Daily Feast The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord takes place on August 6th, an event mentioned in all three synoptic Gospels. After revealing that he would be put to death in Jerusalem, Jesus took the three disciples of his inner circle to the summit of Mount Tabor in order to reveal his glory to them. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured before them, radiant in the fullness of his glory as he truly was, the Son of God. Next to Jesus were Moses and Elijah as witnesses to Christ's fulfillment of the Old Testament law and prophets. St. Matthew writes of the event by saying, "He was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow."
Learn More About Today's Feast † Quote of the Day "Where there is no obedience there is no virtue, where there is no virtue there is no good, where there is no good there is no love, where there is no love, there is no God, and where there is no God there is no Paradise." — Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina † Today's Meditation "With regard to evil thoughts, there may be a twofold delusion. God-fearing souls who have little or no gift of discernment, and are inclined to scruples, think that every wicked thought that enters their mind is a sin. This is a mistake, for it is not the wicked thoughts in themselves that are sins, but the yielding or consenting to them. The wickedness of mortal sin consists in the perverse will that deliberately yields to sin with a complete knowledge of its wickedness with full consent. And therefore St. Augustine teaches that when the consent of the will is absent, there is no sin. However much we may be tormented by temptations, the rebellion of the senses, or the inordinate motions of the inferior part of the soul, as long as there is no consent, there is no sin. For the comfort of such anxious souls, let me suggest a good rule of conduct that is taught by all masters in the spiritual life. If a person who fears God and hates sin doubts whether or not he has consented to an evil thought or not, he is not bound to confess it, because it is morally certain that he has not given consent. For had he actually committed a mortal sin, he would have no doubt about it, as mortal sin is such a monster in the eyes of one who fears God that its entrance into the heart could not take place without its being known. Others, on the contrary, whose conscience is lax and not well-informed, think that evil thoughts and desires, though consented to, are not sins provided they are not followed by sinful actions. This error is worse than the one mentioned above. What we may not do, we may not desire. Therefore an evil thought or desire to which we consent comprises in itself all the wickedness of an evil deed." —St. Alphonsus Liguori, p. 142-143
An excerpt from 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation † Daily Verse "The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip." — Psalm 37:30-31 | Blessed Maria Francesca Rubatto St. Maria Francesca of Jesus Rubatto (1844– 1904) was one of eight children from an Italian family. Her father died when she was four. In her teenage years she received an offer of marriage, which she declined as she had taken a vow of virginity from an early age. When she was nineteen, after the death of her mother, Maria moved to Turin and befriended a noblewoman who gave her assistance. Maria taught catechism to the woman's children, in addition to the other children in the city. She also had a habit of visiting the sick and poor. One day a construction worker had an accident while building a convent, and Maria, who was walking nearby, helped him and gave him money so that he could recover from his injury. The sisters of the convent took notice of Maria for this act of charity and desired that she join their community. Maria accepted their invitation and was later appointed superior of this new community of Capuchin Franciscan sisters. She had a desire to serve in the overseas missions, and in 1892 left Italy and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to South America. She made this journey seven times in her work of founding Catholic missions in Uruguay and Argentina. Her feast day is August 6th. She was canonized on May 15, 2022 by Pope Francis. | Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Reading 1 DN 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.
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. Responsorial Psalm PS 97:1-2, 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. Reading II 2 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. Alleluia MT 17:5 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Mk 9:2-10 Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
| Daily Meditation: Mark 9:2-10 Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain. (Mark 9:2) Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose to bring only Peter, James, and John up the mountain that day? You might also wonder why he chose to tell only one woman that he was the Messiah (John 4:26), or why he told Martha—and only Martha—that he was "the resurrection and the life" (11:25)? The answer is because Jesus loves intimacy. He could have shared any of these life-changing insights with all twelve apostles or with the thousands who had flocked to him. But it seemed to be both his strategy and his delight to make himself known to people one at a time or in small groups—to look them in the eye and to give them personal, firsthand experiences of his love. As it was then, so it is today. Jesus wants to speak to you. Because he knows you, he has already chosen the specific words he wants to say to you, the specific Scripture passages he wants to bring to life for you, and the specific ways he wants to heal you. He thinks about who you are as an individual, and he tailors his message so that it speaks directly to your heart. Likewise, Jesus wants you to know him personally, not just know about him. It's not enough that you read about how kind, forgiving, and generous he is. He wants you to experience it firsthand. This truth is especially relevant on today's feast of the Transfiguration. Just as he did with Peter, James, and John, Jesus wants to give you a personal glimpse of his glory. And not just once, but many times. Every time you come to him in prayer, he is ready to open your eyes in a new and different way. Not because he wants to overwhelm you, but because he loves you and wants to share his heart, and his very life, with you. So as you turn to him in prayer today, picture yourself walking up the mountain alone with Jesus. Ask him anything you want. Then, when you reach the top, take a seat across from him and listen. What does he want to say to you? "Lord, let me see your glory!" Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9
2 Peter 1:16-19 |  Hear AI Read it to you. Updated 7/10/24 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."....." end quote. | From Bishop Barron:
"Friends, today's Gospel presents the Transfiguration of Christ. What is the Transfiguration itself? Mark speaks literally of a metamorphosis, a going beyond the form that he had. If I can use Paul's language, it is "the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ." In and through his humble humanity, his divinity shines forth. The proximity of his divinity in no way compromises the integrity of his humanity, but rather makes it shine in greater beauty. This is the New Testament version of the burning bush.
