[말씀묵상] 2007년 3월 4일 사순 제2주일 다해 / 영문 복음묵상

[삿갓]

 2007년 3월 4일 사순 제2주일 다해

제1독서 창세기 15,5-12.17-18

그 무렵 하느님께서 5 아브람을 밖으로 데리고 나가서 말씀하셨다. “하늘을 쳐다보아라. 네가 셀 수 있거든 저 별들을 세어 보아라.” 그에게 또 말씀하셨다. “너의 후손이 저렇게 많아질 것이다.” 6 아브람이 주님을 믿으니, 주님께서 그 믿음을 의로움으로 인정해 주셨다. 7 주님께서 그에게 말씀하셨다.
“나는 주님이다. 이 땅을 너에게 주어 차지하게 하려고, 너를 칼데아의 우르에서 이끌어 낸 이다.”
8 아브람이 “주 하느님, 제가 그것을 차지하리라는 것을 무엇으로 알 수 있겠습니까?” 하고 묻자, 9 주님께서 그에게 말씀하셨다. “삼 년 된 암송아지 한 마리와 삼 년 된 암염소 한 마리와 삼 년 된 숫양 한 마리, 그리고 산비둘기 한 마리와 어린 집비둘기 한 마리를 나에게 가져오너라.”
10 그는 이 모든 것을 주님께 가져와서 반으로 잘라, 잘린 반쪽들을 마주 보게 차려 놓았다. 그러나 날짐승들은 자르지 않았다. 11 맹금들이 죽은 짐승들 위로 날아들자, 아브람은 그것들을 쫓아냈다. 12 해 질 무렵, 아브람 위로 깊은 잠이 쏟아지는데, 공포와 짙은 암흑이 그를 휩쌌다.
17 해가 지고 어둠이 깔리자, 연기 뿜는 화덕과 타오르는 횃불이 그 쪼개 놓은 짐승들 사이로 지나갔다. 18 그날 주님께서는 아브람과 계약을 맺으시며 이렇게 말씀하셨다. “나는 이집트 강에서 큰 강 곧 유프라테스 강까지 이르는 이 땅을 너의 후손에게 준다.”

제2독서 필리피서 3,17─4,1

17 형제 여러분, <다 함께 나를 본받는 사람이 되십시오. 여러분이 우리를 본보기로 삼는 것처럼 그렇게 살아가는 다른 이들도 눈여겨보십시오. 18 내가 이미 여러분에게 자주 말하였고 지금도 눈물을 흘리며 말하는데, 많은 사람이 그리스도의 십자가의 원수로 살아가고 있습니다. 19 그들의 끝은 멸망입니다. 그들은 자기네 배를 하느님으로, 자기네 수치를 영광으로 삼으며 이 세상 것만 생각합니다.
20 그러나> 우리는 하늘의 시민입니다. 그리고 그곳에서 구세주로 오실 주 예수 그리스도를 고대합니다. 21 그리스도께서는 만물을 당신께 복종시키실 수도 있는 그 권능으로, 우리의 비천한 몸을 당신의 영광스러운 몸과 같은 모습으로 변화시켜 주실 것입니다.
4,1 그러므로 내가 사랑하고 그리워하는 형제 여러분, 나의 기쁨이며 화관인 여러분, 이렇게 주님 안에 굳건히 서 있으십시오, 사랑하는 여러분!

복음 루카 9,28ㄴ-36

그때에 28 예수님께서 베드로와 요한과 야고보를 데리고 기도하시러 산에 오르셨다. 29 예수님께서 기도하시는데, 그 얼굴 모습이 달라지고 의복은 하얗게 번쩍였다. 30 그리고 두 사람이 예수님과 이야기를 나누고 있었다. 그들은 모세와 엘리야였다. 31 영광에 싸여 나타난 그들은 예수님께서 예루살렘에서 이루실 일, 곧 세상을 떠나실 일을 말하고 있었다. 32 베드로와 그 동료들은 잠에 빠졌다가 깨어나 예수님의 영광을 보고, 그분과 함께 서 있는 두 사람도 보았다.
33 그 두 사람이 예수님에게서 떠나려고 할 때에 베드로가 예수님께 말하였다. “스승님, 저희가 여기에서 지내면 좋겠습니다. 저희가 초막 셋을 지어 하나는 스승님께, 하나는 모세께, 또 하나는 엘리야께 드리겠습니다.” 베드로는 자기가 무슨 말을 하는지도 몰랐다. 34 베드로가 이렇게 말하는데 구름이 일더니 그들을 덮었다. 그들이 구름 속으로 들어가자 제자들은 그만 겁이 났다.
35 이어 구름 속에서 “이는 내가 선택한 아들이니 너희는 그의 말을 들어라.” 하는 소리가 났다. 36 이러한 소리가 울린 뒤에는 예수님만 보였다.
제자들은 침묵을 지켜, 자기들이 본 것을 그때에는 아무에게도 알리지 않았다.

