Posted on 08/05/2014 9:57:45 PM PDT by Salvation
Feast Day: August 6
The Transfiguration
Feast Day: August 6
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us about the wonderful event of the Lord's Transfiguration. Before he suffered and died, he let three of his apostles see him shining with great glory. He did this to make their belief in him stronger.
Jesus took Peter, James and John with him up Mount Tabor which stands in the middle of Galilee. When they were alone, suddenly the Lord's face began to shine bright like the sun. His robes became white as snow. The apostles were speechless. As they watched, two famous prophets who had died a long time ago, Elijah and Moses, appeared. They were talking with Jesus. Imagine the joy those apostles felt.
"Lord," said St. Peter, "it is good for us to be here. If you wish, we could set up three tents here - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Peter really did not know what he was saying, because he was trembling with wonder and fear. As he was talking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. From the cloud they heard the voice of God the Father, saying, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him."
When they heard that, the apostles were so frightened that they fell on their faces. Then Jesus came close and touched them. "Arise," he said. "Do not be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one but Jesus.
As they came down the mountain, Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until he had risen from the dead but they did not understand what Jesus meant. Only after his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday, would they understand what Jesus had really meant.
Wednesday, August 6
Liturgical Color: White
Pope Paul VI died on this day in 1978.
He wrote the encyclical Humanae Vitae,
outlining the dangers of not respecting
life. His dire predictions of the harmful
effects of disregard for life have proven
true.
Why is it permissible to tolerate the killing of another human being in the case of legitimate self-defense?
Someone who is actually attacking the lives of others may and must be stopped, if necessary by killing the attacker himself. Legitimate defense against aggression is not only a right; for someone who bears the responsibility for the lives of others it can even become a duty. Nevertheless, legitimate defense must not employ wrong, inappropriately harsh methods.
Why is the Church opposed to capital punishment?
The Church is committed to opposing the death penalty because it is "both cruel and unnecessary" (Pope John Paul II, St. Louis, January 27, 1999). Every legitimate State has in principle the right to punish crime appropriately. In Evangelium vitae (1995), the Pope does not say that the use of the death penalty is in every respect an unacceptable and illegitimate punishment. To take the life of a criminal is an extreme measure to which the State should resort only "in cases of absolute necessity". This necessity arises when the only way to protect human society is by killing the convicted criminal. But such cases, says Pope John Paul II, "are very rare, if not practically non-existent". (YOUCAT questions 380-381)
Dig Deeper: CCC section (2263-2267) and other references here.
Part 3: Life in Christ (1691 - 2557)
Section 2: The Ten Commandments (2052 - 2557)
Chapter 2: You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself (2196 - 2557)
Article 5: The Fifth Commandment (2258 - 2330)
Jesus said to his disciples: "Love one another even as I have loved you."1 ⇡
You shall not kill.54
You have heard that it was said to the men of old, "You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment." But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.55 ⇡
I. RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE ⇡
Legitimate defense ⇡
The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and the killing of the aggressor. ... The one is intended, the other is not."65
1.
54.
55.
65.
St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,64,7, corp. art.
Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow: If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense will be lawful. ... Nor is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one is bound to take more care of one's own life than of another's.66
66.
St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,64,7, corp. art.
Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.
The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people's rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending public order and protecting people's safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party.67
67.
Cf. Lk 23:40-43.
Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically nonexistent."68
68.
John Paul II, Evangelium vitae 56.
Daily Readings for:August 06, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: O God, who in the glorious Transfiguration of your Only Begotten Son confirmed the mysteries of faith by the witness of the Fathers and wonderfully prefigured our full adoption to sonship, grant, we pray, to your servants, that, listening to the voice of your beloved Son, we may merit to become co-heirs with him. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
RECIPES
o Pilaff
ACTIVITIES
o Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album
o Religion in the Home for Preschool: August
PRAYERS
o Litany of the Most Holy Trinity
o Roman Ritual: Blessing of Grapes
o Roman Ritual: Blessing of a Granary or the Harvest
LIBRARY
o Our Bodies Will Share in the Resurrection | Pope John Paul II
o We Await New Heavens and a New Earth | Pope John Paul II
· Ordinary Time: August 6th
· Feast of the Transfiguration
Old Calendar: Transfiguration of Our Lord; St. Sixtus II, pope & Felicissimus & Agapitus, martyrs
This feast became widespread in the West in the 11th century and was introduced into the Roman calendar in 1457 to commemorate the victory over Islam in Belgrade. Before that, the Transfiguration of the Lord was celebrated in the Syrian, Byzantine, and Coptic rites. The Transfiguration foretells the glory of the Lord as God, and His Ascension into heaven. It anticipates the glory of heaven, where we shall see God face to face. Through grace, we already share in the divine promise of eternal life.
