CATHOLIC FEAST DAYS

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, 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 tent 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.”

Then the disciples asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”He said in reply “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17:1-13

BACKGROUND

On August 6th, we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. In this extraordinary event, found in the Synoptic Gospels and the 2nd Letter of St. Peter, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. The evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke record that our Lord’s face shone like the sun and that his clothes became white as light. Moses and Elijah appears to them and conversed with Christ.

To fully comprehend the importance of this event, it is helpful to understand the context. In Caesarea Philippi, (six days before Transfiguration on Mount Tabor) Jesus asks them: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds that Jesus is “The Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Jesus acknowledges that Peter’s response could only be prompted by the Father and designates Peter as the leader of the Church. “you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,”

Next, Jesus astounds those present, saying he will soon go to Jerusalem where he will be killed and then rise on the third day. His followers couldn’t grasp that such events could possibly happen if he was truly the Messiah. In fact, Peter argues, “No such thing could ever happen to you.” Jesus offers a stern response: “Get behind me, Satan!(def. adversary) You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Mathew 16:22-23).

Some six days after the discussions at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus furnishes clarification of his words to three of the apostles, Peter, James, and John during the miracle of the Transfiguration. The apostles are awestruck by this scene, and Peter wants to build three tents (tabernacles), one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah (cf. Mt 17:4).

Peter is ready to stay in this beautiful place, but he and the others must go back down the mountain. Glory awaits Him and us if he stays the path, deny himself, picks up his cross and follows Jesus.(Mt. 16:24)

This is not unlike the soldier who goes on R&R from a combat zone. He enjoys, even relishes his time away from combat, but he has to go back. The victory still has to be won; sacrifices still have to be made.

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED
MATTHEW 17:5

REFLECTION
On a mountain, for a brief time, the splendor of Christ’s eternal divinity is revealed. The apostles witness how Jesus will appear in heaven and we too, as followers of Christ, will share in his glory. His passion was not the end, so too our suffering, our death. is not the end.

Both before and after the Transfiguration, Jesus told the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the elders, saying, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 17:22-23.

The three disciples who saw the glorified Lord were given a vision meant to strengthen them for the difficult days ahead when Jesus would be arrested and crucified. It is a foretaste of the glory that will be theirs in the Kingdom of God. This moment, forever embedded in their minds, will help them to endure the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Let us reflect back on the times in which we have caught a subtle glimpse of the glory of our Lord. Perhaps while reading Scripture where we have encountered the majesty of God. Or perhaps moments that occurred at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Holy Hour.

Let the Glory of God wash over us and fill us with fortitude to endure present difficulties in order to share in that Glory one day. Simply enjoy His presence and peace. Be thankful day and night, for the Lord is good, his mercy endures forever.

RISE AND DO NOT BE AFRAID

The way of suffering and glory intertwined is part of what we gain from celebrating this feast. It invites us to ascend the mountain with those disciples, to tremble with them at the awesome reality of God’s glory in Jesus, The disciples fall prostrate and are very much afraid. and to hear the words of comfort from Jesus, to rise and not to be afraid.

We celebrate the Transfiguration not only for the picture it paints of our glorified Lord, but for what it shows us about how we can be changed. We don’t have to be stuck in the muck. Trust in Jesus!

The voice of God the Father from the cloud hearkens back to the cloud that guided the Israelites during their journey to the Promised Land. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus is the New Moses. Elijah paved the way for Christ, announcing His coming, the true God among the pagans of his time. Christ fulfills what the prophets foretold of the Messiah.

POST-SCRIPT

JESUS WELCOMES US INTO HIS GLORY

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…. a holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down from God…,
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God..
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain…
REVELATION 21:1-4

PRAYER (PSALM 27)

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?….

Though an army encamp against me,
my heart does not fear;
Though war be waged against me,
even then do I trust.

One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:To dwell in the LORD’s house
all the days of my life,To gaze on the LORD’s beauty, to visit his temple

Hear my voice, LORD, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
“Come,” says my heart, “seek his face”

LORD, Do not hide your face from me;
do not repel your servant in anger.
You are my salvation; do not cast me off;
do not forsake me, God my savior!….

Wait for the LORD, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!