 

 March 4, 2007

 Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1
Gn 15:5-12, 17-18

The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.


Reading II
Phil 3:17—4:1 or 3:20—4:1

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.

or

Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.

Gospel
Lk 9:28b-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.

 

Abram knows God in darkness, fire, birds of prey, and in the words of promise that he will be a people like the stars and that this land will be theirs, as God's gift. But as God's own Body, we know God much more intimately and personally. Abram obeys and does what God commands. We must obey and live as the citizens of heaven, not any nation on earth. We must not live as enemies of the cross of Christ-those set on things of the world: military, economic, and political power, selfishness, individuality, making it in their field, or living with greed, avarice, sloth, unfaithfulness. We must stand firm in Jesus.

Jesus shows us the God of light, the God of incarnation, God in his own flesh and body. As he prays, he is transfigured and we see God's glory shining through his very person-this is what we stake our lives on, and live in faith on. Jesus is seen as the new liberator and lawgiver, the new prophet. His mantle of justice is his own flesh and he will go to the cross and hand over his person and life. He invites us to come with him and to know both the burden of the cross and its glory in our lives. We are drawn into the Trinity and the Father tells us, "Listen to him!" And we must obey in the power of the Spirit. Who are we obeying and listening to this Lent?

 

PRE-PRAYERING

We are in a continual movement toward the Holy Mountain of the Eucharistic altar. Many churches have been built atop rises and hills to emphasize the “aboveness” of the Holy God. Amazing things happen in the scriptures up on top of mountains. We live on the level though and the Holy “aboveness” of God, while real, is revealed so that we live holy lives in the “belowness”.

We prepare to approach the Holy and the Holy is always approaching us. We do not have visions and direct conversations with the Holy One, but there are sightings and whispers which do lead us through our “ups” and “downs” of our unlevel ways.

REFLECTION

When I was a young child Sunday afternoons were dedicated to attending the Liberty Theater in Milwaukee for cowboy movies, cartoons and of course, coming attractions. These, though we didn’t know it, were designed to make sure that our Sunday’s obligation would be fulfilled next week.

There were fantastic visions of beauty and bravado. Promises made and broken. There were delightful love-encounters which made us all squirm and laugh and feel good about life. It was all very real until we had to walk out into the late-afternoon SHADOWS.

The Book of Genesis is a complex collection of stories which lead the reader to an understanding of how Israel depicted its history and beginning identity as God’s Holy People. We hear in today’s First Reading, a foundational experience for that history. Fertility of body and land is the determinal blessing from God. Infertility would be a sign of God’s displeasure.

Abram has no son and wonders how his name and family will continue. Will he ever have a legitimate son of his own flesh? What we hear is the conversation between God and Abram about this matter. Descendants will be plentiful and Abram does put his trust in the promise and the Promise-Maker. This is a tremendous area, this fertility, and Abram trusts.

This act of faith sets up the conditions for an important display or revelation by God. A covenant, or bonding contract, will be made by God. Both parties agree and walking between two parts of a slaughtered bull or ox would be like shaking hands. Well, even more so, each party states by this walking that if either breaks the contract, what happens to the animal should be done to the violator. The covenant is made by the more powerful to the less and is usually based on the awareness that the more powerful has been abundantly benevolent in the past and plans to continue. A promise for that future is made to Abram and it will be an abundance of land. So land and descendants predicting fertility are the beginning of Israel’s relationship with their mysterious God. Abram has to believe that what he has seen and heard is real.