According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, in addition to the Feast of the Transfiguration; today is also the feast Sts. Sixtus II and Felicissimus & Agapitus who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian.
The Transfiguration
Our divine Redeemer, being in Galilee about a year before His sacred Passion, took with him St. Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, Sts. James and John, and led them to a retired mountain. Tradition assures us that this was Mount Thabor, which is exceedingly high and beautiful, and was anciently covered with green trees and shrubs, and was very fruitful. It rises something like a sugar-loaf, in a vast plain in the middle of Galilee. This was the place in which the Man-God appeared in His glory.
Whilst Jesus prayed, he suffered that glory which was always due to his sacred humility, and of which, for our sake, He deprived it, to diffuse a ray over His whole body. His face was altered and shone as the sun, and his garments became white as snow. Moses and Elias were seen by the three apostles in his company on this occasion, and were heard discoursing with him of the death which he was to suffer in Jerusalem.
The three apostles were wonderfully delighted with this glorious vision, and St. Peter cried out to Christ, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias" Whilst St. Peter was speaking, there came, on a sudden, a bright shining cloud from heaven, an emblem of the presence of God's majesty, and from out of this cloud was heard a voice which said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" The apostles that were present, upon hearing this voice, were seized with a sudden fear, and fell upon the ground; but Jesus, going to them, touched them, and bade them to rise. They immediately did so, and saw no one but Jesus standing in his ordinary state.
This vision happened in the night. As they went down the mountain early the next morning, Jesus bade them not to tell any one what they had seen till he should be risen from the dead.
Excerpted from Butler's Lives of the Saints, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
In the Transfiguration Christ enjoyed for a short while that glorified state which was to be permanently His after His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The splendor of His inward Divinity and of the Beatific Vision of His soul overflowed on His body, and permeated His garments so that Christ stood before Peter, James, and John in a snow-white brightness. The purpose of the Transfiguration was to encourage and strengthen the Apostles who were depressed by their Master's prediction of His own Passion and Death. The Apostles were made to understand that His redeeming work has two phases: The Cross, and glory—that we shall be glorified with Him only if we first suffer with Him.
— Rt. Rev. Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas
Sts. Sixtus II & Felicissimus & Agapitus
The Martyrs Archdeacon Laurence, Pope Sixtus, Deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus, the Soldier Romanus were citizens of Rome, and suffered in the year 258 under the emperor Valerian (253-259). Holy Pope Sixtus, born at Athens, received a fine education, preached in Spain and was made bishop in Rome following the martyr's death of Holy Pope Stephen. These were times when a pope occupying the Roman throne, was known to choose death for the faith. In a short while St Sixtus also was arrested and put in prison together with his deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus.
When the holy archdeacon Laurence visited Pope Sixtus, whom they held in prison, he cried out with tears: "Whither art thou gone, father? Why hast thou forsaken thine archdeacon, with whom always thou hast offered the Bloodless Sacrifice? Take thy son with thee, that I may be thy companion in having blood shed for Christ!" St Sixtus answered him: "I have not forsaken thee, my son. I am old and go to an easy death, but yet greater sufferings await thee. Know, that after three days upon our death thou shalt follow after me. And now go, take the church treasury and distribute it to the poor and needy Christians." St Laurence zealously did the bidding of the holy hierarch.
Having heard, that Pope Sixtus had been taken to trial with the deacons, St Laurence went there so as to witness their deed, and he said to the holy bishop: "Father, I have already fulfilled thy command, and distributed by hand thine treasury; forsake me not!" Hearing something about treasure, soldiers put him under guard, and the other martyrs were beheaded (+6 August 258).