John (the) Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins…John proclaimed,  “One mightier than I is coming after me.  I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  MARK 1:1-11

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON

WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened…the Spirit of God descended like a dove… And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” JOHN 1:26-32

COMMENTARY

Jesus did not have Original Sin or any other sin.  Jesus’ insisted on Baptism by John as an example to others who were in need of reconciliation and new beginnings because of their fallen state displayed in weakened wills, clouded minds, and unruly appetites. Conversion was the message, repent and believe in the Gospel.

When Jesus was immersed in the waters of John’s baptism He took on all the sins of the world, knowing one day, He would pay the price of our redemption as Savior of the world.  Jesus emerged from the waters of Baptism, affirmed by the Father, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” as we are at our Baptisms.

Baptism is not only, a cleansing of our sins, and infusion of sanctifying grace making us adopted sons and daughters of Our Father and heirs to heaven, it is an initiation that sets us on our journey back to our heavenly home.  All Christians are commissioned through their baptism to conform to Christ, reject Satan and all his works and empty promises.

“The baptized have become “living stones” to be “built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.” By Baptism they share in the priesthood of Christ…Baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers.” CCC #1268

 After the Baptismal waters, comes the anointing with sacred chrism oil, wherein the priest or deacon prays these words:  “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.”

As the common priesthood of the laity we make sacrifices, as prophet we bear witness in words and actions to Jesus being the Way the Truth and the Life. And as king we serve others especially those most in need.

REFLECTIONS:

John the Baptist proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins….John’s baptism does not forgive sins but prepares the hearts of people to acknowledge their guilt and readies them for God’s mercy that the Savior promises…Jesus is that Savior that John the Baptist points to….Behold the Lamb of God…

 Jesus is that sacrificial lamb who will sacrifice himself for us that our sins may be forgiven…in the water of the Jordan, Jesus takes on the sins of the world… sin has no more dominion over mankind…Blessed be God!

 The Spirit of God descended like a dove in blessing and affirmation…The Father affirms the Son’s mission…”This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased…Here is your Savior!

Just as in the days of the early Christians – to be Christian is to be counter cultural. Today a culture of death runs rampant, hate, violence, abortion, euthanasia, war, etc. As Christians, we promote the culture of life.

To accept the Lord’s call to discipleship, means to live “in this world but not of it.” … spreading light in the dark spots by breathing in those nooks and crannies the spirit of love and mercy of Jesus Christ!

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD

WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD JOHN 1:29

HE MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE JOHN 3:30

BEHOLD A GREAT LIGHT SHATTERS THE DARKNESS!

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing.” Isaiah 9:1-2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. John 1:1

In time the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you… Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son…  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High

THE GREATEST EXCHANGE OF GIFTS

At Bethlehem, humanity sees not only God-Made flesh but also receives an invitation to become God-like.  God offers to make men and women by grace what Jesus Christ is by nature, namely, a beloved child of our heavenly Father.  In Jesus, God took on human attributes, in Jesus humans can now take on the divine qualities of mercy, love, insight, and immortality.

In exchange for the humanity He takes, the Incarnate Word gives us a share in his divinity.   God is born in time so we can be reborn in eternity.  The Son of God becomes the Son of Man so men and women can become children of the one same Father in heaven.

 CHRIST THE KING IS BORN; COME LET US ADORE HIM

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.

The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them…The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  

For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

  “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE TO THOSE  ON WHOM HIS FAVOR RESTS.”

REFLECTION

God became man.  What caused this transcendent almighty God to humble himself to take on humanity?  Because He had something more He wanted to share.  He had already created us out of nothing.  Who does that, we don’t.  Everything we make is from something else. God humbles himself that He might share His divine life with us, the life of grace here on earth and face to face in heaven.

Why do we gift others at Christmas; for the most part it isn’t their birthday.  We gift others not because of shopping malls or internet deals but because we imitate God who has gifted us with the greatest gift of all, His only begotten Son and our Redeemer, out gateway into heaven.

