Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 03-16-14, Second Sunday of Lent

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 03-16-14 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

March 16, 2014

Second Sunday of Lent

 

 

Reading 1 Gn 12:1-4a

The LORD said to Abram:
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.

“I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.”

Abram went as the LORD directed him.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

R/ (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R/ Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R/ Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R/ Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

reading 2 2 Tim 1:8b-10

Beloved:
Bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.

Gospel Mt 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
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.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

[Salvation]

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ Ping

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[Salvation]

From: Genesis 12:1-4a

Abram and Lot

---

[1] Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and
your father’s house to the land that I will show you. [2] And I will make of you a
great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will
be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I
will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”

[4] So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

12:1-6. God’s call to Abraham (the name he would give him instead of Abram: cf.
17:5) marks the start of a new stage in his dealings with mankind, because his
covenant with Abraham will prove a blessing to all nations. It means that Abra-
ham has to break earthly ties, ties with family and place, and put his trust entire-
ly in God’s promise — an unknown country, many descendants (even though his
wife is barren: cf. 11:30) and God’s constant protection. This divine calling also
involves a break with the idolatrous cult followed by Abraham’s family in the city
of Haran (apparently a moon cult) so as to worship the true God.

Abraham responds to God’s call; believing and trusting totally in the divine word,
he leaves his country and heads for Canaan. Abraham’s attitude is in sharp con-
trast with the human pride described earlier in connection with the tower of Babel
(cf. 11:1-9), and even more so with the disobedience of Adam and Eve which was
the cause of mankind’s break with God.

The divine plan of salvation begins to operate by requiring man to make an act of
obedience: in Abraham’s case, he is asked to set out on a journey. This plan will
reach its ultimate goal with the perfect obedience shown by Jesus Christ “made
obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8), whereby all mankind will
obtain the mercy of God (cf. Rom 5:19). Everyone who listens and obeys the
voice of the Lord, all believers, can therefore be regarded as children of Abraham.
“Thus Abraham ‘believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ So
you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture
foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel be-
forehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then,
those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith” (Gal 3:6-9).

Jewish and Christian tradition sees the three things God requires Abram to give
up as epitomizing the demands of faith: “Through these three departures — from
country, kindred and father’s house,” according to Alcuin’s interpretation, “is
meant that we have to leave behind the earthly man, the ties of our vices, and
the world under the devil’s power” (”lnterrogationes in Genesim”, 154).

Abraham’s response also involves an attitude of prayer, an intimate relationship
with God. Although prayer makes its appearance at the very start of the Old Tes-
tament (cf. 4:4, 26; 5:24; etc.), it really comes into its own with our father Abra-
ham, as the “Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “When God calls him,
Abraham goes forth ‘as the Lord had told him’ (Gen 12:4). Abraham’s heart is en-
tirely submissive to the Word and so he obeys. Such attentiveness of the heart,
whose decisions are made according to God’s will, is essential to prayer, while
the words used count only in relation to it. Abraham’s prayer is expressed first
by deeds: a man of silence, he constructs an altar to the Lord at each stage of
his journey. Only later does Abraham’s first prayer in words appear: a veiled
complaint reminding God of his promises which seem unfulfilled (cf. Gen 15:2-3).
Thus one aspect of the drama of prayer appears from the beginning: the test of
faith in the fidelity of God” (no. 2570).

Abraham gets as far as the central part of Palestine, [whence] he moves south,
building as he goes altars to the Lord, to the true God, in places which will be-
come important shrines in later periods. The biblical text shows that Yahweh ac-
companies Abraham and that the latter renders him acceptable worship, in con-
trast with the idolatrous cult practised by the inhabitants of the country (given the
generic name of “Canaanites”). God, for his part, in all his appearances to the pa-
triarch, promises to give this land to his descendants (cf. 13:15; 15:18; 17:8; 26:
4). In this way the text is showing the radical source of the legitimacy of Israel’s
possession of the land of Canaan. However, this promise of a land to the descen-
dants of Abraham goes beyond the empirical fact of acquiring territory, and be-
comes a symbol of the blessings and the divine gifts in which all mankind will
share.