The Jesus who is both divine and human is the Jesus who is evangelically compelling. If he is only divine, then he doesn't touch us; if he is only human, he can't save us. His splendor consists in the coming together of the two natures, without mixing, mingling, or confusion.
This same Jesus then accompanies his disciples back down the mountain and walks with them in the ordinary rhythms of their lives. This is the Christ who wants to reign as Lord of our lives in every detail. If we forget about this dimension, then Jesus becomes a distant memory, a figure from the past........" end quote Bishop Barron.
God Speaks.
Do we listen?
What took them to hear God speak?
The questions and answer is the "who" that took them.
It was the Lord Himself.
I have not finished the multiple volumes of the "Book of Heaven", and I got into to it to hear more about Heaven, which we really don't know much about. I don't truly believe all the life and death experiences, near death experiences of those who claim to have seen Heaven either, because my idea and their stories do not match when they visit a place, and many don't see God, or Jesus, or many angels or saints. Most see other deceased loved ones. Sounds more like a nicer level of purgatory to me.
I say this because to me, to be with Jesus is Heaven.
I say this because the book of Heaven so far, the biography of Luisa, she is suffering a long term ailment that has her bed ridden for seemingly days on end, months, turning to years. It is in the suffering that our Lord appears. When she sees what He sees in His suffering, she immediately wants to suffer for Christ, to help His suffering.
These are acts of saints.
Grateful people become saints.
Is this what the transfiguration is about?
Our first Pope Saint Peter was shaking, reaching to Jesus our Lord mumbling nonsense "should we build three tents".
Then God speaks: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him"
Not long after, our Lord would be persecuted, and Saint Peter would deny even knowing Him.
And these are people that have seen Heaven and saints and seen God manifest Himself literally.
What can be expected of us who have not seen such great feats in life?
I have told you I have seen a vision. I am a fool for Christ, but unfortunately, I am still a fool.
Like St. Peter, boy do I feel like a big dummy, after seeing what I've seen and I still fail the Lord? St. Peter didn't really fail, he didn't formally apostatize, to deny his Christian identity, he was just running for his life.
But when I sin, I don't just deny to save my life, I am wanting to sin and to live in God's grace at the same time. That doesn't work.
Me and my wife decided to have dinner on weekend, alone together, and I said "we should go to Mass before dinner". Most would choose dinner and a movie, but we had Mass before dinner. A thought hit me during the Mass, or right before: "upon entering this Mass (any Mass) we should come in one way, and leave transformed (transfigured). We should not leave the same as before."
Did it happen? When we do a Cursillo, Course in Christianity, a weekend retreat, it is meant to be a transformative event, so meaningful that we always go back to it in our minds and hearts, so that we can remember where we need to be.
Every day can be luminous, so long as we are with Him.
We should have a hunger for Christ. Not be filled with Christ. We study the cursillo movement and we learn that it is designed to make us hunger for Christ from that point on.
These are not times to be full on pleasure, not on earth, perhaps not ever. The times for God's will is now.
Mother Mary's last words in the bible were "Do WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU".
God Came today and said "LISTEN TO HIM".
Otherwise, if we do not, tears fall, heart problems begin, because He is not at the center and the core of our very lives.
The core shall be His Sacred Heart giving off light.
Anything else is darkness. Lord Jesus Come Inside My Heart, Let YOUR Light shine! |  audio | Random Bible Verse 1
2 Corinthians 9:7 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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