Daily Marriage Tip for August 6, 2014:
Today we remember the bombing of Hiroshima. Nuclear war destroys everything lives, vegetation, genes, the future. Dont go nuclear on your spouse. Stop before your anger escalates. How do you cool down when irritated? A walk? Music? A bath?
Matthew | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Matthew 17 |
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1. | AND after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: | Et post dies sex assumit Jesus Petrum, et Jacobum, et Joannem fratrem ejus, et ducit illos in montem excelsum seorsum : | και μεθ ημερας εξ παραλαμβανει ο ιησους τον πετρον και ιακωβον και ιωαννην τον αδελφον αυτου και αναφερει αυτους εις ορος υψηλον κατ ιδιαν |
2. | And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. | et transfiguratus est ante eos. Et resplenduit facies ejus sicut sol : vestimenta autem ejus facta sunt alba sicut nix. | και μετεμορφωθη εμπροσθεν αυτων και ελαμψεν το προσωπον αυτου ως ο ηλιος τα δε ιματια αυτου εγενοντο λευκα ως το φως |
3. | And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. | Et ecce apparuerunt illis Moyses et Elias cum eo loquentes. | και ιδου ωφθησαν αυτοις μωσης και ηλιας μετ αυτου συλλαλουντες |
4. | And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. | Respondens autem Petrus, dixit ad Jesum : Domine, bonum est nos hic esse : si vis, faciamus tria tabernacula, tibi unum, Moysi unum, et Eliæ unum. | αποκριθεις δε ο πετρος ειπεν τω ιησου κυριε καλον εστιν ημας ωδε ειναι ει θελεις ποιησωμεν ωδε τρεις σκηνας σοι μιαν και μωση μιαν και μιαν ηλια |
5. | And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. | Adhuc eo loquente, ecce nubes lucida obumbravit eos. Et ecce vox de nube, dicens : Hic est Filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi bene complacui : ipsum audite. | ετι αυτου λαλουντος ιδου νεφελη φωτεινη επεσκιασεν αυτους και ιδου φωνη εκ της νεφελης λεγουσα ουτος εστιν ο υιος μου ο αγαπητος εν ω ευδοκησα αυτου ακουετε |
6. | And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. | Et audientes discipuli ceciderunt in faciem suam, et timuerunt valde. | και ακουσαντες οι μαθηται επεσον επι προσωπον αυτων και εφοβηθησαν σφοδρα |
7. | And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. | Et accessit Jesus, et tetigit eos : dixitque eis : Surgite, et nolite timere. | και προσελθων ο ιησους ηψατο αυτων και ειπεν εγερθητε και μη φοβεισθε |
8. | And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus. | Levantes autem oculos suos, neminem viderunt, nisi solum Jesum. | επαραντες δε τους οφθαλμους αυτων ουδενα ειδον ει μη τον ιησουν μονον |
9. | And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead. | Et descendentibus illis de monte, præcepit eis Jesus, dicens : Nemini dixeritis visionem, donec Filius hominis a mortuis resurgat. | και καταβαινοντων αυτων εκ του ορους ενετειλατο αυτοις ο ιησους λεγων μηδενι ειπητε το οραμα εως ου ο υιος του ανθρωπου εκ νεκρων αναστη |
The following is taken from an "Opening the Word" column I wrote for the February 28, 2010, edition of Our Sunday Visitor:
In sum, in the days leading up the Transfiguration, Jesus had directly confronted and demolished any false notions the disciples might have had about the nature of his mission. He strongly expressed the unwavering commitment he had to offering himself as a sacrifice for the world. His kingdom was not of this world, and he was not a political leader or a military warrior; he was not promising comfort and wealth. On the contrary, Jesus was promising a cross: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23).
We can only try to imagine how disorienting and confusing this had to be for the disciples. Suffering, rejection, and rapidly approaching death were not parts of their plan! In the midst of this confusion and anxiety, Jesus took Peter, John, and James, the inner circle of the disciples, up to the mountain to pray, ascending, as it were, toward the heavenly places. There, above the tumult of the world and an ominous future, Jesus revealed his glory and gave them a dazzling glimpse of their eternal calling.
