Reading I Responsorial Psalm Reading II GospelPosted on 08/06/2002 8:57:38 AM PDT by Salvation
Reading I Responsorial Psalm Reading II GospelReading I
Dn 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was snow bright,
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, 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;
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.
Gospel
Mt 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.
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."
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Thanks.
I since woke up enough to be fired as a CCD teacher (my badge of honor) after MANY confrontations. (My infraction? Teaching my 4th graders that under the 3rd commandment it was a mortal sin not to attend Mass on Sunday!
It is also the 24th anniversary of the death of the servant of God, Pope Paul VI.
sitetest
Tuesday, August 06, 2002
Meditation
2 Peter 1:16-19
Transfiguration of the Lord
One summer, when our children were toddlers, my husband and I took a driving vacation through several states. While walking through a small town in western Maryland one day, we discovered an old canal tunnel and decided to hike through to the other side. Pushing a stroller and holding two children by the hands, we ventured inside.
At first, the going was easy, as the light from the entrance illuminated the small walking path and the deep canal to our left. As we went further, however, the light slowly disappeared until we were walking in total darkness. Unable to see, and dangerously close to the invisible drop, we walked forward slowly but steadily, straining for any glimpse of light to ease our growing sense of uncertainty. The knowledge that light would eventually be visible was the only thing that kept me moving through the unbroken darkness. I could only look straight ahead and try to put down my rising sense of fear.
After what seemed like hours, a point of light appeared in the distance—the other end of the tunnel! Needless to say, I breathed a deep sigh of relief as we safely made our way out of the darkness and into daylight once again.
Peter told his readers that the transfiguration of Jesus was like “a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises” in our hearts (2 Peter 1:19). Peter knew that the vision of Jesus transfigured in all his glory, and the words of his Father’s approval, can give us great hope in a world filled with danger and uncertainty. When we cannot see where we are going or how we will get through, Jesus stands with his hands stretched out to us, asking us to let his light illuminate our hearts.
Brothers and sisters, the transfiguration tells us that Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death! Following him, we will share in his victory! He has promised to be with us always and to bring us to be with his Father forever. No darkness can ever be too deep for Jesus to illuminate, for he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords.
“Jesus, you are so faithful! Never once have you left me alone. Thank you for always being my light in a dark world.”
1-13. Realizing that His death will demoralize His disciples, Jesus forewarns them and strengthens their faith. Not content with telling them in advance about His death and resurrection on the third day, He wants two of the three future pillars of the Church (cf. Galatians 2:9) to see His transfiguration and thereby glimpse the glory and majesty with which His holy human nature will be endowed in Heaven.
The Father's testimony (verse 5), expressed in the same words as He used at Christ's baptism (cf. Matthew 3:17), reveals to the three Apostles that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the beloved, God Himself. To these words--also spoken at Christ's baptism--He adds, "Listen to Him", as if to indicate that Jesus is also the supreme prophet foretold by Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15-18).
3. Moses and Elijah are the two most prominent representatives of the Old Testament--the Law and the Prophets. The fact that Christ occupies the central position points up His pre-eminence over them, and the superiority of the New Testament over the Old.
This dazzling glimpse of divine glory is enough to send the Apostles into a rapture; so happy are they that Peter cannot contain his desire to prolong this experience.
5. In Christ God speaks to all men; through the Church His voice resounds in all ages: "The Church does not cease to listen to His words. She rereads them continually. With the greatest devotion she reconstructs every detail of His life. These words are listened to also by non-Christians. The life of Christ speaks, also, to many who are not capable of repeating with Peter, `You are the Christ, the Son of the living God' (Matthew 16:16). He, the Son of the living God, speaks to people also as Man: it is His life that speaks, His humanity, His fidelity to the truth, His all-embracing love. Furthermore, His death on the Cross speaks--that is to say the inscrutable depth of His suffering and abandonment. The Church never ceases to relive His death on the Cross and His resurrection, which constitute the content of the Church's daily life [...]. The Church lives His mystery, draws unwearingly from it and continually seeks ways of bringing this mystery of her Master and Lord to humanity--to the peoples, the nations, the succeeding generations, and every individual human being" ([Pope] John Paul II, "Redemptor Hominis", 7).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
16-18. The transfiguration of Jesus Christ, at which the voice of God the Father was heard (verses 16-18), and the testimony of the Old Testament prophets (verses 19-21) are a guarantee of the doctrine of Christ's second coming.
"The power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ": this phrase sums up the purpose of apostolic preaching: "power" indicates that Jesus Christ is God and is almighty like the Father; the "coming (literally "Parousia") means the same as His manifestation in glory at the end of time. This is not a matter of "myth"; it will be as real as His sojourn on this earth, of which the Apostles are "eyewitnesses". When speaking of the Transfiguration, the sacred writer refers to the "majesty" of Jesus Christ (an attribute which He always possesses, because He is God) and the "voice" of the Father confirming Christ's divine nature (cf. Matthew 17:5). The simple line of argument is that if Jesus Christ allowed His divinity to be glimpsed just for a moment, He will also be able to manifest it in its fullness and forever at the end of time.
"On the holy mountain": this wording indicates that he is referring to the transfiguration and not to the baptism of our Lord (Matthew 3:16-17). The mountain is described as "holy" because a theophany occurred there; similarly, in the Old Testament Zion is called a "holy mountain" because God revealed Himself there (cf. Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 11:9).
19-21. "The prophetic word" finds its complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ (cf. Hebrews 1:1). This does not refer to a particular prophecy; at that time "the prophetic word" meant the messianic prophecies or (more usually) all the Old Testament insofar as it proclaims the enduring salvation to come.
These verses encapsulate the whole notion of biblical prophecy--its value, interpretation and divine origin. They also show the close connection between the Old and the New Testaments. "The books of the Old Testament, all of them caught up into the Gospel message, attain and show forth their full meaning in the New Testament (cf. Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27; Romans 16:25-26; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16) and, in their turn, shed light on it and explain it" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 16).
By reaching their fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophecies confirm the truthfulness of what Jesus said and did. Together with the Transfiguration they constitute a guarantee of the second coming of the Lord.
The comparison of prophecy to the morning star is a very good one, for that star is designed to bring light and announce the coming of day. Similarly, the fullness of Revelation which begins with the earthly life of Christ will reach its climax when He comes in glory.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Amen!
Some additional beautiful paintings and an inspiring sermon.
2002, time flies.
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