Speaking about Abraham’s faith in the word of God, St Paul interprets Abra-
ham’s “descendants” in the singular, as referring to one descendant only, Jesus
Christ, because only he, being the Son of God and making himself obedient unto
death, possesses all the divine goods and communicates them to man: “Christ
redeemed us [...] that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon
the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit. [...] Now the promi-
ses were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to off-
springs,’ referring to many; but, referring to one, ‘ And to your offspring,’ which
is Christ” (Gal 3:13-16).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

From: 2 Timothy 1:8-10

St Paul, Herald of the Gospel

---

[8b] 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 abo-
lished 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 Tim 3:15ff; Titus 3:5-7).
St Paul here speaks a succinct hymn in praise of salvation, probably using ex-
pressions 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 (v. 9)
and is manifested in the incarnation of Christ (v. 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. Tit 3:5; Eph 2:8-9); and 4) God’s plan is an eternal one (cf. Rom 8:29-
30; Eph 1:11).

“The appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 10) refers in the first place to his in-
carnation ( cf. Tit 2: 11; 3:4) but it includes his entire work of redemption, which
culminates in his appearing in glory and majesty (cf. 1 Tim 6:14; 2 Tim 4:1, 8).
The Redemption has two wonderful effects—victory over death (physical and spiri-
tual) and the abundant and luminous gift of everlasting life. “He is the true Lamb
who took 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 from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

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. Gal 2:9) to see his transfiguration and thereby glimpse the glory
and majesty with which is holy human nature will be endowed in heaven.

The Father’s testimony (v. 5), expressed in the same words as he used at Christ’s
baptism (cf. Mt 3: 17), reveals to the three Apostles that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God, the beloved Son, 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. Deut 18:15-18).

3. Moses and Elijah are the two most prominent representatives of the Old Testa-
ment—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 con-
tinually. 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’ (Mt 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-em-
bracing love. Furthermore, his death on the Cross speaks—that is to say the in-
scrutable 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 unwearyingly
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” (John Paul II, “Redemptor Hominis”, 7).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States

[Salvation]

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

---

First reading

Genesis 12:1-4 ©

The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing.

‘I will bless those who bless you:

I will curse those who slight you.

All the tribes of the earth

shall bless themselves by you.’

So Abram went as the Lord told him.

---

Psalm

Psalm 32:4-5,18-20,22 ©

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

The word of the Lord is faithful

  and all his works to be trusted.

The Lord loves justice and right

  and fills the earth with his love.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

  on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

  to keep them alive in famine.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

  The Lord is our help and our shield.

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

  as we place all our hope in you.

May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

---

Second reading

2 Timothy 1:8-10 ©

With me, bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God who has saved us and called us to be holy – not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace. This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time, but it has only been revealed by the Appearing of our saviour Christ Jesus. He abolished death, and he has proclaimed life and immortality through the Good News.

---

Gospel Acclamation

Mt17:5

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard:

‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

---

Gospel

Matthew 17:1-9 ©

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.

  As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’

[Salvation]

A Lenten Meditation on the Cross as a Place of Love, even joy
Ten Tips for the Best Lent [Catholic Caucus]
Lenten Station Churches of Rome - Ash Wednesday - Santa Sabina (LIVE coverage 10:30 am)

EWTN adds Lenten scripture challenge to app
Make Your Lent Beautiful with Lent at Ephesus
Ancient Lenten pilgrimage comes to life through new book
Detox Your Soul This Lent
Lent is coming: Time to prepare Printable Lent Worksheet
Cdl. Bergoglio's Lenten Letter, 2013
Your Guide To A Catholic Lent
Following the Truth: Lent: Becoming Uncomfortable About Being Comfortable [Catholic and Open]
Following the Truth: Spiritual Exercises – Week One [of Lent] In Review
Clerical Narcissism and Lent
Content of Pope's Lenten spiritual exercises revealed
How Lent Can Make a Difference in Your Relationship with God (Ecumenical Thread)
A Call from the FSSP French District: offer up your Lent for Catholic Unity [Catholic Caucus]
A Call from the FSSP French District: offer up your Lent for Catholic Unity [Catholic Caucus]
On the 40 Days of Lent
Christians Tailor Lent Outside Catholic Traditions
Christians Tailor Lent Outside Catholic Traditions
Lent, A Time to Shoulder Our Christian Responsibilities
Consecrate this Lent to Jesus through Mary, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity [Catholic Caucus]
Opinion: Lent for Redacted [Ekoomenikal]

