When a car speeds past us on the highway, we typically label the driver “reckless” or a “jerk.” But when we’re the one speeding, it’s because we’re in a hurry for a very important reason! We condemn others but excuse ourselves for doing the exact same thing! We reason that we act with the best of motives, but assume that others do not. Why? Because we evaluate ourselves based on our intentions, but judge others based on their behavior.
Jesus cautions us in today’s gospel about applying this double standard; he warns us against being quick to judge and condemn. Instead, he invites us to imitate the compassion, forgiveness, and generosity of God the Father. He invites us, in the words of Charles de Foucauld: “Do unto others, as you would have God do unto you.”
Over the holidays I was approached at a party by a friend whose eyes were filled with tears. She had lost her dad earlier in the year, and she still grieving. The fact that it was Christmastime only made things worse, as it often does. My friend also shared with me that her dad’s death was affecting her faith. She said: “I’m not really sure what I believe any more.” God seemed very distant to her. She was wondering if God even existed at all.
My friend’s experience is not unusual. When someone close to us dies, we’re often forced to take a good hard look at our beliefs– beliefs we may have been taking for granted. It can seem as if God doesn’t care; we can feel as if God has abandoned us; we can think that we’re being punished. But in reality Jesus understands what we’re going through. And he doesn’t leave us to face our crisis alone. When we’re filled with grief, Jesus is right there beside us, whether we’re able to recognize it or not.
We can see Jesus’ love for those who grieve in the gospel account of the Transfiguration. Jesus knew that his death was approaching. Jesus knew also that his death would leave his disciples sad, confused, and angry. So he took three of them-Peter, James and John- up to a mountaintop, to show them something they would never forget. On that mountaintop, Jesus was transfigured before them. The disciples were awestruck by the magnificence of his glory, amazed to see him speak with Moses and Elijah, and knocked to their knees upon hearing the voice of God the Father himself. Jesus blessed his friends with this experience to leave them with a memory that would be a source of hope when it would be easy to despair, and a sign that his story would end, not with death and a cross, but with resurrection and an empty tomb.
I imagine that many of us here today have been through a significant experience of grief. At some point, all of us will, as we face the death of those we love. And of course, death isn’t the only thing that can lead to grief. There’s also divorce, the loss of a job, suffering a major illnesses, and moving away from a beloved home, just to name a few. Grief is inevitable. Today’s transfiguration gospel, however, gives us five clues about how we as Christians can prepare for, face, and emerge on the other side grief.
First, we need to prepare ourselves beforehand, just as Jesus prepared his disciples for his death. To do this, we need to develop our relationship with God now. Because if God is a stranger to us today, chances are he will still be a stranger to us when grief strikes. We need something to fall back on when things fall apart.
Second, we need to embrace our memories. Jesus wanted his friends to remember his transfiguration in the hours and days after his death. We too need to remember how God has touched our lives in special ways. This will help us to trust and to endure during difficult times. If we’re grieving someone who has died, we need to hang on to and celebrate the good memories we have of that person. And if there are bad memories, then we can’t ignore them either. Perhaps we’ll need to forgive that person for things they did to us. Perhaps we’ll need to forgive ourselves for things we did to them.
Third, we need to reach out to others for their support. It’s been said that misery loves company. But misery is more miserable when we face it alone. That’s why Jesus shared the transfiguration with three disciples, and not just one, because after his death, he didn’t want them to suffer alone. And he doesn’t want us to suffer alone either. When we grieve, others can pray for us, pray with us, give us practical help, and bolster our faith by sharing their stories of how the Lord may have help them during their time of grief.
Fourth, we need to express our grief. Jesus shared his transfiguration with his friends because he knew they would be sad after his death. Jesus himself had wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus. And it’s okay for us to cry too. When someone we love has died, sometimes people say things like: “He’s in a better place now;” or “At least she’s not suffering any more;” or “I guess God needed another angel.” They mean well. But there’s an implication that we should cheer up, or even that our sadness is selfish somehow. But tears aren’t selfish. They’re a sign of our loss, and often a sign of our love.
Fifth, we need to pray while we grieve, even if we don’t feel much like praying. We may think that we can’t pray, because we associate prayer with feelings of warmth and peace. Any when we’re grieving, we usually feel anything but warm and peaceful. But prayer isn’t just about happy feelings. Prayer is an honest communication between us and God. If we’re feeling angry, confused, hurt, or hopeless, we need to share this with God, even if we think he isn’t going to like what we have to say! At the same time, we need to listen to the voice of Jesus spoken to us in Scripture, just as God the Father told the disciples to do on the Transfiguration mount.
