Son was proclaimed, at once the servants disappeared, lest the voice of the Father should seem to have been sent forth to them.

THEOPHYL. Again mystically; after the end of this world, which was made in six days, Jesus will take us up (if we be His disciples) into a high mountain, that is, into heaven, where we shall see His exceeding glory.

BEDE; And by the garments of the Lord are meant His saints, who will shine with a new whiteness. By the fuller we must understand Him, to whom the Psalmist says, Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin; for He cannot give to His faithful ones upon earth that glory which remains laid up for them in heaven.

REMIG. Or else, by the fuller are meant holy preachers and purifiers of the soul, none of whom in this life can so live as not to be stained with some spots of sin; but in the coming resurrection all the saints shall be purged from every stain of sin. Therefore the Lord will make them such as neither they themselves by taking vengeance on their own members, nor any preacher by his example and doctrine, can make.

CHRYS. Or else, white garments are the writings of Evangelists and Apostles, the like to which no interpreter can frame.

ORIGEN; Or else, fullers upon earth may by a moral interpretation be considered to be the wise of this world, who are thought to adorn even their foul understandings and doctrines with a false whitening drawn from their own minds. But their skill as fullers cannot produce any thing like a discourse which shows forth the brightness of spiritual conceptions in the unpolished words of Scripture, which by many are despised.

BEDE; Moses and Elias, of whom one, as we read, died, the other was carried away to heaven, signify the coming glory of all the Saints, that is, of all who in the judgment-time are either to be found alive in the flesh, or to be raised up from that death of which they tasted, and who are all equally to reign with Him.

THEOPHYL, Or else it means, that we are to see in glory both the Law and the Prophets speaking with Him, that is we shall then find that all those things which were spoken of Him by Moses and the other prophets agree with the reality; then too we shall hear the voice of the Father, revealing to us the Son of the Father, and saying, This is my beloved Son, and the cloud, that is, the Holy Ghost, the fount of truth, will overshadow us.

BEDE; And we must observe, that, as when the Lord was baptized in Jordan, so on the mountain, covered with brightness, the whole mystery of the Holy Trinity is declared, because we shall see in the resurrection that glory of the Trinity which we believers confess in baptism, and shall praise it all together. Nor is it without reason that the Holy Ghost appeared here in a bright cloud, there in the form of a dove; because he who now with a simple heart keeps the faith which He has embraced, shall then contemplate what he had believed with the brightness of open vision. But when the voice had been heard over the Son, He was found Himself alone, because when He shall have manifested Himself to His elect, God shall be all in all, yes Christ with His own, as the Head with the body, shall shine through all things.

9. And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
10. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

ORIGEN; After the showing of the mystery on the mount, the Lord commanded His disciples, as they were coming down from the mount, not to reveal His transfiguration, before the glory of His Passion and Resurrection; wherefore it is said, And as they came down from the mountain , he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

CHRYS. Where He not only orders them to be silent, but mentioning His Passion, He implies the cause why they were to be silent.

THEOPHYL. Which He did lest men should be offended, hearing such glorious things of Him Whom they were about to see crucified. It was not therefore fitting to say such things of Christ before He suffered, but after His resurrection they were likely to be believed.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. But they, being ignorant of the mystery of the resurrection, took hold of that saying, and disputed one with another; wherefore there follows, And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

PSEUDO-JEROME; This which is peculiar to Mark, means, that when death shall have been swallowed up in victory, we shall have no memory for the former things. it goes on, And they asked him, saying, Why say the Scribes that Elias must first come.



Catena Aurea Mark 9
41 posted on 03/04/2012 4:41:48 PM PST by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: annalex


Transfiguration

Fra Angelico

1440-42
Fresco, 181 x 152 cm
Convento di San Marco, Florence

42 posted on 03/04/2012 4:42:26 PM PST by annalex (http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php)
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To: All
Insight Scoop

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, March 4, 2012, the Second Sunday of Lent | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
• Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
• Rom 8:31b-34
• Mk 9:2-10

As a general, Scriptural rule of thumb, dramatic things happen on mountain tops. There are about five hundred references in the Bible to mountains and hills. Sometimes mountains are described as places of hiding and refuge; sometimes they are presented as desolate and barren, hostile to the living. They are depicted as places of false pagan worship; they are also celebrated as sites of authentic worship of the true God.

And in some of the most significant events presented in Scripture, mountains are where man encounters God in transforming, stunning fashion. In such instances, man’s faith is tested; he is drawn outside of his comfort zone and into a place—a relationship—that is holy, other-worldly, even terrifying.