Now for the Coming Attractions. Luke’s Gospel has presented Jesus as speaking to the disciples about how following Him will involve suffering. Then Jesus takes three of His followers up a mountain and while there, is “transfigured” or seen differently. It is quite a light-show complete with sound effects. More dazzling than His brightness was the state of His disciples after Jesus comes back to their senses. There are important elements offered by Luke to his readers about Jesus and discipleship during this experience. They have to do with “coming attractions” in the life of Jesus and the lives of His followers. Moses and Elijah are pictured as speaking to Jesus of “His exodus”. This “exodus” of Jesus will be His living out the Paschal mission of being the Lamb to be slain.

The disciples would rather build three tents of gratitude as in the traditional celebration of Sukkot or Booths. Jesus is presented on this particular mountain as being in His glory. What is the “coming attraction” will be on another hill’s top and in a definite, but different manner, it will be even a greater scene of glory. It will be a “figuration” which will claim God’s people again from slavery to freedom and service.

There is an increasing sense in the more affluent countries of the world, of “entitlement”. The disciples have this sense of requesting selfish possession of Jesus’ glory and truth. Jesus heads them back down the mountain, inviting them to put aside, again, their self-preoccupation. Entitlement flows from a sense that we deserve only the glorious, intimate experiences of relationships and full meaning. Our wealth can provide many things, so much so, that we can begin to believe that we actually deserve everything. We should have power, health, ease, first-places at the head of lines. Life is owed to us and at the highest experiences. It is natural to desire this, but to expect it, demand it from God and others is not relational. The “exodus” referred to by Moses and Elijah moves Christ’s followers off their mountains of entitlement to the acceptance of their actual “titlement” as followers who will suffer with and for Him.

Jesus’ coming down that mountain and heading for Jerusalem is the invitation to us to not take the Jerusalem bypass, but live with and through our own experiences of exodus. We are “titled” Human, Beloved, Called, Sent in and with Him. These titles entitle us to all the graces of God’s love as we walk His walk into our final transglorification with Him.

The disciples walked out of their own Liberty Theater having participated in quite a show. They, like myself as a little boy, had to face the real. As the movie might have inspired me to be more brave, loving, and quick on the draw, the disciples were encouraged to live more closely with the Master and more faithfully as receivers of His call to follow.
by
Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality

 

Jesus transfigured in glory

What blinds us from the revelation of God’s glory in our lives? Sin and unbelief for sure! Faith enables us to see what is unseen to the naked eye -- the hidden reality of God’s kingdom. Through the eyes of faith Abraham recognized God’s call on his life.  He saw from afar not only what God intended for him, but for his descendants as well -- an everlasting covenant of friendship and peace with the living God. Abraham is the father of faith because he put his hope in the promises of God. Faith makes us taste in advance the light of God’s glory when we shall see him face to face (1 Cor. 13:12) as he is (1 John 3:2).

Are you prepared to see God's glory? God is eager to share his glory with us!  We get a glimpse of this when the disciples see Jesus transfigured in glory on the mountain.  Luke's account tells us that Jesus' face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (see Exodus 34:29). Paul says that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Cor. 3:7). In this incident Jesus appeared in glory with Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, and with Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, in the presence of three of his beloved apostles. What is the significance of this mysterious appearance? Jesus went to the mountain knowing full well what awaited him in Jerusalem -- his betrayal, rejection and crucifixion. Jesus very likely discussed with Moses and Elijah this momentous decision to sacrifice his life on the cross. God the Father also spoke audibly with Jesus on this occasion and gave his approval: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. The cloud which overshadowed Jesus and his apostles fulfilled the dream of the Jews that when the Messiah came the cloud of God's presence would fill the temple again (see Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 33:9; 1 Kings 8:10; 2 Maccabees 2:8). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to all who earnestly seek him with faith.

Origen, the great 3rd century bible scholar, shows us how the transfiguration of Jesus can change our lives: “When he is transfigured, his face also shines as the sun that he may be manifested to the children of light who have put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, and are no longer the children of darkness or night but have become the sons of day, and walk honestly as in the day. Being manifest, he will shine unto them not simply as the sun, but as demonstrated to be the sun of righteousness.”

Luke’s gospel tells us that while Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John were asleep (Luke 9:32)!  Upon awakening they discovered Jesus in glory along with Moses and Elijah.  How much do we miss of God's glory and action because we are asleep spiritually?  There are many things which can keep our minds asleep to the things of God: Mental lethargy and the "unexamined life" can keep us from thinking things through and facing our doubts and questions.  The life of ease can also hinder us from considering the challenging or disturbing demands of Christ.  Prejudice can make us blind to something new the Lord may have for us.  Even sorrow can be a block until we can see past it to the glory of God.  Are you spiritually awake? Peter, James, and John were privileged witnesses of the glory of Christ. We, too, as disciples of Christ are called to be witnesses of his glory. We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). The Lord wants to reveal his glory to us, his beloved disciples. Do you seek his presence with faith and reverence?