The truth is that when we grieve, God knows exactly how we feel, and God knows what we’re thinking. There’s no sense trying to hide it from him, especially since he loves us so much. And because he loves us, he won’t allow grief to have the final word. Because for we Christians, it is our resurrection hope that night is always followed by the morning, and that grief can be transfigured into joy.
The second Sunday of Lent always features the transfiguration. This is done in the first place because we are following the Lord on his final journey to Jerusalem and this journey up Mt Tabor was one of the stops Jesus himself made with Peter, James and John. It is commonly held that Jesus did this to prepare his apostles for the difficult days ahead. There’s a line from an old spiritual which says, Sometimes I up, sometimes I’m down, sometimes I’m almost on the ground…..but see what the end shall be. And this is what the Lord is doing here: he is showing us what the end shall be. There is a cross to get through, but there is glory on the other side.
There also seems a purpose in placing this account here in that it helps describe the pattern of the Christian life which is the paschal mystery. For we are always dying and rising with Christ in repeated cycles as we journey to an eternal Easter (cf 2 Cor4:10). This Gospel shows forth the pattern of the cross, in the climb, and rising, in the glory of the mountaintop. Then it is back down the mountain again, only to climb another mountain, (Golgotha) and through it find another glory (Easter Sunday). Here is the pattern of the Christian life: the paschal mystery. Let’s look a little closer at the Gospel in three stages.
I. The Purpose of Trials. The text says – Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. Now we often pass over this fact, that they had to climb that mountain. And the climb was no easy task. Any one who has been to the sight of Tabor knows what high mountain it is. The climb was almost 2000 feet, high and steep. It may have taken the better part of a day and probably had its dangers. Once at the top it is like looking from an airplane window out on the Jezreel Valley (a.k.a. Megiddo or Armageddon).
So here is a symbol of the cross and of struggle. A climb was up the rough side of the mountain: exhausting, difficult, testing their strength.
I have it on the best of authority that as they climbed they were singing gospel songs: I’m comin’ up on the rough side of the mountain, and I’m doin’ my best to carry on! Another songs says, My soul looks back and wonders how I got over! Yet another says, We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, every round goes higher, higher.
Now, this climb reminds us of our life. For often we have had to climb, to endure and have our strength tested. Perhaps it was the climb of getting a college degree. Perhaps it was the climb of raising children, or building a career. What do you have that you really value that did not come at the price of a climb….of effort and struggle?
And most of us know that, though the climb is difficult, there is glory at the top is we but endure and push through. Life’s difficulties are often the prelude to success and greater strength.
Though we might wish that life had no struggles, it would seem that the Lord intends the climb for us. For, the cross alone leads to true glory. Where would we be without some of the crosses in our life? Let’s ponder some of the Purposes of problems:
God uses problems to DIRECT us. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new directions and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? “Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways,” Proverbs 20:30 says: Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inner most being. Another old gospel song speaks of the need of suffering to keep us focused on God: Now the way may not be too easy. But you never said it would be. Cause when our way gets a little too easy, you know we tend to stray from thee. Sad but true, God sometimes needs to use problems to direct our steps to him.
God uses problems to INSPECT us. People are like tea bags.. if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God ever tested your faith with a
problem? What do problems reveal about you? Our problems have a way of helping to see what we’re really made of. I have discovered many strengths I never knew I had through trials and testings. There is a test in every testimony and trials have a way of purifying and strengthening our faith as well as inspecting our faith to see whether it is really genuine. 1 Peter 1:6 says, In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure.
God uses problems to CORRECT us. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It’s likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something health, money, a relationship by losing it. Scripture says in Psalm 119:71-72 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees and also in Psalm 119:67 it says Before I was afflicted, I strayed. But now I keep you word.
God uses problems to PROTECT us. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. A man was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem-but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management’s actions were eventually discovered. Scripture says in Genesis 50:20 as Joseph speaks to his brothers You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
God uses problems to PERFECT us. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Romans 5:3 says We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. And 1 Peter 1:7 says You are being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return.
