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Discover the deeper meaning and connections found in this week's readings, through these great commentaries written by our priests.
Explore this week's readings and hear what God is saying to us through His Word.
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‘Vocation’ is one of the major themes running through the readings of today’s Liturgy. It is the vocation of Abraham, followed by the vocation of the Christian.
Our ‘journey’ as a Christian is a journey undertaken in the company of the Master.
Abraham chose to follow a call from God, and indeed, he was one of the first to set out on this sacred journey.
Like Abraham, all of us, and indeed during this sacred season of Lent, every catechumen is invited to leave their ‘country’ and go on this amazing journey. ‘Follow Him’. Follow Him, even in the midst of change. Behold what we are and become what we see.
The second reading from Paul to Timothy calls upon the disciples not to be discouraged or to give up, especially when difficulties arise.
Matthew 17:1-9: Transfiguration.
Traditionally Moses represents the Law, and Elijah the Prophets. “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Humanity can never build a dwelling place for God. Rather, it is God who makes humanity the dwelling place of divinity.
This is most profoundly revealed in the Transfiguration of Jesus. On Mount Tabor Christ reveals who we are and who, by grace, we are to become. The Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to wipe the sleep from our eyes, behold what we are, and become what we see.
Three phrases stand out: "Listen to Him"; "Get up"; and "Do not be afraid".
"Listen to Him."
In the midst of change Jesus speaks a word of life, a word of hope, a word of forgiveness, a word of mercy, a word of beauty, a word of generosity, a word of courage, a word of love, a word of healing.
Are we listening to that word, to his voice?
“Get up.”
A more literal translation would be something like “be raised up,” “be aroused from the sleep of death,” or maybe even “be resurrected.” Jesus comes to us in whatever circumstances of change we find ourselves, touches us, and says, “Get up, be raised”.
It’s the promise that though life has changed, it has not ended. Somehow new life is hidden in the midst of change, even when cannot see it or do not believe it. God uses the changing circumstances of our lives and world to bring us into new life. God never wastes a chance to draw forth new life.
“Do not be afraid.”
Change often brings about fear. We are not called to be fearless but to be courageous in the midst of change and fear. They are the assurance, once again, that change does not have the final word, Christ does.
Father, teach us, through our Lenten practices, to be transfigured, to further become that which You wish us to become. Amen.
We are invited today to listen to the beloved Son, as the Father has instructed: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Listening is different than hearing. We may hear different things or voices around us, but to listen is to be very attentive to what God is saying and living it out in our lives. This is being open to God’s word, by having our minds and heart shaped by it, and living it out.
By listening to His Word, we are nourished spiritually, made pure or whole, so that we may rejoice in beholding God’s glory. Through partaking in the mystery of the Eucharist, we are partaking of the things of heaven, we partake in His divine life.
The Transfiguration is the manifestation of God’s glory, a glory that we are called to share. The suffering and death of Christ was a scandal for his apostles, so the Transfiguration is a sign of hope, a foreshadowing of the conquest and glory to come. So too our own sufferings and struggles in life are transfigured. We are especially blessed today that we may be faithful to the Good News and that we too may join Christ in glory.
Do you have questions about the liturgy and how we are called to participate in it? Explore how the Church councils, saints, and popes have answered this key question and many more.
Every movement of the Mass is rich in meaning but we can become over-familiar with it. Rediscover the Mass and explore how it relates to the Exodus story, where many of its rituals come from, and how it makes Jesus present to us today.