“Lord, keep me always alert and awake to you, to your word, your action, and your daily presence in my life.  Let me see your glory.”

Psalm 27:1, 7-9, 13-14

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life;  of whom shall I be afraid?
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 Thou hast said, "Seek ye my face." My heart says to thee, "Thy face, LORD, do I seek."
9 Hide not thy face from me. Turn not thy servant away in anger, thou who hast been my help.  Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage;  yea, wait for the LORD!

 

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

Jesus 'took Peter, John and James, and went up onto a mountain to pray.' Luke 9:28

On this tenth day of the forty days of Lent, Jesus takes us up Transfiguration Mountain. He has much more to tell us but we cannot bear it now (Jn 16:12). We must 'climb the Lord's mountain...that He may instruct us in His ways, and we may walk in His paths' (Is 2:3). We will see Jesus glorified and hear a voice from the cloud say: 'This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him' (Lk 9:35).

These mountaintop revelations will keep us from despair when the Lord takes us to Calvary to see His quivering body wrenching with pain. The mountain prepares us for the valley, the glory for the suffering. Because of Transfiguration Mountain, when we walk with Him 'through a gloomy valley' (Ps 23:4, JB), we will 'consider the sufferings of the present to be as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us' (Rm 8:18). We will fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:2) and walk on the waters of evil (Mt 14:29). We will not run from the cross but boast of it (Gal 6:14).

After the Transfiguration, we know our citizenship is in heaven, and that it is from there we await Christ's coming (Phil 3:20). We realize we are in the world but not of it (Jn 17:15-16). We are already seated on Christ's throne (Eph 2:6) even though our bodies are away from the Lord (2 Cor 5:6).

Praise: Praise the risen Jesus, Who lives to reign forever and ever!
Prayer: Jesus, may I experience what the apostles did on Transfiguration Mountain. Prepare me for the rest of Lent and life.
Promise: 'He will give a new form to this lowly body of ours and remake it according to the pattern of His glorified body.' Phil 3:21

 

≪Jesus went up the mountain to pray≫

Today second Sunday in Lent, the liturgy of the word invariably brings us the evangelic episode of the Lord's Transfiguration. This time, with the nuances typical of saint Luke's Gospel.

It is Saint Luke who more strongly emphasizes the praying Jesus, the Son who is permanently linked to the Father through personal prayer, at times intimate, hidden, at times in the presence of his disciples, but always full of joy through the Holy Spirit.

Let's therefore pay attention to the fact Luke is the only one of the synoptics that begins the narration in this way: ≪Jesus (...) went up the mountain to pray≫ (Lk 9:28), and, consequently, it is Luke who specifies that the Master's transfiguration happened ≪while He was praying≫ (Lk 9:29). And this is not something irrelevant.

The prayer is presented here like the ideal and natural context for the vision of Christ's Glory: when Peter, John and James ≪awoke (…) and saw Jesus' Glory≫ (Lk 9:32). But, not only His Glory, but also the glory God had already manifested in the Law and the Prophets; they —evangelist Luke says— ≪appeared in heavenly glory≫ (Lk 9:31). For they indeed find their own splendor in the love of the Spirit when the Son speaks to the Father. Thus, in the heart of Holy Trinity, Jesus' Passover, ≪his departure that had to take place in Jerusalem≫ (Lk 9:31), is the sign manifesting God's plan, which is carried out in the bosom of Israel's history, until its definite completion, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Jesus Incarnated.

It is good to remember, in this Lent and always, that unless we let the spirit of piety to emerge in our life, establishing a familiar and inseparable relationship with the Lord, we shall not be able to enjoy the contemplation of His Glory. It's urgent to be impressed by the vision of the Transfigured face. Our Christian experience has maybe an excess of words while it lacks stupor, that stupor that made Peter and his friends actual witnesses of the living Christ.