One of my favorite images of the Birth of Christ is the star that lights and exclaims a new born king of heaven and earth is born today.  ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life. John 8:12

This light has shattered darkness of sin and death. Jesus declares He is exclusive source of all spiritual truth. We can either walk in the light or in darkness.  We choose!  There is more.  It is not just about us. We must be light (witnesses) for other people. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Matthew 5:15

The night the Christ Child was born, shepherds came and saw, then worshiped and spread the Good News. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. Luke 2:20…do I spread the Good News…Mary pondered all these mysteries in her heart…do I ponder the birth of Jesus in my heart… And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Luke 2:19

FROM TOM AND JEANETTE BLOCK

STILL ROMAN CATHOLIC AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. COM

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI FEAST DAY OCTOBER 4

INTRODUCTION

Most of us know in general about Francis’ love for God’s creation, the animals, BROTHER sun, SISTER moon, and all that God has made. Many parishes will be blessing pets today. Pets are our companions and gift from God on our journey. They cheer us on even our worst day. Thank God for our pets! May they bring us blessings and peace in these turbulent times.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI BIOGRAPHY

In 1182, Francis was born to wealthy parents. Francis was a young man of charm and wit with a consuming desire to be a knight after the fashion of his heroes, the legendary knights’ errant of the court of King Arthur and the court of Charlemagne.

In his twentieth year, Francis rides off to battle against the neighboring city of Perugia. Assisi is routed and Francis is taken prisoner. While in prison, Francis becomes ill; his release from prison was finally ransomed by his Father. After imprisonment and ill health, the world had lost some of its splendor for Francis.

Francis began to hear new voices. God’s voice became louder and clearer. One day Francis hears: “Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh, is now your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. When you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter… but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy.”

Another time while praying in the chapel of San Damiano, Francis hears, “Francis repair my house which is falling into ruin.” Francis begins selling his Father’s goods to raise money for repairs then resorts to begging for stones of the townspeople. Enraged at his son’s profligacy, Pietro drags his son before the Bishop.

Francis strips himself of his clothes before the Bishop and lays them at his father’s feet and utters the most dramatic words of his life, “Listen to me everybody! Until now I have called Pietro Bernardone my father. But now that I am determined to serve God, I return not only his money but all the clothes I have from him. From now on, I can walk naked before the Lord, no longer saying “my father,” Pietro Bernardone, but, ‘our Father who art in heaven!’

Thus begins the journey of Francis from his father’s house to the house of his heavenly Father. For Francis the Father is revealed in Jesus Christ and the journey home is in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. The radical commitment of Francis to his Lord was nourished above all by the Scriptures. Francis’ approach to the Bible was not one of analysis but one of immersing himself in the Word.

Francis began to understand God’s call to “rebuild his Church” was a more specific vocation to rebuild the spiritual life of the Church by bearing witness in imitation of Christ to the saving power of the Gospel. Francis felt that evangelical poverty and victories over oneself were necessary means to spiritual growth in Jesus Christ. It wasn’t long before Francis had a chance to put these two pillars of spirituality into practice.

FRANCIS EMBRACES THE LEPER

One day Francis was riding across the plains of Assisi, he perceived a leper coming straight towards him. In Francis’ day a leper had to ring a bell and shout, “Unclean.” Society had embedded in Francis an incomparable loathing for all persons afflicted with this illness. As Francis saw the leper approach his first reaction was horror then he remembered the resolve he made to attain perfection and to be a soldier of Christ meant victory over one self.

Francis dismounted his horse, kissed the leper, and gave him alms. When he had remounted, he saw no one. Filled with joy, Francis fell on his knees to thank God. In this decisive moment of illumination Francis suddenly perceived in this leper the embodiment of God’s beauty, a human being to be loved and cared for tenderly. By embracing the leper, the Saint learned to embrace all people just as Jesus did.

As we enter more deeply into the Christ mystery (Incarnation) we will come to know the Word Made Flesh, the Word of God through whom all things are singularly loved into being. For Francis, to live the Gospel is to “put flesh and blood” on God and proclaim that God’s glory is fully alive throughout the universe. For Francis it is to become a mirror of Christ and footprints of Christ for others to see and follow.

REFLECTIONS
“Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh, is now your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. When you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter… but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy.”

Francis is reminded that all is vanity, all stuff goes away, all that remains is God. God gives and God takes away, just ask Job. We must get our priorities straight before it is too late. If we avoid God in this life, set him aside or play hide and seek, would we really be happy with him for all eternity.

Hell exists not so much as a punishment but rather as a place to go for those who want to go their own way. God forces no one to love him and be happy with Him for all eternity.

“Francis repair my house which is falling into ruin.” At first Francis mistook the message and thought God meant repairing a rundown chapel nearby. Then he got it. He was to rebuild the spiritual life of the Church by bearing witness in imitation of Christ, walk in the footsteps of Christ according to the Gospel.

We are those witnesses today. How are we living our faith and bearing witness despite all the noise and turbulence that surrounds us. Conversion happens one day at a time, one person at a time. You never know the effect of bearing witness to your faith has on others. In your own life, think when someone’s witness had an impact on strengthening your own faith.