Today’s Old Testament reading is, along with Moses’ encounter with the burning bush and his reception of the Law on Mount Sinai, one of those incredible mountaintop encounters. It is also one of the most perplexing and baffling stories in the Old Testament: how could a good and loving God ask Abraham to sacrifice his own son?

Jean Cardinal Danielou (1905-1974), a great Scripture scholar and spiritual writer, contemplated this unsettling mystery in The Advent of Salvation (Paulist Press, 1962). He described the event as “a high point in the Old Testament” Why? “In the first centuries of the Christian era,” he wrote, “the rabbis taught that Abraham merited all the graces given later to his people by sacrificing Isaac, and that Isaac, by submitting to be sacrificed, was the cause of his people’s salvation."

When St. Paul wrote, in words heard in today’s Epistle, that God “did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all” (Rom 8:32), surely he was very mindful of Abraham’s trek to the mountaintop with his beloved son, Isaac. Danielou emphasizes that the Old Testament, in this story and many others, provides a promise and foreshadows a fulfillment. The sacrifice of Isaac was not consummated, but pointed to the sacrifice of the Son of God, which was. The fulfillment of the covenantal promises made to Abraham did not come about in his lifetime, but in and through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“The passion and death of Christ,” Danielou observed, “were the supreme test of faith: from death came the Resurrection wherein the promise was fulfilled.” This brings us to today’s Gospel and St. Mark’s account of the Transfiguration. That blinding event also, of course, took place on “a high mountain”; only Peter, James, and John—the inner core of the disciples—were present. Like Isaac, they weren’t sure what to expect. They didn’t expect to be granted “a glimpse of the Godhead,” in the words of St. John Chrysostom, seeing, as it were, the veil of this world pulled back to reveal the dazzling glory of Christ’s divinity and the holiness of Moses and Elijah.

Peter, terrified and shaken, but still impulsive, wished to immediately commemorate the event by setting up tents, perhaps thinking of the Feast of Tents (or Booths) that recalled the forty years in the desert (cf., Lev. 23:39-43). A cloud, the presence of the Holy Spirit, overshadowed them (cf., Lk 1:35) and the Father’s voice declared, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Whereas Jesus’ public ministry had commenced with his baptism in the Jordan—the heavens torn open, the Spirit descending, a voice saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:9-11)—his Paschal mystery commenced with the Transfiguration.

Moses, the Lawgiver, and Elijah, the Prophet, pointed to the One who fulfilled perfectly the Law and the Prophets. But he fulfilled it by entering into the heart of sorrow and death, becoming a holocaust, the burnt offering, given in our place. The dark hours of the Passion did, for a while, overcome the disciples. But the Resurrection tore apart the veil that had only been pulled back on the mountaintop.

And now we—listening to the Son, guided by the Holy Spirit—can encounter God in transforming, stunning fashion.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the March 8, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)


43 posted on 03/04/2012 5:13:38 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

Seeking the Face of God
U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY
Second Sunday of Lent (March 4, 2012)

Second Sunday of Lent

March 4, 2012

 

Mark 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 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; then 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 they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. 

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you revealed to Peter, James and John a glimpse of your future glory in order to strengthen them for the cross. I know that you also wish to strengthen me with your presence so that I may carry my cross well and one day see you face-to-face. I entrust myself to you now through this prayer, seeking to love you with all my mind, heart, soul and strength.

Petition: Lord, show me your face.

1. Man’s Desire for God: Jesus spends much time in union with his Father through prayer. In the Gospel today he climbs the mountain to pray, as is his custom. It is an attitude that reflects man’s desire to be in contact and in union with the divine. There must have been something truly awesome in how Our Lord prayed, for his apostles ask him to teach them. They want the same intimacy they see that Jesus has with the Father. Can I truly say that I ardently long for a greater intimacy with Christ? Do I believe confidently that anyone who seeks God with a sincere heart will find him? How pleasing it is to God the Father when we, his children, turn to him in earnest, filial prayer.

2. Climbing the Mountain of Prayer: The image of the “holy mountain” is found throughout the Scriptures from Abraham to Moses, and it is often present in Jesus’ public ministry. A mountain is a physical place, but it also represents for us our seeking God’s face in prayer. Our prayer is the ascent of this “holy mountain” to an encounter with our Father. Are we prepared to make this ascent, knowing this involves setbacks and dryness along the way? The Catholic Catechism describes prayer as a battle: “Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray…” (CCC 2725).  Am I ready to make the effort of climbing ever upwards through prayer? Do I live as I pray, and am I satisfied with that kind of praying and living?

