The Transfiguration of the Lord
06 August 2017
| First reading Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 |
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As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
| Responsorial Psalm | ||
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Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,9
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It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; we had seen his majesty for ourselves. He was honoured and glorified by God the Father, when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour.’ We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.
So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.
So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.
| Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
This is my Son, the Beloved:
he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.
Alleluia!
|
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| Gospel | Matthew 17:1-9 |
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Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’
As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’
Reflection
by Theresa Ballo
Last 2014, like most mountain climbers’ must-do list, beginners and professional hikers alike, I climbed Mt. Pulag in Benguet. Standing at 2922 meters above sea level, Mount Pulag is the highest peak in Luzon, the third highest in the Philippines. Unfortunately, I haven’t reached the summit. To reach the summit, we were asked to wake up at 2 a.m. to start trekking. The icy cold and thinness of air disabled me to even stand up. So as to not delay the team, I decided to just stay inside the tent in base camp.
A year after, I tried to climb again. I walked until peak 2 but still wasn’t able to reach the summit. I had difficulty breathing already. By the way, I have asthma but I always try not to get it through my adventures. In spite of my strong will, my body gives warning signs for me to slow down. So, I went back to the base camp. While waiting for the team, I just helped the organizer cooked our breakfast. After some time, a vast sea of clouds started to appear. The breathtaking view appeared from a far but enough for me to be amazed about God’s power and glory. I asked a few minutes from my partner to walk around, embrace God’s presence and pray.
I recalled this experience after reading our Gospel for today. Do the apostles and I share the same feelings at some parts of our experience? My heart was full of so much delight upon seeing a sea of clouds, what more would it feel to see Jesus’transfiguration? For Jesus, the Transfiguration is a foretaste of His glory, and in the strength of His love to endure the sufferings and death on the cross. More so, it is also an affirmation of His Father’s love, “This is my beloved son, listen to him.” For the apostles it was a remarkable experience. They had never seen their master like this before. They all wanted to stay with Jesus yet when He was arrested they all fled.
Like the apostles, there are a lot of times when I feel spiritually dry and could hardly feel God’s glory. My brokenness somehow makes me blind and insensitive to all that He has done for me and the graces He provides. The feeling of being close to God up in the mountain relates also to the feeling of being detached from Him because of my sinfulness.
To get myself out of such state, I have to go in prayer and let the Spirit take full control and allow me to re-live the good times and the high moments I have with our Lord, the times when I felt His loving embrace, His compassion and understanding, the time when He renewed my life and literally picked me up from the gutter and brought me a new life with our Lord. God changed me but He has not stopped. He continues to mold me and change me amidst my frailties, my brokenness and sinfulness.
God’s saving grace in my life meant following in Christ’s steps and taking up my Cross to bring His kingdom of love, healing and compassion to the world in my little ways. It meant giving up some comfort in my very private life to work in His vineyard. It meant living by a certain standard of discipleship and giving more and more of myself to others. God is slowly transforming me into what I should be and not into what I want myself to be.Resistance comes in from time to time because at times I felt tired, misunderstood and hurt. Nevertheless, His grace comes in always on the right time, through the right people and circumstances that fit. As Jesus’ transfiguration inspires us with His glory, let us continue to be more prayerful so that once more God’s glory may be seen in our lives as transformation occurs from deep within us.
O Lord, with Your loving grace, You are changing me for the better and transforming me into Your likeness. My heart is just full of thanksgiving knowing You have never abandoned us. You share our joys and our sorrows too. Purify us, strengthen us and give us a discerning mind so as to resist temptations and always follow Your will. Amen.
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