 

Homily from Father James Gilhooley
Click here to order Fr. Gilhooley’s book of homilies

A missionary told this tale. Some African Christians were sitting about at a retreat. The subject was how best to spread the Gospel. Various methods were suggested running from literature to videos to radio announcements. Finally a young woman arose. She said, "When we judge a pagan village is ready for the Lord Jesus, the first people we send in is a Christian family. It is their lives that will inspire the villagers to think seriously about becoming Christian. They are better than a hundred books or videos or radio announcements. They will be the keyhole through which others will see the Lord Christ. To spread the Church Christians must not so much promote as attract." The woman's views carried the day.
   
As Albert Schweitzer, who was a superb keyhole in his own life, testified, "Example is not the main thing. It is the only thing."
    
This then is what we are aiming for while Lent remains very young. Like the Christ of today's Gospel, we too must become transfigured. The Teacher is saying to us, "Do not dwell on my Transfiguration overly long today. Rather, continue or perhaps begin to work on your own." The Christ is betting on each one of us here to become an attractive keyhole.
   
Someone asked Mother Teresa how he might better spread the Gospel. She replied simply, "Smile more often. Live as though you believe there are 542 references to joy in the Scriptures."
    
But we are in luck. The Transfiguration of course occurred in a microsecond. There is no such time pressure on us. We have almost six weeks to accomplish our own transformation. Happily each of us is not acting alone. For we shall be attempting to become forty day wonders in communion with our fellow Catholics throughout the globe. We are - all of us - looking inward to remove the stains, wrinkles, and wounds from each of our lives. The entire Mystical Body of Christ is groaning to give birth to more attractive Catholics.
    
In seminaries, monasteries, and convents, this period is traditionally called Quadraginta. In Italy, our fellow Catholics call it Quaresima. In Spain, Cuaresima. In France, Careme. And, among my ancestors in Eire, Corghas.
    
But it makes no difference really what one calls this season. As Vatican Council II reminded us, we are all members of a Church always needing reform. Cleansed or, perhaps better, transfigured at Easter, we will move out of our churches ready to transform others.  We will pass on to others what we our own selves have first achieved.
    
And those "others" desperately need us. One American government official describes the current scene this way. "In this country, it is impossible to maintain civilization with 12-year olds having babies, with 15-year olds killing each other, with 17-year olds dying of AIDS, and with 18-year olds ending up with diplomas they can't even read."
     
And as a Director of Campus Ministry at a college of mostly Catholic students, I must add that fewer and fewer of their number see any need to attend Sunday Liturgy. The Eucharist is unknown country for most of them. "We are becoming the kind of society," says former US Secretary of Education William J Bennett, "that other nineteenth century societies sent missionaries to."
    
So, our work is obviously cut out for us.  But, as the late John Tracy Ellis would point out, a knowledge of history is comforting. It tells us that the Church has had a long practice in saving and redeeming civilizations. Why then not this one?
    
But here is the rub. As one sage has written, we must be the change that we want to see in the world.  And so there rises the absolute necessity that this be the best Lent that each of us has ever had.
    
"If ever this society was in need of Catholicism, " said Secretary Bennett, "it is now. If 60 million Catholics were to live and vote their faith, it would transform American society." And, if Catholic throughout the globe were to live their belief in the Christ, it would transform world society.
   
Remember this message from an unknown author as you go about transforming yourself. The Jesus you wish to imitate came not to dominate but to motivate, not to condemn but to forgive, not to oppress but to free, not to compel but to teach.

 

Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html

The Plan
Peter, James and John did not want it to end. They didn’t want this special touch of heaven, this transformation or transfiguration of the Lord, this visit by Moses and Elijah, none of this, they didn’t want any of it to end. "Let’s put up tents," they said. "Let’s hold on to this moment," they meant. But it had to end. It all had to end because the plan had to take place.

The plan.
Moses and Elijah appeared to speak about the Exodus. Not the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt but the Exodus of the new people of God from a world of terror and sin to a world of love and peace. The people will be led to this new world by the new Moses, Jesus. They will hear the truth of God from the new prophet, the new Elijah, Jesus.