3. The Tools for Climbing: Every good mountain climber has the tools he needs to make the ascent. We, too, have the tools we need. First, we have the Gospels themselves, which give us a clear picture of Jesus. “He who has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). Let us meditate frequently on them and ask Our Lord to reveal himself to us through them. Second, we have the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist. In the former, we encounter God’s merciful love lavished upon us, restoring us to our filial relationship with him. In the latter, we receive Love himself, Jesus Christ, who has remained in the sacrament so that we could be united with him. Is my prayer well-grounded in a fervent sacramental life? 

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I thank you for remaining with us in the Eucharist. It is here especially that I can go to seek your face, to know you more intimately and to grow in my love for you. Increase my love for you; may I return love for love.

Resolution: Today I will take at least five minutes of my time to seek Our Lord in prayer, asking his grace for my needs and the needs of all my loved ones.


44 posted on 03/04/2012 5:33:22 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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“How much do we trust Christ?”

The disciples particularly Peter were very ecstatic as evidenced in Peter’s suggestion that three tents in honor of three great men be built and they remain there. There was no need to go back to the noisy and confusing world. They wanted that moment to last forever. But Jesus is adamant that they return. It was not yet time for them to depart from the world.

Perhaps we can identify with Peter and his companions. We remember the moments when Jesus seems very close. These beautiful experiences with the Lord, however, do not last forever, neither should we live like they will or should last forever. To live and work, to love the Lord daily is something that we will have to continue to actualize in life. The challenge then is to see the Lord in the most ordinary situations and moments in daily living. Yet we cannot deny that we need to be encouraged in our journey with the Lord especially when things seem to be very difficult and falling apart.

Jesus warns them not to talk about this marvelous experience until it had been fulfilled. And we know from Scriptures how the apostles became bold enough to proclaim the Risen Lord only after they received the Holy Spirit during Pentecost.

This advice of Jesus to Peter and his companions not to share the transforming experiences is something that we were not given. Yet, ironically, some of us seem hesitant to share our experiences. All of us have had religious experiences when we felt how much God loves us, how He continues to be gracious with His many gifts, how He has forgiven us. Yet, we need to ask ourselves whether we have been generous in sharing these experiences with others. Or have we simply resort to sharing these moments when it is convenient for us?

During this Season of Lent, our celebration may become more meaningful not only through the sharing of material resources but also when we share our experiences of God. Let us share our moments with God especially with those whom we feel are being left out by the Church and those who seem to lose hope.

We are familiar with the insight “The gift one receives, give it freely.” God will never be outdone in generosity. Like Abraham who was at a loss when God asked him to offer his son in sacrifice; Abraham’s heart was pained and his mind confused. Yet Abraham trusted God and God did not let him down. God blessed him generously.

During this season of Lent, let us consider and reflect on how we can
best encounter God in our prayers or in our daily lives. Let us share
our encounters of God with others.


45 posted on 03/04/2012 5:56:25 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 


<< Sunday, March 4, 2012 >> Second Sunday of Lent
Saint of the Day
 
Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18
Romans 8:31-34

View Readings
Psalm 116:10, 15-19
Mark 9:2-10

 

LISTEN UP

 
"A cloud came, overshadowing them, and out of the cloud a voice: 'This is My Son, My Beloved. Listen to Him.' " —Mark 9:7
 

Even the most committed Christian is not listening to the Lord much of the time. Those we call "holy" may be merely less disobedient than others. We are so compromised with our secular, pleasure-seeking lifestyle that we filter out much of what God is saying. We listen to God just enough to give ourselves the false impression that we usually listen to God. We need to be shaken up and break out of this rut of disobedience. We need to experience Jesus in a completely new way so we will listen to Him in a completely new way. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps 111:10).

I remember not listening seriously to my father, but then I saw him at his place of employment. I had never seen him in these circumstances. He was clearly a man of God, of faith, and of courage. He was transfigured in my eyes. I had never seen my dad in that way. From that point on, I listened to him as I had never done before.

We're not taking Jesus seriously. We seem unaware of His divinity. We don't listen to Him, His Word, and His Church. To listen to Him, we must see Jesus new and transfigured to break out of the rut of disobedience. "Listen to Him" (Mk 9:7).

 
Prayer: "Is it possible that He Who did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for the sake of us all will not grant us all things besides?" (Rm 8:32) In this Lent, Father, move in my life in new and mighty ways.
Promise: "Your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing — all this because you obeyed My command." —Gn 22:18
Praise: Praise and glory to You, Lord Jesus, for opening the eyes of our hearts!

46 posted on 03/04/2012 6:03:07 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
 
Help to stop abortion
in America
 through prayer!

 

47 posted on 03/04/2012 6:13:21 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2012-03-04-Homily%20Fr%20Gary.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily


48 posted on 03/14/2012 10:18:55 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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