So here it is, the cross symbolized by the climb. But after the cross comes the glory. Let’s look at stage two:
II. The Productiveness of Trials. The text says, And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
All the climbing has paid off. Now comes the fruit of all that hard work! The Lord gives them a glimpse of glory! They get to see the glory that Jesus has always had with the Father. He is dazzlingly bright. A similar vision from the book of revelation gives us more detail:
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, ….. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Rev 1:12-17)
Yes, all the climbing has paid off. Now comes the glory, the life, the reward or endurance and struggle. Are you enjoying any the fruits of your crosses now? If we think about it, our crosses, if they were carried in faith have made us more confident, stronger. Some of us have discovered gifts, abilities and endurance we never knew we had. Our crosses have brought us life!
The other night I went over to the Church and played the pipe organ. It was most enjoyable and the fruit of years of hard work.
And not only have my own crosses brought me life, but the crosses of others have also blessed me and brought me life. See the trials do produce. Enjoy it!
St. Paul says, that this momentary affliction is producing for us a weight of glory beyond all compare (2 Cor 4:14). He also says For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Rom 8:18).
An old gospel song says, By and by, when the morning comes, and all the saints of God are gathered home, we’ll tell the story, of how we’ve overcome. And we’ll understand it better, by and by.
So then, here is the glory that comes after the climb. Here is the life that comes from the cross. Here is the paschal mystery: Always carrying about in our selves the dying of Christ so also that the life of Christ may be manifest in us (2 Cor 4:10).
III. The Pattern of Trials – The text says, Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Notice that, although Peter wanted to stay, Jesus makes it clear that they must go down the mountain for now and walk a very dark valley, to another hill, Golgotha. For now, the pattern must repeat. The cross has led to glory, but more crosses are needed before final glory. An old spiritual says, We are climbing Jacob’s ladder….every round goes higher, higher, soldiers of the cross!
This is our life. Always carrying within our self the dying of Christ so also that [the rising of Christ], the life of Christ may be manifest in us (cf 2 Cor 4:10).
There are difficult days ahead for Jesus and the apostles. But the crosses lead to a final and lasting glory. This is our life too. The paschal mystery, the pattern and rhythm of our life.
Here is an excerpt from the Song We are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder. The Text says that every round goes higher, higher! Almost as if imagining a spiral staircase even as the rounds get pitched higher musically. For this is the pattern of our life that we die with Christ so as to live with him. And each time we come back around to the cross, or back around to glory, we are one round higher and one level closer to final glory.
Have you ever thought: “You know, I’m not a bad person. I haven’t robbed a bank or murdered anyone!” I know I have. And for the most part, it’s true: we’re people of good will who want to do the right thing. Chances are we haven’t seriously been tempted to robbery or murder.
But that’s not surprising. Good people usually aren’t tempted to do really bad things. What they are tempted to do are things that are less good, such as settling for a “good enough” morality that’s satisfied with not being a bank robber or an ax murderer. For Christians, however, that’s not enough. Our “righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees.” We’re called to a higher standard.
Jesus explained what this involves in today’s gospel. He confirmed that we aren’t to kill anyone! But we also aren’t to burn bridges, hurl insults, or feed resentments. Instead, we are to be fence menders- people who reconcile, forgive, and apologize. Has anyone hurt us? We’re to forgive them. Have we hurt anyone? Then we need to say we’re sorry. Even if they hurt us back; even if they hurt us first.
We might protest and say: “That’s not fair!” And we’d be right. But Jesus doesn’t call us to be fair; he doesn’t call us to be “good enough.” Jesus calls us to be holy; Jesus calls us to love.
Readings for today’s Mass:http://www.usccb.org/nab/031811.shtml
This morning pilgrims continued their Lenten journey along a well trod path as they made their way to the Basilica Santi XII Apostoli, where relics of Sts. Philip and James the Lesser are housed beneath the high altar. As the pilgrims walked and prayed they traversed the Piazza del Popolo, came behind the Pantheon and passed by the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, till finally arriving at Piazza Ss. Apostoli. The church, located near both the Gregorian and Angelicum Universities, is one well known to the students of the North American College. In fact, today’s walk is one that many seminarians make daily to go to and from school and the College. This serves as a great reminder that our journey with the Lord plays itself out largely in our “regular” day-to-day lives.
