Daily Retreat 08/06/08
2008 Aug 6 Wed: TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD F
Dn 7: 9-10. 13-14/ Ps 96(97): 1-2. 5-6. 9/ 2 Pt 1: 16-19/ Mt 17: 1-9
From today’s readings: “As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of Heaven.... The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.... We ourselves heard this voice come from Heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain.... 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.....”
A Superfluous Miracle?
When I was growing up, the Transfiguration of Jesus almost appeared to me as a superfluous event. Nearly all of Jesus’ miracles were clearly worked as an intentional blessing for other people: changing water into wine, numerous healings, multiplication of the loaves, etc. Yet the beneficiaries of Jesus’ Transfiguration are not immediately apparent, since Peter, James, and John certainly failed to grasp the significance of the moment (cf. Luke 9:33), and were even forbidden by Jesus to recount what they had seen (Mark 9:9).
Yet we must remember that Jesus’ miracles were intended not only to help and to inspire wonder, but also to provoke reflection which was in turn to lead to deeper faith and discipleship as well (cf. John 6:26). This is especially true of the Transfiguration - everything about it invites questions: why? how? what does it mean? Jesus silenced His disciples because He knew they had not reflected enough at that time to speak coherently about it - after the Resurrection, their fuller faith would enable them to proclaim and explain the Transfiguration (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-18).
The same is true for you and me - through prayerful questioning and meditation, key insights about Christ can be established. For instance, the Transfiguration occurs immediately after the first time Jesus explicitly predicts His Passion, so the timing reveals Jesus’ intention to link the glory of the Transfiguration (and Resurrection) to the suffering of the Passion. Moreover, since Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, Jesus standing in their midst demonstrates clearly that the Old Testament is meant to lead the focus to Jesus. His glorious aspect and the Father’s voice from Heaven confirm Jesus as the beloved Son of God, Whom we should always listen to! You take it from here - think and pray about the Transfiguration to understand why it’s not superfluous at all, but supersaturated with revelation about the resplendent face of our faith!
Dn 7: 9-10. 13-14/ Ps 96(97): 1-2. 5-6. 9/ 2 Pt 1: 16-19/ Mt 17: 1-9
From today’s readings: “As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of Heaven.... The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.... We ourselves heard this voice come from Heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain.... 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.....”
A Superfluous Miracle?
When I was growing up, the Transfiguration of Jesus almost appeared to me as a superfluous event. Nearly all of Jesus’ miracles were clearly worked as an intentional blessing for other people: changing water into wine, numerous healings, multiplication of the loaves, etc. Yet the beneficiaries of Jesus’ Transfiguration are not immediately apparent, since Peter, James, and John certainly failed to grasp the significance of the moment (cf. Luke 9:33), and were even forbidden by Jesus to recount what they had seen (Mark 9:9).
Yet we must remember that Jesus’ miracles were intended not only to help and to inspire wonder, but also to provoke reflection which was in turn to lead to deeper faith and discipleship as well (cf. John 6:26). This is especially true of the Transfiguration - everything about it invites questions: why? how? what does it mean? Jesus silenced His disciples because He knew they had not reflected enough at that time to speak coherently about it - after the Resurrection, their fuller faith would enable them to proclaim and explain the Transfiguration (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-18).
The same is true for you and me - through prayerful questioning and meditation, key insights about Christ can be established. For instance, the Transfiguration occurs immediately after the first time Jesus explicitly predicts His Passion, so the timing reveals Jesus’ intention to link the glory of the Transfiguration (and Resurrection) to the suffering of the Passion. Moreover, since Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, Jesus standing in their midst demonstrates clearly that the Old Testament is meant to lead the focus to Jesus. His glorious aspect and the Father’s voice from Heaven confirm Jesus as the beloved Son of God, Whom we should always listen to! You take it from here - think and pray about the Transfiguration to understand why it’s not superfluous at all, but supersaturated with revelation about the resplendent face of our faith!
posted by FrPitstick | 8/05/2008
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