And so the plan was set into motion. The plan itself existed from the beginning of time. We heard the first suggestion of the plan in the Book of Genesis, in the Garden of Eden, when God told the devil that One will come who will crush the devil’s head with His heal. We come to a deeper understanding of the plan in the last book of Scripture, the Book of Revelation. Let me share this with you.  In the fourth chapter of Revelation, John, the prophet of Revelation, had a vision of heaven. He saw a throne of light, glowing like the most beautiful gems. Around the throne there were twenty four elders, most probably the twelve sons of Jacob, the leaders of the 12 groups or tribes of Israel, and the twelve apostles, the leaders of the New Israel. The One who is Forever is seated on the throne. All worship the living God. Then in the beginning of chapter 5, a scroll is brought out. The book is God’s plan for his people. It had been sealed by seven seals because man had rejected God and rejected His Plan. "Who is worthy to break open the seals?" a mighty angel asks. God had given creation over to mankind. Mankind would remain entrusted with creation. Someone who is human would have to break open the seal. This someone had to be willing to have complete faith and trust in God the Father. The prophet began to weep because there did not appear to be anyone who could save the world, there did not appear to be anyone worthy of breaking open the seals.  "Do not weep," the angel said to the prophet, "The Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is worthy of opening up the seal. God’s plan of love for his people will be restored."  And then, instead of a mighty, conquering King, instead of a lion, the prophet sees a lamb, a lamb who had been killed yet still lives. This lamb opens the seals. Jesus restores God’s love to the world by trusting completely in his Father. His triumph is our triumph. His sacrifice has restored God’s love to the world.

This was the plan discussed by Moses and Elijah with Jesus on that mountain.  Throughout the centuries, Christians have reflected deeply on the suffering and death of the Lord. One question that many people asked is, "Why? Why did Jesus have to suffer so much?" The answer is difficult. Jesus put complete trust in God. He was the antithesis of Adam. God would not be pushed aside. He would remain faithful no matter what the cost. The ability to save the world from evil was in his hands. Nothing, no amount of pain and suffering would sway him from his determination counter the first Adam’s prideful sin with his own loving humility. Sin was in control of the world. Sin is in control of the world. But sin has been and is being conquered through the Sacrifice, the Blood of Christ.

We are all part of this, you know. The Blood of Christ is fighting off the devil and evil in my life and in your lives. Three years ago in his film The Passion of the Messiah, Mel Gibson cast himself in a significant role. It is his hand that hammered the Lord’s to the cross. Instead of focusing on whether the leaders of the Jews or the Romans were responsible, Gibson really used solid Christian theology. We are responsible. Jesus died for us because we needed him to beat off sin in each of our lives.

That was the plan. It was greater and more significant than the plan Moses fulfilled when he delivered the people from the Pharaoh. The plan held a deeper truth than that which was proclaimed by Elijah and all the prophets. The plan was the recreation of the world through faith, through love, and through sacrifice. This plan that Jesus and Moses and Elijah discussed is not tied down into a particular historical moment. The effects of evil are not limited to the past. We all suffer from evil. Worse, we all partake in evil. The conquest of evil by the Lord continues. The sacrifice continues. Yes, we have nailed Him to the cross, but He has suffered and died for each of us.

But this is not the only way that we are part of that plan discussed before luminous faces. This is just the negative way. There is also the wonderful and beautiful positive aspect to the plan. We, as followers of Jesus Christ, are capable of continuing His Presence and His Love in the world. It is up to us to make His suffering, death and resurrection a living reality to a world that is repulsed at the very concept of sacrifice. It is up to us to allow others to also be part of the plan.

The world experienced a great transformation that Friday. Love conquered hate, faith conquered pride, and evil was defeated. That is the reason why we call that Friday, Good Friday.

The Lord went up a mountain and was transfigured. He was raised on a Cross, and we are transformed.

 

Homily from Father Phil Bloom
http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/

Chosen
(March 4, 2007)
Bottom line: By reflecting on how God chose Abraham and Jesus, we can understand that we are also called to a role in the drama of salvation.

As a help to understanding today’s reading, I ask you imagine this situation: A movie director is producing a great epic, like Gone with the Wind or Roots. Before him he has spread out pictures of young men. He is searching for the right person to play a particular role. After studying the pictures carefully, he makes his selection and calls in the aspiring actor.

Today we hear about how God calls certain people to a role in the greatest drama: his plan of salvation. It turns out he has a role for you and me. But before considering our part, let’s begin at the beginning. The Book of Genesis describes how God chose Abram - better known now as Abraham. He brought him out of a place called Ur (it's in modern Iraq) and guided him to a new land. There he told Abraham that his descendants would be numerous - like the stars in the night sky. After Abraham offered a sacrifice, a deep, terrifying darkness overwhelmed him. In that dark night God spoke to the patriarch, telling him what lay in his future.