Ash (or Clean) Monday - Lent Begins (for some Catholics) - February 20, 2012
[Why I Am Catholic]: Lent And Holy Week (A Primer) [Catholic Caucus]
Lent, A Time to Give from the Heart [Catholic caucus}
Learning the beatitudes during Lent -- use your Rosary to learn the Beatitutdes [Catholic Caucus]
Lenten Ember Days: March 16th, 18th, and 19th, 2011 (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
St. Vincent Ferrer - Sermon for the First Sunday of Lent [Ecumenical]
Pope describes ‘Lenten road’ that leads to renewal
St. Andrew of Crete, Great Canon of Repentance - Tuesday's portion (Orthodox/Latin Caucus)
The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (Monday's portion) [Orth/Cath Caucus]
Penance and Reparation: A Lenten Meditation(Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
For Lent - Top 10 Bible Verses on Penance
Cana Sunday: Entrance into Great Lent
2011 Catechetical Homily on the opening of Holy and Great Lent
8 Ways to Pray During Lent [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Baptists, Lent, and the Rummage Sale
So What Shall We Do during These Forty Days of Lent? [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Lenten Traditions (Catholic Caucus)
Are You Scrupulous? A Lenten Homily by John Cardinal O’Connor
Blow the Trumpet! Call the Assembly! The Blessings of Fasting
Lenten Challenges

Lent and the Catholic Business Professional (Interview)
Temptations Correspond to Our Vulnerabilities: Biblical Reflection for 1st Sunday of Lent
A Lenten “Weight” Loss Program
On the Lenten Season
Lent 2010: Pierce Thou My Heart, Love Crucified [Catholic Caucus]
US seminarians begin Lenten pilgrimage to Rome's ancient churches
Conversion "is going against the current" of an "illusory way of life"[Pope Benedict XVI for Lent]
vanity] Hope you all make a good Lent [Catholic Caucus]
Lent -- Easter 2010, Reflections, Prayer, Actions Day by Day
Stational Churches (Virtually visit one each day and pray)
40 Ways to Get the Most Out of Lent!
What to Give Up (for Lent)? The List
On the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting [Pope Clement XIII]
Christ's temptation and ours (Reflection for the First Sunday of Lent)
Pope Benedict XVI Message for Lent 2010 (Feb 15 = Ash Monday & Feb 17 = Ash Wednesday)
Whatever happened to (Lenten) obligations? [Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving]Archbishop John Vlazny
Vatican Presents Lenten Website: LENT 2009
A Scriptural Way of the Cross with Meditations by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (Lenten Prayer/Devotional)
Prayer, Fasting and Mercy by St. Peter Chrysologus, Early Church Father [Catholic Caucus]
History of Lent (Did the Church always have this time before Easter?)

Beginning of Lent
Lent (Catholic Encyclopedia - Caucus Thread)
At Lent, let us pray for the Pope (converts ask us to pray for the pope)
Daily Lenten Reflections 2009
LENTEN STATIONS [Stational Churches for Lent] (Catholic Caucus)
40 Days for Life campaign is now under way (February 25 - April 5]
This Lent, live as if Jesus Christ is indeed Lord of your life
Reconciliation, forgiveness, hope – and Lent
Intro to Fast and Abstinence 101
Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself (with Scriptural references)
40 Ways to Improve Your Lent
Everything Lent (Lots of links)
The Best Kind of Fasting
Getting Serious About Lent
Lent Overview
Meditations on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ [Devotional]
On Lent... and Lourdes (Benedict XVI's Angelus address)
Lent for Newbies
Lent -- 2008 -- Come and Pray Each Day
Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself

Lenten Workshop [lots of ideas for all]
Lent and Reality
Forty Days (of Lent) [Devotional/Reflections]
Pope Benedict takes his own advice, plans to go on retreat for Lent
GUIDE FOR LENT - What the Catholic Church Says
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008
40 Days for Life: 2008 Campaigns [Lent Registration this week]
Vatican Web Site Focuses on Lent
Almsgiving [Lent]
Conversion Through Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving [Lent]
Lenten Stations -- Stational Churches - visit each with us during Lent {Catholic Caucus}
Something New for Lent: Part I -- Holy Souls Saturdays
Reflections for Lent (February, March and April, 2007)
Lent 2007: The Love Letter Written by Pope Benedict
Pre-Lent through Easter Prayer and Reflections -- 2007
Stations of the Cross [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
For study and reflection during Lent - Mind, Heart, Soul [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Fast-Family observance Lenten season [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Pre-Lenten Days -- Family activities-Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras)[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
40 Ways to Get the Most Out of Lent! [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

