August 6
The
Transfiguration of the LordGospel:
Matthew 17:1-9
Today's Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9 (Transfiguration of
the Lord)
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and
James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And
he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his
clothes became bright as light. Suddenly there appeared
to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus,
“Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three
tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While
he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice
from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved: with him I am well
pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the
ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and
touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And
when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As
they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the
vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Reflection:
Jesus didn't take all twelve apostles up that
mountain. He took three. And He didn't do it randomly; He did it right before
He walked toward Jerusalem and the cross. Peter, James, and John
needed to see who He really was before they watched Him suffer, so that later,
when everything looked like defeat, some part of them would remember the light.
That's what the Transfiguration is for, a mercy, given in advance, to carry
people through what's coming.
Our Lady never got a mountaintop vision like that. She carried the truth of who
her Son was from the moment of the Annunciation, through a stable, through
thirty hidden years, all the way to Calvary, on nothing but faith and the words
an angel spoke to her once. If anyone ever deserved a dazzling vision to hold
onto, it was her, and she went without one, trusting anyway.
Most of us wouldn’t get a mountaintop either. Most of us get the plain valley,
day after day, and have to hold onto what we believe about Jesus without ever
seeing His face shine like the sun. That's not a lesser faith, that's the same
faith Mary lived her whole life, and it's the one being asked of you now.
What have you been given to remember on the days you can't see the light?
Also, how do you keep Jesus alive and present in your daily life?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.