It turns out Abraham and his descendants would play a central role in God’s drama of salvation. Today’s Gospel speaks about one descendant in particular: "This is my chosen Son; listen to him." Peter, John and James heard those words out of a cloud and it terrified them. It is not hard to understand why they were frightened. Moses and Elijah had already spoken about the role Jesus would carry out. Let me quote the exact words: they "spoke of his exodus which he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem."

Now, you remember that the Exodus was the great event of the Old Testament - when God led the children of Abraham out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Jesus would accomplish a new Exodus: taking us out to the slavery of sin into the new life of Resurrection. That exodus would involve something terrifying: the cross. We are so accustomed to seeing the cross that we can forget its horrible reality. It was one of the cruelest forms of capital punishment ever devised. By the cross Jesus would unite in his person all the suffering of humanity.

Jesus underwent this Exodus so he could give us a different life. This is where our part comes in. Although you and I obviously do not have a role like Jesus or Abraham, we do have a part in the great drama of salvation. God has spoken similar words over us: You are my beloved son. You are my much loved daughter. When did that happen? It took place at the moment of our baptism. When the waters flowed over us, as St. Paul says, we died with Christ and rose with him to a new life.

Before stars began to coalesce God thought about you and me. He saw our faces and the role he desired us to play in his great drama. Unlike the stars we are not completely pre-determined: we can accept our part or turn it down. None of us will get a better offer, but it will not be an easy role. If you read closely the Book of Exodus, you will notice that the children of Abraham did not readily embrace the uncertainties of their new, nomadic existence. They remembered the days in Egypt, especially the tasty foods they enjoyed, and they fantasized about their old life. Just so, you and I can prefer slavery instead of the high adventure Jesus offers us. We can turn back.

That actually happened to some of the early Christians. St. Paul states that some have become enemies of the cross of Christ. Their only god is their stomach. Their minds are occupied with earthly things. St. Paul reminds us that by our baptism we have become citizens of heaven. What an awesome calling! Think about what many people will do to become citizens of this country. But let's face it: Being an American or a Mexican or a Canadian is small potatoes compared to our true citizenship. To reach that goal involves some sacrifice, but keep your eyes on the prize.

In this homily we have reflected on how God chose Abraham and Jesus. Their singular call can help us understand that - in Jesus - we also have a unique role to play. On this Second Sunday of Lent, we ask God to help us understand what it means to be his children, to share in the new life of his Son - and to play our particular role in the great drama of salvation.

 

Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,Pa
http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html

Gospel Summary
Luke's version of the transfiguration of Jesus is more personal than the accounts of Mark and Matthew. Thus, Luke alone tells us that Jesus was "at prayer" when this occurred. And he alone informs us concerning the subject of Jesus' conversation with Moses and Elijah, that they "spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem" (9:31).

Moses and Elijah represent the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets) which is centered in the exodus of God's people from the bondage of the Pharaoh. Correspondingly, the exodus of Jesus in Jerusalem, which is his death and resurrection, will be a new exodus initiating a new covenant between God and all the people of the world. This new exodus happens by design on the anniversary of the exodus from Egypt and will be the fulfillment of that pivotal event.

The liberation of the Hebrew slaves from the bondage of the Pharoah was the effect of a divine initiative revealing God's true nature as one who loves and who wishes that all who are in bondage may be made free. This same revelation is at the center of that definitive exodus, which is the death and resurrection of Jesus. Moreover, just as the Passover meal in Israel kept alive the power of the original exodus, so also does the Eucharist of Christians make present among us the love of God as one who offers true and lasting freedom.

Life Implications

The luminous aura that surrounds Jesus on that mountaintop is an external manifestation of his ecstatic recognition that God's plan of salvation--God's ultimate exodus--will be brought about by his own loving sacrifice. His loving vulnerability thus becomes the surprising vehicle for God's power to save the world. In effect, loving concern for others is revealed as the only power with beneficent and lasting results.

This kind of loving vulnerability does not mean that we are called to be passive or compliant. In fact, this kind of loving is persistent and relentless at the same time that it is gracious and sensitive. For it results from a passionate commitment to the ideal of love received and then offered to others. The only true source of freedom is unselfish love, and the only valid purpose of such freedom is to enable one to love others so that they also may be free.