Lenten Fasting or Feasting? [Catholic Caucus]
Pope's Message for Lent-2007
THE TRUE NATURE OF FASTING (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
The Triduum and 40 Days
The Three Practices of Lent: Praying, Fasting. Almsgiving
Why We Need Lent
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2006
Lent a Time for Renewal, Says Benedict XVI
Why You Should Celebrate Lent
Getting the Most Out of Lent
Lent: A Time to Fast >From Media and Criticism Says President of Pontifical Liturgical Institute
Give it up (making a Lenten sacrifice)
The History of Lent
The Holy Season of Lent -- Fast and Abstinence
The Holy Season of Lent -- The Stations of the Cross
Lent and Fasting
Mardi Gras' Catholic Roots [Shrove Tuesday]
Kids and Holiness: Making Lent Meaningful to Children
Ash Wednesday
All About Lent

[Salvation]

40 Days for Life -- March 3 through April 13 -- Pray to End Abortion

[Salvation]

Perpetual Novena for the Nation (Ecumenical)

[Salvation]

Prayers for The Religion Forum (Ecumenical)

[Salvation]

 

Jesus, High Priest

 

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem.  He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

[Salvation]

The 1961 Missal says to use the Sorrowful Mysteries from Ash Wednesday to Easter.

[Salvation]

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1.  Sign of the Cross:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

2.  The Apostles Creed:  II BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3.  The Lord's Prayer:  OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary:  HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be:  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.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer.  Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

 

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

[Salvation]

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
 Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we  humbly pray,
 and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
 by the power of God,
 Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
 Amen
+

[Salvation]

A Prayer for our Free Nation Under God
God Save Our Country web site (prayer warriors)
Prayer Chain Request for the United States of America
Pray for Nancy Pelosi
Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform (Freeper Prayer Thread)
Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life
[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
Non-stop Rosary vigil to defeat ObamaCare

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:

"Pray for Obama.  Psalm 109:8"

   

PLEASE JOIN US -

Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?  

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.    Please forward this to your praying friends.

[Salvation]

 

March Devotion: Saint Joseph

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Due to the solemnity of Saint Joseph on March 19, this month is devoted to this great saint, the foster father of Christ. "It greatly behooves Christians, while honoring the Virgin Mother of God, constantly to invoke with deep piety and confidence her most chaste spouse, Saint Joseph. We have a well grounded conviction that such is the special desire of the Blessed Virgin herself." --Pope Leo XIII

FOR OUR WORK
Glorious Saint Joseph, pattern of all who are devoted to toil, obtain for me the grace to toil in the spirit of penance, in order thereby to atone for my many sins; to toil conscientiously, putting devotion to duty before my own inclinations; to labor with thankfulness and joy, deeming it an honor to employ and to develop, by my labor, the gifts I have received from Almighty God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties; to work above all with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone, and of my empty pride in success, which is so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, all in imitation of thee, 0 Patriarch Joseph! This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen.

FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT JOSEPH
O Joseph, virgin-father of Jesus, most pure spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray every day for us to the same Jesus, the Son of God, that we, being defended by the power of His grace and striving dutifully in life, may be crowned by Him at the hour of death.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

St. Joseph
St. Joseph was an ordinary manual laborer although descended from the royal house of David. In the designs of Providence he was destined to become the spouse of the Mother of God. His high privilege is expressed in a single phrase, "Foster-father of Jesus." About him Sacred Scripture has little more to say than that he was a just man-an expression which indicates how faithfully he fulfilled his high trust of protecting and guarding God's greatest treasures upon earth, Jesus and Mary.

The darkest hours of his life may well have been those when he first learned of Mary's pregnancy; but precisely in this time of trial Joseph showed himself great. His suffering, which likewise formed a part of the work of the redemption, was not without great providential import: Joseph was to be, for all times, the trustworthy witness of the Messiah's virgin birth. After this, he modestly retires into the background of holy Scripture.

