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Waiting patiently is a matter of receiving and responding to the challenging, inviting, and appealing gift that life is. To wait upon the splendor of the ordinary at table and elsewhere is to wait for the gift of maturing in wisdom and grace. | | |
Transfiguration of the Lord
 All three Synoptic Gospels tell the story of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36). With remarkable agreement, all three place the event shortly after Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus' first prediction of his passion and death. Peter's eagerness to erect tents or booths on the spot suggests it occurred during the Jewish weeklong, fall Feast of Booths.
In spite of the texts' agreement, it is difficult to reconstruct the disciples' experience, according to Scripture scholars, because the Gospels draw heavily on Old Testament descriptions of the Sinai encounter with God and prophetic visions of the Son of Man. Certainly Peter, James and John had a glimpse of Jesus' divinity strong enough to strike fear into their hearts. Such an experience defies description, so they drew on familiar religious language to describe it. And certainly Jesus warned them that his glory and his suffering were to be inextricably connected—a theme John highlights throughout his Gospel.
Tradition names Mt. Tabor as the site of the revelation. A church first raised there in the fourth century was dedicated on August 6. A feast in honor of the Transfiguration was celebrated in the Eastern Church from about that time. Western observance began in some localities about the eighth century. On July 22, 1456, Crusaders defeated the Turks at Belgrade. News of the victory reached Rome on August 6, and Pope Callistus III placed the feast on the Roman calendar the following year.
"At his Transfiguration Christ showed his disciples the splendor of his beauty, to which he will shape and color those who are his: 'He will reform our lowness configured to the body of his glory'" (Philippians 3:21) (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae).
 Saint of the DayLives, Lessons and FeastBy Leonard Foley, O.F.M.; revised by Pat McCloskey, O.F.M.
Wednesday 6 August, The Transfiguration of the Lord Thursday 7 August Presence At any time of the day or night we can call on Jesus.
He is always waiting, listening for our call.
What a wonderful blessing.
No phone needed, no e-mails, just a whisper. Freedom God is not foreign to my freedom.
Instead the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires,
gently nudging me towards all that is good.
I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit. Consciousness
How do I find myself today?
Where am I with God? With others?
Do I have something to be grateful for?
Then I give thanks.
Is there something I am sorry for?
Then I ask forgiveness. The Word of God Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Lectionary: 614 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. 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. 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. 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.
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." Conversation Remembering that I am still in God's presence, I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting beside me, and say whatever is on my mind, whatever is in my heart, speaking as one friend to another. Conclusion
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
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
my2cents:
His face shone like the sun. Fittingly. Can you look at the sun directly? Wouldn't it's brightness burn your eyes? That means you can't look directly without burning. But one day you may when we are not in the flesh. His clothes became dazzling white. And the beautiful cloud from Heaven in white covered them. Don't the clouds make you gasp in their beauty? What if God is up there ready to speak to you? Truth be told, the beatuty on earth is that we have an opportunity to speak to Him, whenever we dare. Peter was amazed and wanted to raise three tents to mark a holy spot. It was not granted, much like the sons of thunder wanted to call down fire from the heavens on those that would not listen. Jesus would not have any of this. God said LISTEN TO HIM. Why? Because this is the Son that pleases God in Heaven. But we are better at talking than listening right? Prayer is like that. We don't listen enough, but we sure do talk! Why is it so hard to listen to Him? Because most often His plan don't fit with our plans. Already the disciples wanted to make plans without counting on God first. This is why God has to come first in our lives. Not much else was said to have been heard from Heaven, but it was enough to shape their lives forever. The same will be for me and you. What needs to be said will set in motion the souls on their journey to Heaven. Today is the day we celebrate the transfiguration. We celebrate with one another, the day the sun shone like the face of God. Because not only was God in Heaven when this ocurred but right in front of our face through the Disciples, the followers of Christ. This is special. This means you are special. This means we are not alone, and this means we are called to be saints, purity, charity, piety, all things wrapped up in one soul, 3 things that take over our lives...The Father...the Son...and the Holy Spirit.
 adrian
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