This equation is clearly implied in the command of God to Israel in Deuteronomy 24:17, where the now liberated Israelites are told to care for the vulnerable ones: the widow, the orphan and the wayfarer. They must do so simply because they were once themselves desperately weak and vulnerable and God loved them into freedom and self-confidence.

The transfigured Jesus represents the full awareness of this incredible wisdom of God. And when the voice from heaven commands us to "listen to him" (9:35), we are challenged to be transfigured by our own recognition of this wisdom as we become more and more ready to use our freedom so that others also may be free--free from fear and guilt and poverty and pain. At some point in our lives, we all need to discover the transfiguring power of discovering this apparently unlikely truth that living for others is the secret of our own happiness.

 

Homily from Father Cusick
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html    
The Lord "took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white." (Lk 9. 28-29) Why does the Lord reveal his glory to the Apostles in this way?

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that this grace was given to strengthen the Apostles for the Cross to come by giving them a glimpse of the Resurrection which would be purchased only by the blood shed upon the Cross. "For a person to go straight along the road, he must have some knowledge of the end--just as an archer will not shoot an arrow straight unless he first sees the target....This is particularly necessary if the road is hard and rough, the going heavy, and the end delightful" (Summa theologiae, III, q. 45, a. 1).

We savor in the Lord's Transfiguration a foretaste of the heavenly glory which awaits the faithful. Our bodies will share in his brightness, "by which the bodies of the saints shall shine like the sun, according to the words of our Lord recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew: 'The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father' (Mt 13:43). To remove the possibility of doubt on the subject, he exemplifies this in his Transfiguration. This quality the Apostle sometimes calls glory, sometimes brightness: 'He will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body' (Phil 3:21); and again, 'It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory' (1 Cor 15:43). Of this glory the Israelites beheld some image in the desert, when the face of Moses, after he had enjoyed the presence and conversation of God, shone with such lustre that they could not look on it (Ex 34:29; 2 Cor 3:7). This brightness is a sort of radiance reflected on the body from the supreme happiness of the soul. It is a participation in that bliss which the soul enjoys....This quality is not common to all in the same degree. All the bodies of the saints will be equally impassible; but the brightness of all will not be the same for, according to the Apostle, 'There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead' (1 Cor 15:4f)" (Catechism of the Council of Trent, I, 12, 13).

The Father's command "Listen to him!" means that in Christ we find the fullest revelation of the Father's glory figured forth in the glorious Transfiguration on Mount Tabor.

Christ's whole earthly life -- his words and deeds, his silences and sufferings, indeed his manner of being and speaking --is Revelation of the Father. Jesus can say: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father," and the Father can say: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" (Jn 14:9; Lk 9:35; cf. Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7 ["my beloved Son"] ). (CCC 516)
 

There is no other name, or sign, given under heaven by which we may be saved.

"Therefore," according to Saint John of the Cross, "if any now should question God or desire a vision or revelation, not only would he be acting foolishly but he would be committing an offence against God, by not fixing his gaze on Christ with no desire for any new thing. For God could reply to him in this way: 'If I have spoken all things to you in my Word, which is my Son, and I have no other word, what answer can I give you now, or what can I reveal to you that is greater than this? Fix your eyes on him alone, for in him I have spoken and revealed to you all things, and in him you will find even more than what you ask for and desire....Hear him, for I have no more faith to reveal, nor have I any more things to declare' " (Ascent of Mount Carmel, book 2, chap. 22, 5).

Let's pray for each other until, together next week, we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick

 

Homily from Father Clyde A. Bonar, Ph.D.
Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com

To Be Transformed Into Glory 

Introduction
One morning while traveling in Bali, Indonesia, my tour guide placed flowers on the dashboard of the car. I asked why. The tour guide said, "Because today we visit the mountain where the gods live." Sure enough, about mid-day we stopped and gazed at the tallest mountain on the island, the home of the gods.

For us too, we seem to be closer to God on a mountain top. The mountain, where earth touches heaven, a point of contact with God.

In the Bible, Moses went to the mountains, to Mount Sinai. The glory of God settled on Mount Sinai. God called out to Moses from a cloud.

Today we read about another dramatic scene on another mountain, the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor.

Transfiguration of Jesus

Our Gospel reads, "Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white."

J