Of St. Joseph's death the Bible tells us nothing. There are indications, however, that he died before the beginning of Christ's public life. His was the most beautiful death that one could have, in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Humbly and unknown, he passed his years at Nazareth, silent and almost forgotten he remained in the background through centuries of Church history. Only in more recent times has he been accorded greater honor. Liturgical veneration of St. Joseph began in the fifteenth century, fostered by Sts. Brigid of Sweden and Bernadine of Siena. St. Teresa, too, did much to further his cult.

At present there are two major feasts in his honor. On March 19 our veneration is directed to him personally and to his part in the work of redemption, while on May 1 we honor him as the patron of workmen throughout the world and as our guide in the difficult matter of establishing equitable norms regarding obligations and rights in the social order.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

St. Joseph is invoked as patron for many causes. He is the patron of the Universal Church. He is the patron of the dying because Jesus and Mary were at his death-bed. He is also the patron of fathers, of carpenters, and of social justice. Many religious orders and communities are placed under his patronage.

Patron: Against doubt; against hesitation; Americas; Austria; Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; California; Belgium; Bohemia; bursars; cabinetmakers; Canada; Carinthia; carpenters; China; Church; confectioners; craftsmen; Croatian people (in 1687 by decree of the Croatian parliament) dying people; emigrants; engineers; expectant mothers; families; fathers; Florence, Italy; happy death; holy death; house hunters; immigrants; interior souls; Korea; laborers; Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin; Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire; Mexico; Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee; New France; New World; Oblates of Saint Joseph; people in doubt; people who fight Communism; Peru; pioneers; pregnant women; protection of the Church; Diocese of San Jose, California; diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; social justice; Styria, Austria; travelers; Turin Italy; Tyrol Austria; unborn children Universal Church; Vatican II; Viet Nam; Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston West Virginia; wheelwrights; workers; working people.

Symbols: Bible; branch; capenter's square; carpenter's tools; chalice; cross; hand tools; infant Jesus; ladder; lamb; lily; monstrance; old man holding a lily and a carpenter's tool such as a square; old man holding the infant Jesus; plane; rod.

 

 

Prayer to St. Joseph

Pope Pius X composed this prayer to St. Joseph, patron of working people, that expresses concisely the Christian attitude toward labor. It summarizes also for us the lessons of the Holy Family's work at Nazareth.

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who devote their lives to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in order thereby to atone for my many sins; to work conscientiously, setting devotion to duty in preference to my own whims; to work with thankfulness and joy, deeming it an honor to employ and to develop by my labor the gifts I have received from God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties; to work above all with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill spent, of talents wasted, of good omitted, and of vain complacency in success, which is so fatal to the work of God.

All for Jesus, all through Mary, all in imitation of you, O Patriarch Joseph! This shall be my motto in life and in death, Amen.

Litany of Saint Joseph
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Joseph, pray for us.
Illustrious Son of David, pray for us.
Light of the Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster-Father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Faithful Protector of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
Joseph most just, pray for us.
Joseph most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph most courageous, pray for us.
Joseph most obedient, pray for us.
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.
Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of working men, pray for us.
Ornament of the domestic life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of the family, pray for us.
Consoler of the miserable, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of the Holy Church, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. He hath made him master of His house.
R. And ruler of all His possessions.

Let us pray.
O God, who in Thy ineffable providence didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the Spouse of Thy most holy Mother: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may have him for our intercessor in Heaven, whom on earth we venerate as out most holy Protector. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Was St. Joseph a tzadik?
St. Joseph: Patron saint of three Popes [Catholic Caucus]
St. Joseph and the Staircase
St. Joseph, Foster Father, Novena [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Patron of a “Happy Death” A Special Role for St. Joseph [Catholic/Orhtodox Caucus]
Lists Every Catholic Should be Familiar With: The 7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph
Catholic Group Blasts Pelosi For Invoking St. Joseph on Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill
THE SEVEN SORROWS AND SEVEN JOYS OF ST. JOSEPH
Joseph, Mary and Jesus: A Model Family
Season of Announcement - Revelation to Joseph