But the glory witnessed by the three apostles was not just about the future. “The Transfiguration,” notes Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis in Fire of Mercy, Heart of the World (Ignatius Press, 2003), “is the experience of the fullness of divine Presence, action, communication, and glory now, in our very midst, in this world of passingness and disappointment.” It is about the fullness of life now—not ordinary, natural life, but extraordinary, supernatural life. The Transfiguration is about the gift of divine sonship, which comes from the Father, who says of Jesus, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
St. Thomas Aquinas, in considering whether it was fitting that Jesus should be transfigured, observed that since Jesus exhorted his disciples to follow the path of His sufferings, it was right for them to see his glory, to taste for a moment such eternal splendor so they might persevere. He wrote, in the third part of the Summa, “The adoption of the sons of God is through a certain conformity of image to the natural Son of God. Now this takes place in two ways: first, by the grace of the wayfarer, which is imperfect conformity; secondly, by glory, which is perfect conformity…”
Peter and the disciples had to learn that Jesus’ death was necessary so his life could be fully revealed and given to the world. “On Tabor, light pours forth from him,” writes Leiva-Merikakis, “on Calvary it will be blood.”
Today also marks the 36th anniversary of the death of Pope Paul VI. Here is some of what Pope John Paul II said about Paul VI and this great feast day in 1999:
Today, the Eucharist which we are preparing to celebrate takes us in spirit to Mount Tabor together with the Apostles Peter, James and John, to admire in rapture the splendour of the transfigured Lord. In the event of the Transfiguration we contemplate the mysterious encounter between history, which is being built every day, and the blessed inheritance that awaits us in heaven in full union with Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
We, pilgrims on earth, are granted to rejoice in the company of the transfigured Lord when we immerse ourselves in the things of above through prayer and the celebration of the divine mysteries. But, like the disciples, we too must descend from Tabor into daily life where human events challenge our faith. On the mountain we saw; on the paths of life we are asked tirelessly to proclaim the Gospel which illuminates the steps of believers.
This deep spiritual conviction guided the whole ecclesial mission of my venerable Predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI, who returned to the Father's house precisely on the Feast of the Transfiguration, 21 years ago now. In the reflection he had planned to give at the Angelus on that day, 6 August 1978, he said: 'The Transfiguration of the Lord, recalled by the liturgy of today's solemnity throws a dazzling light on our daily life, and makes us turn our mind to the immortal destiny which that fact foreshadows'.
Yes! Paul VI reminds us: we are made for eternity and eternity begins at this very moment, since the Lord is among us and lives with and in his Church.
From the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, here is the Troparion for the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration:
You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God, revealing as much of Your glory to Your Disciples as they could behold. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, let Your everlasting light also shine upon us sinners. O Giver of Light, glory be to You.
And here is part of reflection on the Feast and the tropar, written by a Byzantine Catholic monk:
The union of Christ's humanity and divinity is complete and full, and as we meditate upon the feasts of the Lord's life we always benefit by focusing on this wonderfully unity in his person. Let us, as disciples might, bask in the brightness of this mystery, begging our Savior God to reveal Himself more fully to us. For what we see is beautiful and alluring. The tropar proclaims that Christ reveals His glory to his disciples. But the glory is not the divinity, nor is it the humanity, both are glorious in Him! Let the light shine upon us sinners (for the glory of humanity is marred in us by sin), that enlightened and purified through this feast, we too may shine through His generous gift of mercy.
The Transfiguration of the Lord
Tuesday, 05 August 2014 20:19
Gazing on the Holy Face
One-hundred-seventeen years ago, on August 5th, 1897, the eve of the feast of the Transfiguration, a young Carmelite stricken with tuberculosis had a very special desire. She wanted an image of the Holy Face of Christ placed close to her bed. The image was brought from the choir and attached to her bed curtains. On the following September 30th, she died. Her name? Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. Saint Thérèse, a Doctor of the Church, fixed her gaze on the Face of Christ disfigured by suffering, and found the transfiguration of her own suffering in its radiance.
The Mystery of the Cross
The Holy Face of Christ was a mystery familiar to Thérèse. As a result of the good works of the Venerable Léon Dupont, the “Holy Man of Tours,” devotion to the Holy Face had spread throughout France. The Carmel of Lisieux honoured the Holy Face every August 6th, forty days before the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14th. Every August 6th, the Carmelites exposed the image of the Holy Face in their choir, anointed it with perfume, and prayed before it.