“For Francis, the Father is revealed in Jesus Christ and the journey home is in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.” How are we following in footsteps of Jesus? Do we need some catching up? Do we pray that we may conform to Jesus this week, this day? Are we “a mirror of Christ and footprints of Christ for others to see and follow?”

Two years before Saint Francis of Assisi died, Saint Francis received in his hands, feet and side the Sacred Wounds from Our Lord’s own body. The wounds Jesus gave him stayed in his hands, feet and side, and continually bled for two more years, until he died in 1226.

FRANCIS RECEIVES THE STIGMATA

FEAST DAY SEPTEMBER 5

INTRODUCTION

Saints are models for us. The saints are not only models for us, they are intercessors on our behalf. Mother Teresa is one of my favorite saints. Years ago she inspired our whole family, teenage girls included, to spend time in the poorest of poor nations, Haiti to work with the poor and dying. One of the places was a hospice run by the Missionaries of Charity the order Mother Teresa founded.

We have never been the same since. It is true when you give your life for another, you save your life and that life becomes more abundant. God keeps His promises. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25

BACKGROUND

Born in Skopje in 1910, MOTHER TERESA joined the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin in 1928 and was sent to India, where she began her novitiate. She taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948, until leaving the Loreto order to begin the Missionaries of Charity.

Through her sisters, brothers, and priests, her service of the poorest of the poor spread all around the world. She won many awards, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. After her death in 1997, the process for sainthood quickly began and she was beatified in 2003 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2016.

In 1946, Mother Teresa had a mystical encounter with Christ on a train to Darjeeling September 26, 1946 in which He asked her to take her love for Him a large step further. He asked her to leave the convent of Loreto and begin an order which would serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.

During the time of her mystical experiences leading to the founding of the new order, she experienced deep spiritual union and the sensible awareness of God’s Presence in her life.

Here is a small sample of Jesus’ words to her: “My little one – come – carry Me into the holes of the poor. – Come be My light – I cannot go alone – they don’t know Me – How I long to enter their holes – in your love for Me – they will see Me, know Me, want Me…. For them I long –Wilt thou refuse?”

During her lifelong service to the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa became an icon of compassion to people of all religions; her extraordinary contributions to the care of the sick, the dying, and thousands of others nobody else was prepared to look after, has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world.

Mother Teresa’s passionate love for God motivated her throughout her life: “I want to love Him as He has never been loved before—with a tender, personal, intimate love.” With the permission of my confessor, I made a vow to God – binding under Mortal Sin – to give to God anything that He may ask, ‘Not to refuse Him anything.’”

As Mother Teresa’s life as a Missionary of Charity began, her mystical experiences and deep awareness of God’s Presence within her soul ended. With the help of her confessors she gradually began to see this darkness as a dark night of the soul that enabled her to identify more completely with the darkness and alienation of the people to whom she ministered.

There were indeed times when she thought the darkness was more than she could bear, times when she prayed desperately for healing and relief. But she learned to accept the darkness without allowing it to impede her work. Her determination is expressed beautifully in these words: “The greater the pain and darker the darkness the sweeter will be my smile at God” (“Come Be My Light” p.222)

QUOTES OF MOTHER TERESA

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

Each person is Jesus in disguise.

I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy. I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus..

It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

At the hour of death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing.

CONCLUSION

We are each called and equipped by God to not only survive our personal Calcutta, but to contribute to those around us whose individual Calcutta intersects our own. There is no need, then, to travel to far-off lands to contribute… Wherever we are, with whatever talents and relationships God has entrusted us, we are each called not to do what Mother Teresa did, but– to love as she loved in the Calcuttas of our own life.

Made in the very image and likeness of God, We on earth, are God’s love, God’s compassion, God’s will, God’s caregivers, His smile, His tears. We must show the presence of God in this world because He is not coming again until the end of time.

So many have forgotten what saints of the Old Testament knew that God is one, Lord of all and there is no other. So many floods, fires. earthquakes pestilence, wars so many man-made disasters. Why aren’t our churches filled with a call for repentance and mercy from a God that loves us.

Mother Teresa’s 1979 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

Lord, make me a channel of Thy peace that,

where there is hatred, I may bring love;
that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that, where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that, where there is error, I may bring truth; that, where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that, where there is despair, I may bring hope; that, where there are shadows, I may bring light; that, where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to love than to be loved; for it is by forgetting self that one finds; it is forgiving that one is forgiven; it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.