In hard times, don't forget about the humble carpenter Joseph
Saint Joseph: Complete submission to the will of God (Pope Benedict XVI) (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
St. Joseph, Patron of a Peaceful Death [Catholic Caucus]
Octave: St. Joseph, A 'Man’s Man', Calling Men to Jesus
St. Teresa de Avila's Devotion to St. Joseph (Catholic Caucus)
Catholic Men's National Day of Prayer, MARCH 15, 2008, The Solemnity of St. Joseph (Catholic Caucus)
The Role and Responsibility of Fatherhood - St. Joseph as Model
St. Joseph - Foster Father of Jesus
Some divine intervention in real estate-[Bury St. Joseph Statues in Ground]

Many Turn To Higher Power For Home Sales
St. Joseph the Worker, Memorial, May 1
Catholic Devotions: St. Joseph the Worker
Nothing Will Be Denied Him (St. Joseph)
The Heart of a Father [St. Joseph]
St. Joseph's DAY
Quemadmodum Deus - Decree Under Blessed Pius IX, Making St. Joseph Patron of the Church
Father & Child (Preaching on St. Joseph)
March 19 - Feast of St. Joseph - Husband of Mary - Intercessor of civil leaders
St. Joseph's Spirit of Silence

St. Joseph's Humility (By St. Francis de Sales)
St. Joseph [Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary], Solemnity, March 19
St Joseph’s Paternal Love
The Heart of St. Joseph
MORE THAN PATRON OF HOMES, IT'S TIME FOR ST. JOSEPH TO GAIN HIGHEST OF RECOGNITION [Fatherhood]
The Importance of Devotion to St. Joseph
St. Francis de Sales on St. Joseph (Some Excerpts for St. Joseph's Day 2004)
St. Joseph: REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS (Guardian Of The Redeemer)
(Saint) Joseph the Patriarch: A Reflection on the Solemnity of St. Joseph
How I Rediscovered a "Neglected" Saint: Work of Art Inspires Young Man to Rediscover St. Joseph

Novena to Saint Joseph

O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.

O Saint Joseph, assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.

O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath, Amen.

O Saint Joseph, hear my prayers and obtain my petitions. O Saint Joseph, pray for me. (mention your intention)

St. Joseph Novena

O good father Joseph! I beg you,  by all your sufferings, sorrows and joys, to obtain for me what I ask.

(Here name your petition).

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers, everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Be near to me in my last moments, that I may eternally sing the praises of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)

[Salvation]

Pope's Intentions

March 2014

Universal: That all cultures may respect the rights and dignity of women.

For Evangelization: That many young people may accept the Lord’s invitation to consecrate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel.

[Salvation]

Daily Gospel Commentary

Second Sunday of Lent - Year A

Commentary of the day
Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
Homilies on Saint Matthew's Gospel, no. 56 ; PG 58, 549

"Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Jesus Christ talked to his disciples a great deal about his sufferings, Passion and death, and he foretold the afflictions they themselves would have to endure and the violent deaths they would one day have to undergo (Mt 16,21-26). That is why, after telling them such hard and difficult things, he tries to comfort them by drawing attention to the reward he will give them when he comes in his Father's glory (v.27)... He wants to show them beforehand, so far as they are capable of it in this life, the great majesty in which he was to come and thus forestall the trouble and sadness his apostles, particularly Saint Peter, might feel before his death...

“Jesus took with him Peter, James and John.” Why only take these three apostles? No doubt because they outstripped the others. Saint Peter because of his ardor, his love; Saint John because he was the disciple Jesus loved (Jn 13,23); and Saint James because he had said along with his brother: “We can drink your cup” (Mt 20,22) and subsequently kept his word (Acts 12,2)...

Why did Jesus cause Moses and Elijah to appear?... He was constantly accused of breaking the Law and blaspheming, appropriating for himself a glory that did not belong to him, the glory of the Father... Therefore, wanting to show that he did not violate the Law and did not attribute to himself a glory that did not belong to him, Jesus calls on the authority of two of the most unimpeachable witnesses: Moses, who had given the Law..., and Elijah, who had burned with zeal for the glory and service of God (1Kgs 19,10)... He also wanted to teach them he was lord over life and death by causing one man who was dead, and another who had been carried off alive in a fiery chariot (2Kgs 2,11), to appear. He wanted, too, to reveal the glory of his cross to his disciples and comfort Peter and his companions who were frightened by his Passion, reviving their courage. For Moses and Elijah spoke with him about the glory he was to receive in Jerusalem (Lk 9,31). That is to say, they spoke of his Passion, his Cross, which the prophets had always called his glory.