Hidden in the Secret of His Face
A year before her death on August 6, 1896, Thérèse and two of the novices entrusted to her consecrated themselves to the Holy Face of Jesus. They understood the mystery of the Transfiguration just as the liturgy presents it to us today: as a preparation for the Mystery of the Cross. The three young Carmelites asked Our Lord to hide them “in the secret of His Face.” They were drawn by the Holy Ghost into the abjection of Christ, the Suffering Servant described in chapters 52 and 53 of the prophet Isaiah. They desired to be Veronicas, consoling Jesus in His Passion, and offering Him souls. Their prayer concluded: “O beloved Face of Jesus! As we await the everlasting day when we will contemplate your infinite Glory, our one desire is to charm your Divine Eyes by hiding our faces too so that here on earth no one can recognize us. O Jesus! Your Veiled Gaze is our Heaven!”
Lectio Divina and Eucharistic Adoration
At the very center of the Transfiguration we see the Human Face of God, shining more brightly than the sun. Tradition gives us two privileged ways of seeking, of finding, and of contemplating the transfigured and transfiguring Face of Christ: the first is lectio divina in its two forms: the corporate choral lectio divina of the Sacred Liturgy, and the solitary lectio divina that prolongs the Sacred Liturgy and prepares it. One who seeks the Face of Christ in the Scriptures as dispensed to us by the Church will discover the Face of the Beloved peering through the lattice of the text, and will be changed by the experience. The second way is Eucharistic adoration. One who remains silent and adoring before the Divine Host, the “Veiled Gaze: of Jesus, will, almost imperceptibly, but surely, be transfigured and healed in its radiance.
To Seek God
Monasteries exist for one thing only: to be places where souls seek God. And where is God to be found except in Christ? “The knowledge of the glory of God,” says Saint Paul, “is given to us in the Face of His Christ” (2 Cor 4:6). Today’s Introit is the liturgical expression of the whole monastic quest. “Thou hast said, ‘Seek ye my Face.’ My heart says to thee, ‘Thy Face, Lord, do I seek.’ Hide not thy Face from me” (Ps 27:8-9a). The Holy Ghost works in lectio divina and Eucharistic adoration to reproduce in us the traits of the Holy Face of Christ. The Holy Ghost is, in effect, the Divine Iconographer who traces in our souls the features of the Face of Christ.
Infinite Beauty
The Face of Christ is “the splendor before which every other light pales, and the infinite beauty which alone can fully satisfy the human heart” (Vita Consecrata, art. 16). How fitting that, in the Greek text of today’s gospel, Saint Peter’s cry can, in fact, be translated, “Lord, it is beautiful for us to be here” (Mk 9:5)! In the transfigured Face of Christ we discover, in the words of Saint Clare of Assisi, “Him who gave Himself totally for our love, whose beauty the sun and moon admire, whose rewards and their preciousness and greatness are without end” (Letter III to Agnes of Prague).
Become What You Contemplate
Like Moses, to whom “the Lord used to speak face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex 33:11), and whose “face shone because he had been talking with God” (Ex 34:29), a soul faithful to lectio divina and to Eucharistic adoration will be transformed into the image that she contemplates. We become what we contemplate. One who contemplates disfigured things becomes inwardly disfigured. One who contemplates transfigured things becomes inwardly transfigured. One who contemplates the all-beautiful Face of the Incarnate Word will be supernaturally beautified.
The Prophet Daniel
Consider the experience of the prophet Daniel, awestruck in the presence of the Son of Man. Like Peter, James, and John on the holy mountain, Daniel is dazzled by the raiment of the Son of Man, white as snow (Dan 7:9). Again, like Peter, James, and John who were “heavy with sleep” (Lk 9:32), Daniel falls on his face, “in a deep sleep with his face to the ground” (Dan 10:9). This is no ordinary sleep; it is rather a mysterious sleep induced by the awesome proximity of the Divine, not unlike the sleep of Adam described in Genesis. “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man” (Gen 2:21).