COMMENTARY

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY

On August 6th, we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. In this extraordinary event, found in the Synoptic Gospels and the 2nd Letter of St. Peter, Jesus is transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John. The evangelists record that our Lord’s face shone like the sun and that his clothes became white as light. Then, Moses and Elijah appears to them and conversed with Christ.

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON

WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED
MATTHEW 17:5
A bright cloud then casts a shadow over the group and a voice speaks saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The disciples fall prostrate and are very much afraid. Jesus, however, tells them to rise and not to be afraid.

The voice of God the Father from the cloud hearkens back to the cloud that guided the Israelites during their journey to the Promised Land. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus is the New Moses. Elijah paved the way for Christ, announcing His coming, the true God among the pagans of his time. Christ fulfills what the prophets foretold of Him.

Both before and after the transfiguration, Jesus told the disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the elders, saying, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 17:22-23. The three disciples who saw the glorified Lord were given a vision meant to strengthen them for the difficult days ahead when Jesus would be arrested and crucified.

CONCLUSION

Jesus shows plainly that He is the King of Glory, the One sent by God to redeem Israel. St. Peter noted, Lord, it is good that we are here. Matthew 17:4 We too must cherish every moment we are in the presence of God.

Let us reflect back on the times in which we have caught subtle, or not so subtle, glimpses of the glory of our Lord. Perhaps while reading Scripture where we have encountered the majesty of God. Or perhaps moments that occurred at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or in our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Holy Hour.

In our prayer, ask Jesus to reveal himself more deeply to us. Simply enjoy His presence and peace. Let the Glory of God wash over you and fill you with fortitude to endure present difficulties in order to share in that Glory one day.

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” Matthew 17:5. These words of the Father affirm Jesus’ mission. Ask yourself, “Am I confident in the mission God has for me?” If you are unsure of God’s will for your life, spend extra time in prayer asking that he reveal it to you.

Thank Him at the beginning and the end of each day. Praise His Name always! Jesus’ transfiguration gives us a glimpse of the transformation we will experience at the resurrection. On the last day, we too will be raised from the dead. Like Jesus on Mount Tabor, our bodies will be transfigured and glorified.

JESUS WELCOMES US INTO HIS GLORY

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…. a holy city, a New Jerusalem, coming down from God…,
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God..
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain…
REVELATION 21:1-4

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD
WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD
JOHN 1:29

BACKGROUND

Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is as old as Christianity. The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.

Just as Eve, the mother of all life, whose name means Life, was taken from the side of Adam, the Church and all the life giving sacraments flow from the pierced side of Jesus.

In the first century, Pope St. Clement I wrote “Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious it is; it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world.”

For centuries the Feast of Most Precious Blood was celebrated on July 1. But in 1969, Paul VI removed the feast day from the Roman Liturgical Calendar. His reasoning was is that the Most Precious Blood of Christ is already venerated in the solemnities of the Passion, the Feast of Corpus Christi, Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.” In today’s liturgy the entire month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. In some rites of the Church, July 1 is still celebrated as Feast of Most Precious Blood.

The Blood of Christ is the source of salvation for the world. God chose the sign of blood, because no other sign is so eloquent to express the supreme love of life given for others. This donation is repeated in every Eucharistic celebration, in which alongside the Body of Christ, His precious blood is made present; the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, shed for all, for the redemption of sins.

SCRIPTURE

In the Bible, blood had a very significant meaning. Blood in the Old Testament was a key component in the system of atonement instituted by God. The lifeblood of a sacrificial animal offered in sacrifice represented the life of the individual making atonement.

The Bible regards blood as the symbol and source of life. Leviticus 17:14 states, “For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life…

God’s holiness and justice demand that sin be punished. The offering of an animal and even our own death are not sufficient sacrifices to pay for sin. Atonement for the infinite offense against God requires a perfect, spotless sacrifice.

Jesus Christ, the one perfect God-man, came to offer the pure, complete and everlasting sacrifice to make payment for our sin…..not by the blood of sacrificial animals, but by his own precious blood on the cross, Christ poured out his life in the ultimate atoning sacrifice for our sin and the sins of the world.

