This is my Beloved Listen to him

Welcome to my blog and peace be with you.

Today in the Catholic Church we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord. The Scripture readings are chosen to help us understand the meaning of the Transfiguration and receive spiritual nourishment.

Your comments and insights are very welcome.

Thursday 6 August 2020

This is my Beloved. Listen to him

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 Mt 17: 5

In a resplendent cloud the Holy Spirit appeared.

The Father’s voice was heard: This is my beloved Son,

with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.

 

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Prayer

O God, who in the glorious Transfiguration

of your Only Begotten Son

confirmed the mysteries of faith by the witness of the Father

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 coheirs with him.

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

 

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First reading

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 ·

His robe was white as snow

As I watched:

Thrones were set in place

and one of great age took his seat.

His robe was white as snow,

the hair of his head as pure as wool.

His throne was a blaze of flames,

its wheels were a burning fire.

A stream of fire poured out,

issuing from his presence.

A thousand thousand waited on him,

ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

A court was held

and the books were opened.

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age

and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty,

glory and kingship,

and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty

which shall never pass away,

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

The author who gave himself the name of Daniel wrote this at a time of great persecution of the Jews around two hundred years before the birth of Jesus. Cruelly oppressed by their foreign rulers who strove to wipe out the Jewish religion and impose the Greek culture and religion, the author wrote to strengthen the faith of his fellow Jews. Many had lost their lives as martyrs. Others had gone along with the oppressors. The book is subversive. In order to be incomprehensible to the persecutors, the author writes in an enigmatic way. The son of man is the embodiment of the persecuted and oppressed people of God. Eventually, they will be raised to the glory of God. They will triumph. Therefore, do not lose your faith now – this is the message. Jesus will apply this name ‘Son of Man’ to himself. He is the persecuted and oppressed human being who will rise with the glory of God. All those who believe him, though persecuted now, will share in his glory.

Does this give you hope and courage?

 

 

Psalm

Psalm 97:1-2,5-6,9

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,

let all the coastlands be glad.

Cloud and darkness are his raiment;

his throne, justice and right.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

The mountains melt like wax

before the Lord of all the earth.

The skies proclaim his justice;

all peoples see his glory.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

For you indeed are the Lord

most high above all the earth,

exalted far above all spirits.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

 

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Mt17:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

This is my Son, the Beloved:

he enjoys my favour.

Listen to him.

Alleluia!

 

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Gospel

Matthew 17:1-9

His face shone like the sun

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.’ THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

Jesus was always God equal with the Father, St. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:6 “but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross”. Now for a moment, he shows his closest disciples who he really is. They will need it when they see him tortured and nailed helpless to a cross. Did they grasp the message? Looking at these same disciples on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday morning, one would think not. They were devastated by the death of their beloved Master. They couldn’t believe the witness of those who had seen him after his Resurrection. Only the beloved disciple on seeing the tomb realised he had risen from the dead. The beloved disciple could have been John, one of the three at the Transfiguration.

Amidst the innocent suffering and wickedness of the world, are you able to hold on to your faith in Jesus? Can you believe that one day God, in Jesus, will banish wickedness from creation and put down “the proud in the thoughts of their hearts”, bring down “the powerful from their thrones”, and lift up the lowly; that he will fill “the hungry with good things”, and send “the rich away empty”? He has promised this. Seeing the world, can we put our trust in him to do it? A victim himself, he rose from the dead with divine power.

 

Cf. 1 Jn 3: 2

When Christ appears, we shall be like him,

for we shall see him as he is.

 

Prayer 

May the heavenly nourishment we have received,

O Lord, we pray,

transform us into the likeness of your Son,

whose radiant splendour you willed to make manifest

in his glorious Transfiguration.

Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.