Fear Not, Daniel
Daniel describes what happened then. “And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees” (Dan 10:10). The touch of the hand of the Son of Man raises Daniel from his complete prostration. “And he said to me, ‘O Daniel, man greatly beloved, give heed to the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.’ While he was speaking this word to me, says Daniel, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, ‘Fear not, Daniel’” (Dan 10:11-12).
The experience of Daniel ends with him being told to stand upright. It is a kind of resurrection. This too, the call to stand upright, to take our place with the risen Son, facing the Father, in the Holy Ghost, is part of our own transfiguration into the victimal priesthood of Christ. The soul transfigured stands before the Father, joyful and free, certain of being greatly beloved, and invested with the noble beauty of Christ’s royal priesthood.
Holy Mass
In every celebration of Holy Mass, we ascend the mountain with Christ. In the reading of the Scriptures, Our Lord reveals His Face; and in the hearing of the Word we go, as the Vulgate puts it, “from clarity to clarity.” Today, Moses and Elijah attest to Christ, the fulfillment of the Law and of the Prophets, and point to the mystery of His Exodus by way of the Cross and tomb, from the regions of darkness and of death into the very light and life of the Father.
Passing from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Holy Sacrifice, we, like Peter, James, and John, see his glory, not with eyes of flesh, but with the eyes of faith and by the light of the Holy Ghost. We know Him really present in the bread become His Body and in the wine become His Blood and, like Peter, cry out, “Master, it is beautiful to be here” (Lk 9:33).
The altar of the Holy Sacrifice is our Mount Tabor. Over the altar resounds the voice of the Father, “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him” (Lk 10:35). Invisibly yet truly, mystically yet really, the altar — and all of us who from it partake of the Body and Blood of Christ — are enveloped in the cloud of the Holy Spirit and assumed into the grand priestly prayer of Christ to the Father.
Eucharistic Transfiguration
The grace of today’s festival is our own Eucharistic transfiguration. Our Lord would take each of us and all of us into His hands today, to become with Him, in the Holy Spirit, one single oblation to the Father. Without fear, give yourselves over as victims into the wounded hands of our glorious Priest. He will consecrate you with Himself in the Holy Sacrifice. Then the Father, looking down from heaven, will recognize in each of us the Holy Face of His Son, the Beloved, for by the mystery of the Eucharist we are “being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:18).
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August 6, 2014. Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
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Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my beloved Son; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." Introductory Prayer: I come before you, Lord, a sinner in awe of your great love and mercy. I believe in you, and I put you at the center of my life. I humbly put all that I am before you and, like the apostles, recognize my littleness before your grandeur. With the help of the Blessed Mother’s intercession, I place this meditation in your hands, trusting that you will give me the graces that I need most. Petition: Lord, teach me how to listen to your voice. 1. Unexpected Graces: Peter, James and John are privileged to go with Jesus atop the mountain where he is transfigured before them. What a splendid sight it was: Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah before their very eyes. They are beside themselves and are in awe at what unfolds. This is the way Christ is with each of us. When we least expect it, he gives us a wonderful dose of his grace to strengthen us in our walk with him. This privilege, however, isn’t simply for us to look at and admire; it is a call to respond to his invitation of love. Jesus was calling these three apostles to a deeper level of love and trust in him; he is doing so with us, too. 2. Listen to Him: At this sight, the apostles are awestruck and don’t know what to say. Peter feels compelled to say something, although it seems he really didn’t know what he was saying. The question is: Why did he feel as if he had to say something? Often in the spiritual life, we can struggle with the temptation to say too much. In this Gospel passage we hear the portentous words of the Father: “This is my son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Christ is calling us to listen attentively to his words and not to feel compelled to have to say something. He is looking for a response in action more than in words. 3. Get up. Be Not Afraid: When his Transfiguration is over, Jesus gets the three apostles up. This experience of Christ was beyond them. Yet Christ is educating them as to his true nature, his divine nature. They don’t have to be able to explain it or understand it fully; they need to act in faith. This is what we are called to do: act in faith. There is no time for us to be afraid of what the future will bring. We must get up out of our comfort zones and our attitudes, listen to Christ, and do as he says in faith. There is so much for us to do and so little time in which to do it. We need to make use of every instant to learn from the Lord himself through prayer and the sacraments and to make a real difference in the world by bringing more souls to know, love and live for Christ. Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for revealing yourself to me and for showing me how to listen to God and do his will faithfully. I know that I can frustrate you, putting my two cents in and talking when I should be listening to you. I need to continue to learn how to listen more attentively to you. Please help me to be open and docile to you and your loving messages for me. Resolution: In my prayer time today I will dedicate myself to listening to the Lord. |
The Transfiguration of the Lord
He was transfigured before them. (Mark 9:2)
There are two key elements to just about every story: the plot (what happened) and the interpretation (why it happened). Well, today’s Gospel story of the Transfiguration has a very dramatic “what”—three apostles witnessed Jesus’ heavenly glory. But what about the “why”?