[Salvation]

Zenit.org

Lent: Exodus of Light and Tents of Peace

Lectio Divina: 2nd Sunday of Lent, Year A

Paris, March 14, 2014 (Zenit.org) Monsignor Francesco Follo | 396 hits

1) Lent: Exodus of penance and light.

     Lent is not just a journey of penance of people grieving for their sin. It is the path of light or better, the conversion to light. The victory over temptation is already a source of transfiguration.

     This Sunday's Gospel presents us with the fact of the Transfiguration of Christ. It is an event that marked the lives not only of Jesus, but also of Peter, James and John and must mark our existence.

     The context is of prayer on Mount Tabor. It is a very special and privileged time. It is the revelation of the divinity of Jesus. It is a moment of light that Jesus had wanted to prepare his disciples for the passion and us too so that we come prepared to Good Friday. We too must enter into the mystery of the Transfiguration and make it our own. Not only must we contemplate the radiant Christ, but become what we behold.

     The first way to participate in the supernatural gift of the Transfiguration is make time to pray and listen to the Word of God; it is to focus our attention over the consecrated Host. Furthermore, especially in this time of Lent, it is to respond to the divine invitation of penance by some voluntary act of mortification outside the renunciation imposed by the burdens of everyday life.

     Another way to live the mystery of the Transfiguration is to imagine the scene described in the Gospel and identify with one of the three apostles who accompanied Jesus on Mount Tabor : " And he was transfigured before them (the three apostles, Peter , James and John ) : his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light" (Mt 17:1-2 ). Jesus is transfigured: the white robes (St. Maximus the Confessor says that, “his clothes became white, bore the symbol of the words of Sacred Scripture that became clear and transparent and bright” Ambiguum 10: page 91, 1128 B) and the shining face take us in the direction of the Son of Man of Daniel, glorious and victorious. In this way, it is revealed that Jesus, who is on his way to the Cross, is the Lord and that He is actually on the way to the light of the Resurrection. The last and painful pilgrimage that Jesus is pursuing hides a Pascal meaning. But it is a fleeting and provisional anticipation: the road ahead is that of the Cross. And in fact, the three beloved disciples, called to see in advance the glory of Jesus, are the same ones that in Gethsemane will be called to see his weakness. Peter, James and John (and we with them), contemplating the divinity of the Lord, are prepared to deal with the scandal of the cross, as it is sung in an old hymn, "On the mount you have transfigured and your followers, as far as they were able, have beheld your glory so that, seeing you crucified, they understand that your passion was voluntary and announce to the world that you truly are the splendor of the Father."

2) The tents and the Tent.

     The Gospel continues narrating that, beside the transfigured Jesus, “Moses and Elijah[1] appeared, conversing with him” (Mt 17:3); Moses and Elijah, the figure of the Law and the Prophets. It was then that Peter, delighted, exclaimed: “Lord, it is good for us to be here! If you want , I will make three tents[2] here , one for you , one for Moses and one for Elijah "(Matthew 17:4) . But I believe that in this Gospel’s passage the tent can be interpreted in reference to the exodus.

     The forty years in the desert were a time of transition and testing, but were also a special time. In the desert, the tents must be erected every evening and put away every morning. The desert is the place of horror and death, the place of scorpions, snakes, the place of thirst and hunger, the place of hidden raiders who fall suddenly on the caravan. But at the same time it is the place of strength and life. Never before as in the desert are the people strong because they are bare, lightweight, carry little baggage but plenty of life, a lot of hope, a lot of energy to cherish it later on when they arrive in the Country[3].

     The desert and the tents were and are a privileged place, the place where you are face to face with God. They are also the place and the time of the total dependence. Already in the desert of the exodus, the facts that the New Testament will take over as the last, messianic and eschatological, namely the water, the manna and the Word, are understood precisely in this sense of total dependence on God.

      The people who live under the tent cannot do without vital elements such as water and food, manna and the quails of the desert (Exodus 16, 1-36 and 17, 1-7). The Lord sends the goods, but the Lord wants the people to have full availability and dependence and to prove it, because the Lord does not miss anything to anyone.