But when Christ came as high priest…he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption….
Hebrews Chapter 9

“for this is My blood, the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28

In the scourging at the pillar, we see the Lord under raw strokes of the lash spurt out His divine Blood. Pilate displays the blood-covered Body to the crowds: Ecce homo (Behold the Man)! As we go through Jerusalem’s streets we follow the bloody footsteps to Golgotha. Precious blood trickles down the cross until a soldier opens the sacred side. Water and Blood flow from that side to wash us clean in the blood of the Lamb!

COMMENTARY

In my opinion, removing a feast as “precious” as this one from the Roman Liturgical Calendar may have had unintended consequences to lessen traditional devotions and thus deprive those traditional Catholics certain opportunities to reverence the body and blood of Christ.

The Eucharist, the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ is a BIG DEAL at daily Mass. We can never be reminded too often of the Mystery of our Salvation! Our redemption flows from the pierced side of Jesus.

BLOOD OF CHRIST FALLING UPON THE EARTH,
HAVE MERCY ON US!

Sin must be the most dreadful thing in the universe, because it cost the living God, in human form, the shedding of His Blood. In order to die, the soul has to separate from the body. But for the Body to have the soul separate from the body, the body has to be deprived of its Blood.

In the very first letter of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ, Peter addressed the need for reverence for the “precious blood” of Christ, “realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ” I Peter 1:17-19.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, You became Man that you might suffer your Passion and Death even to the draining of your most precious blood so you might prove to us your love for us.

Protect us, dear Jesus. Strengthen our weak human wills so that we will not run away from the cross, but welcome every opportunity to shed our blood in spirit in union with your Precious Blood, so that, dying to ourselves in time, we might live with You in Eternity Amen

“GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD,
HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER!

 

SAUL, SAUL, WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE ME?

 SAUL’S CONVERSION

Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.

On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?”

 The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;^* so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. ACTS 9:1-8

COMMENTARY

Paul had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “…entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” Acts 8:3.

Now Paul himself was “entered.” A great light illumined him. When Jesus said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” Acts 9:5 Jesus was mysteriously identifying Himself with the people Saul was running down like criminals. At that moment Paul realized a mysterious transcendent relationship between the eternal and living Christ and his followers.  Jesus lives and is present in them and they live in him.

Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ. The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:17-18

Conversion by faith in Christ is a turning to the obedience of Christ, and a turning away from sin. St. Paul has captured the eternal struggle that we all go through. Paul laments in Romans 7:15 – “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate.” Paul then cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Like St. Paul we know the answer to that question.

CONCLUSION

Conversion is a life-long operation, turning from sin back to Jesus Christ.  St. Paul continually reminds us of the moral imperative – Stop sinning! I Corinthians 15:34. Remember the day will come, at the hour of our death, when we will face judgment.  Romans 2:5

Paul says, “I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain” 1 Cor. 15:9-10 Paul acknowledges that he saved by the grace of God.  God alone can save us!  Good works are necessary but those are the result of saying yes to God’s grace.

Life-long conversion requires repentance. Repentance conveys a sense of regret, sorrow, grief, or remorse for one’s sins, that leads someone to conversion. We call this conversion, metanoia,  a turning away, a change in mind, for the person turns away from sin and turns towards God. To be transformed requires an ongoing effort on our part. This outward expression reflects what springs from within.

The vocation to be an apostle is based not on any human merit says Paul, who considered himself “the least” and “unfit,” but on the infinite goodness of God, who chose him and entrusted him with the ministry. Converting means allowing the Lord to live and work in us. 

“A great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.” Acts 22:6.  The light of the risen Christ transformed Paul and impelled him to illumine the world by the light of the Gospel.  This Scripture quote reminds  me of a trip my wife and I took to Rome in the Jubilee Year 2000. 

I was looking to avail myself of the Sacrament of Reconciliation if I could find a confessor that spoke English in one of the confessionals.  Of course I was tempted to go to someone that spoke only Spanish but I resisted.

Finding a confessor that spoke English, I made my confession and received absolution. Then leaving the confessional, I heard the most beautiful singing and organ playing but sight showed me no one was singing or playing any music.  I smiled to myself, gave thanks, and prayed my penance.  I will remember that “illumination” at the Basilica of St. Paul forever. “Only by the Grace of God,” 1 Corinthians 15:10

BASILICA OF ST. PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALLS ROME, ITALY

 PRAYER

 Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God and my Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life.  I ask you to come into my life and heart.  I want to serve you always with my whole mind, my whole heart, and my whole strength

 REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL

MARK 1:15

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