There are many ways to answer this question, but one important answer is that this event shows that God has a perfect plan. In fact, in his version of the story, Luke tells us that while he was transfigured, Jesus was speaking with Moses and Elijah about this plan, the “exodus” that Jesus “was going to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). God had a plan for his creation: to save us through Jesus’ “exodus” on the cross. Jesus’ death wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a mistake. It was part of God’s intention all along—all so that we could be set free from sin.
The Transfiguration also confirms God’s love for us. The imagery of the Transfiguration shows Jesus as a kind of “bridge” between heaven and earth. He is the “beloved Son” who pleases his Father and brings salvation to all people (Matthew 17:5). Speaking with Israel’s heroes of old, Jesus is also the bridge between God’s covenant with his chosen people and his new covenant with every one of us.
By telling us that Jesus’ clothes became “white as light” and that his face “shone like the sun,” Matthew also shows us that Jesus transcends the human limitations that we all experience. He shows us that Jesus truly is God with us.
Through this dramatic story, we can see that God is in control of his creation. He knows what’s going on in our lives and he has a marvelous plan for us, even if we have to endure a few crosses along the way.
So today, dwell on the miracle of the Transfiguration. Picture the scene in your mind. See Jesus in all of his glory. Let what you see convince you that God has a loving plan, and we are all part of it. Let God use this story to encourage you and to help you put your trust in his Son.
“Father, I trust in your plan. Help me to place my life in your hands.”
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 Peter 1:16-19
August 6, 2014
The Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor is not just an isolated event. What is the significance of the presence of both Moses and Elijah, two important personalities of the Old Testament? Both figures received God’s revelation on Mt Sinai. Moses represents the Law while Elijah, the prophets. In the Transfiguration event, the Father’s voice confirmed Jesus as the Son who brings to perfect fulfillment both the Law and the Prophets. This spectacle brought the disciples to their knees and they desired to remain and bask in this glory. But Christ forbade them to speak about this vision. The Transfiguration is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus must have allowed his apostles to experience the Transfiguration to imprint in their memory this glorious event to keep their faith in him strong because his time to suffer and die shamefully would happen soon. He told them “the Son of Man will be raised from the dead.” He wanted them not to forget. But forget they did. Peter followed him when he was being brought to the authorities. But what did Peter do? He denied being one of his followers. Not one of the apostles, except John, was present when Jesus died on the cross. They were afraid to be made to suffer, too. They forgot the transfiguration event. Are we not like the disciples whose memory is short?
Pope Benedict XVI’s said that “suffering is central to the Christian mission. It is an integral part of the Christian faith as a whole.” The cross of Christ will be the demon’s ruin,” said Pope Benedict, “and this is why Jesus does not cease to teach his disciples that in order to enter into his glory he must suffer much, be rejected, condemned and crucified. Suffering is an integral part of his mission.” The Pope sums up his teaching saying that ” Good and evil reside in the world and suffering indicates the conflict of the two. ” In the words of Saint Augustine, “evil is the lack of goodness where goodness ought to be.” Jesus cast out demons by scolding them because Satan is perplexed at Jesus’ willingness to suffer for the sake of humanity. That is why when Peter did not want Jesus to suffer, he called him Satan.
When we suffer from sickness, from loss of a loved one, or from failure, we are consoled by the fact that Jesus himself suffered. The cross is part of every Christian’s life. It is an opportunity to be closer to Jesus.
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Minority women constitute only about 13% of the female population (age 15-44) in the United States, but they underwent approximately 36% of the abortions.
According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, black women are more than 5 times as likely as white women to have an abortion.
On average, 1,876 black babies are aborted every day in the United States.
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