Thursday - August 06, 2020
It is not hard to obey
when we love
the one whom we obey.
~~Saint Ignatius
It is not hard to obey
when we love
the one whom we obey.
~~Saint Ignatius
August 6 2020
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Lectionary: 614
Reading 1DN 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened.
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw:
One like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm97:1-2, 5-6, 9
R. (1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Reading 22 PT 1:16-19
Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
AlleluiaMT 17:5C
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John,
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.
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.”
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
******************************
The Overwhelming Light of Truth
Think of an area of your life that's in darkness, confusion, or turmoil. What can transform this into holiness, clarity of understanding, and peace?
Today's Gospel reading shows us the answer: the light of Christ. His transfiguration on Mount Tabor was a visible form of his perfect holiness, his pure love, and his humanity fully alive in and united to his divinity.
When we allow this holy light to expose the areas of our lives that are in sin, the darkness quickly dissipates. Why? Because darkness is much weaker than light. Sin -- even our most stubborn sin -- is much weaker than the Holy Spirit of Christ who lives within us.
Often, the reason we don't face our sins and work to overcome them is due to ignorance about how much help God will give us. We want to be holy, but admitting our sins feels like a battle, a difficult struggle between our Christian calling to be like Jesus and the shameful tendencies of our flesh-nature. We're not up to it; we think we don't have the saintly strength needed to win this battle.
Wrong. Yes we do! This battle has already been won, more than 2000 years ago when Jesus rose from the dead and demolished the power of sin. As today's first reading points out, the "Son of man" Jesus Christ has an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, and his kingship shall not be destroyed. His divine light that permeates our human souls will readily conquer the darkness and restore the kingdom of God within us.
Why? Because we do actually desire to listen to him, as the Father told us to do when he affirmed Christ's lordship on Mount Tabor.
Transfiguration occurs again and again -- within us today -- every time we listen to Jesus and allow him to enlighten us.
What is the source of darkness in your life? Ask Jesus to penetrate it with his light of truth, which will set your soul free to be holy. Sometimes this means journeying deeper and deeper within to uncover the root cause of a sinful tendency. Layer by layer, Jesus will free you.
What is robbing you of peace? Ask Jesus to shine his holy light of love upon it, and accept his embrace. What makes you afraid to admit your sins and take them to the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Let the light of Christ's mercy transfigure you.
Your personal transfiguration is the releasing of your baptized nature, the divine presence of God within you. Remember, you were created in his image, and the Sacraments are God's gift to restore you to the fullness of the life that he created you to live. Be true to yourself. Make yourself available to Christ's transforming power.
Today's Prayer
Beloved Jesus: May the fire of my first encounter with You never be extinguished in me. Thank you because You surround my life with Your presence and You nurture me with the promise of rising, as You too arose. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
The Rosary Family
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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