     But we must also speak of the tent with a capital T. In fact, St. Augustine already commented on the phrase of St. Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, saying that we have a single dwelling: Christ. He “is the Word of God, the Word of God in the Law, the Word of God in the Prophets “(Sermo de Verbis Ev. 78.3: PL 38, 491). The Lord has established his tent among the tents, these tents become the place where to live a true life due to the fact that the Lord is present; He is the Emmanuel, God- with-us, God among us, always.

     This Tent among the tents implies that God becomes like men. It is a God who lowered himself and is almost destroyed, to dwell among the tents of men.

     An example of tents next to The tent are the consecrated Virgins. These women are called to live their lives with availability and full dependence. In the Church, these women are called to give themselves totally to the Lord with the choice of Virginity and continuing to live in the world. Their consecration expresses the importance of a joyful "totality" in the gift of self and of the constant search for the primacy of contemplation in the total availability to service in the Church, with and for brothers.

--

Roman Rite - Second Sunday of Lent - Year A - March 16, 2014

Gn 12:1-4; Ps 33; 2 Tim 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9

[Salvation]

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY

Awe

Fr. Jerry Pokorsky

“Our God is an awesome God.” Trivializing the real meaning of awe, it’s one of the most annoying lines in pop-religion. Awe is not the response we have for an indulgent father (“Thanks, Dad, you’re awesome”). Awe is a response to an encounter with the infinite majesty of the divine. It is greater than the sense of wonder or mere amazement. There is even something violent in the sense of awe. Awe is uncontrollable and engages the emotions, shaking the body and the soul.

Adam’s response after the creation of Eve is a response of awe to the creative and loving power of God: “At last bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh.” Indeed, awe is a magnificent gift. St. Paul describes the awe of heavenly glory when he writes: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).

But after the fall of Adam, the gift of awe in the presence of the divine has been wounded by sin, introducing the factor of fear. Fear is the emotion that recognizes some kind of danger to life and limb. It also recognizes the insignificance, perhaps even the futility of one’s existence in the presence of the Creator. Adam and Eve were fearful of the Lord after the fall. They covered themselves in shame and hid from His view. Their shame was the result of their sin, their violation of the Creator’s commandments. And they feared divine retribution. Their sense of awe would be forever distorted by fear.

Of course, Scriptures teach us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise” (Ps 111.10). The role of fear is to impel us to follow God’s precepts. Even servile fear is not a bad beginning leading to a righteous life. But servile fear itself needs to be purified if the sense of awe is to be restored to its original dignity and beauty.

St. Peter was awestruck at the beginning of the ministry of Christ after witnessing the miraculous catch (cf. Lk 5). He and the others were violently “seized” with fear in the presence of the divine. But Peter’s awe is filled with fear and a sense of his nothingness. He falls to his knees and begs Jesus, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Similarly, when the disciples saw Christ walking on the sea “they were terrified: ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and they cried out in fear” (cf. Jn 6). The violent fear of the divine intertwined with their awe-filled sense of His presence is paralyzing.

This Sunday’s Gospel — the account of the Transfiguration — again provides a description of the paralyzing effects of awe in the presence of the divine. Shortly before the Passion, Christ is “transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” A voice from the heavens directs them, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The response of the apostles is awe, an awe that includes a violent recoiling in fear. And “when the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.”

Paradoxically after the fall of Adam fear is not only the “beginning of wisdom” in that it recognizes God’s omnipotence and our sinfulness; it is also a significant obstacle to intimacy with God. A truly loving relationship with God is impossible with mere servile fear. Hence, revisiting the Gospel accounts identified above, every time the apostles are awestruck and paralyzed with fear, Christ intervenes. He repeatedly instructs them to “be not afraid.” His “be not afraid” command transforms their fearful response of awe to a rational faith in the person and mission of Christ.

Their awe, purified of the paralyzing effects of fear, would make it possible for Christ to free them to be “fishers of men.” It would allow them to see Jesus clearly for who He is and witness, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” And finally, their awe, purified of fear, would prepare them to endure the Passion of Christ: “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. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, ‘Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’”

During the Last Supper, the revelation as to how awe is liberated from fear comes to completion. Christ tells His apostles, “I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.”

Awe in our encounter with the divine is liberated from servile fear and transformed in the friendship of Christ. Ultimately, it is the awesome power of love — not fear — that impels us to walk with Christ in the intimacy of faith and enter into His kingdom.

Fr. Pokorsky is pastor of St. Michael Church in Annandale.