Today’s readings invite us to a life of greater virtue. From the prophet Ezekiel we hear, “He shall live because of the virtue he practiced,” and in the Gospel Jesus instructs us that we must strive for righteousness greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees. They observed the externals of the Jewish laws but lacked a proper disposition of heart. We are blessed to have the Lenten season each year because it gives us a chance to examine the dispositions of our own hearts. Jesus makes it clear that we can’t just aim at fulfilling minimum obligations, but that we must strive for hearts and minds that, with God’s grace, are free from even harboring ill thoughts, feelings or intentions towards others. This goal finds its practical fulfillment in our day-to-day lives.
The season of Lent with its call to greater prayer, fasting and almsgiving allows us a chance to examine our attitudes and intentions and to ask God’s grace to help us love more like Him. By cooperating with His grace we’ll find our day-to-day path transformed. It will gradually become more and more the path of Christ. We’ll change too! We’ll become a greater blessing to ourselves, our family, our friends, and everyone we encounter as we increasingly grow in resemblance to Christ, Our Lord.
Today’s Station Church, San Lorenzo in Panisperna, marks the spot of one of the most famous martyrdom’s in Christian history. Lawrence, one of the deacons in the Roman church, was arrested along with Pope Callixtus in August of the year 258, when Christianity was still illegal. Soldiers demanded that Lawrence hand over the treasures of the church, and in response the witty deacon gathered not gold and silver but the poor whom the Church served. Angered, the soldiers imprisoned Lawrence, who with his palpable Christian character soon managed to convert even the jailor. The only option remaining for the soldiers was execution, so they tied Lawrence to a grill and lit a fire underneath. Eventually, Lawrence would die as a witness to his faith in Christ, but not before getting in the last word: halfway through the ordeal, the saint mocked, “You can turn me over now… I’m done on this side!”
Testimony to Hope
How do martyrs suffer for their belief in Christ in such a joyful and free way? The answer boils down to the strength of the Christian’s faith, and the hope that results from such faith. A Christian who has faith is one who believes that God has spoken through Jesus, and therefore believes Jesus’ words are true. A Christian who has hope goes a step beyond, being able not only to believe Jesus’ words are true, but to trust God as delivering on all the promises Jesus has made. The result of such faith and hope is thus an abiding joy, because such a believer sees behind every circumstance the loving providence of God. The Father, revealed by Jesus, can bring good out of any situation, and someone who believes this is true and trusts the Father to act, cannot help but see life through the lens of joy. Hence the wit of today’s saint, and the insightful comment of Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger: “deep joy of the heart [is] the true prerequisite for a sense of humor, and thus humor is, in a certain sense, the measure of faith.” (p. 80, Principles of Catholic Theology, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1987.)
Seek, knock, ask
Today’s Gospel, Matthew 7:7-12, invites us to practice the gifts of faith and hope. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread or a snake when he asked for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” Here we see the trust of Jesus in the Father, and Jesus’ invitation for us to live out of such a trust. At Baptism, we were given the gifts of faith and hope, but today Jesus invites to act on these gifts. Do we? If not, reading the Scriptures daily can be a good remedy, because it will open our eyes to the God we profess and lead us to trust him in every circumstance. Only then can we become the joyful saints we’re all called to be, and, hopefully, with a little bit of humor too.
Everyone’s a bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s often said. Of course, this is just an excuse so that those who aren’t Irish (like me) can join in all the fun. Erin go bragh!
At the same time, it does happen to be true- in a manner of speaking. All Catholics are part of St. Patrick’s family, though the communion of saints. We’re all one in the household of God, just as God is one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In perhaps the most famous story of his life, St. Patrick was standing in a grassy field, teaching a crowd about the Trinity. His listeners, however, couldn’t comprehend that three Persons could be one God. So St. Patrick picked up a shamrock, showed it to the people, and they understood: God is three and one, just as one shamrock has three leaves.
The shamrock is a symbol seen at every St. Patrick’s Day celebration. But it’s also a symbol of what we celebrate as Catholics every day: That regardless of where we come from- Ireland or India, Tipperary or Timbuktu, we are all one in God.
Warm rain joined pilgrims this morning on their way to the oldest church in the West dedicated to Our Lady, St. Mary Major. Miraculous snow on 5 August 353 AD marked the spot where Our Lady desired this church to be erected on the Esquiline Hill. The title Our Lady of the Snow took. After the Council of Ephesus in 431, which named Mary as the Mother of God, Pope Sixtus III began construction. Relics of the original crib that held baby Christ are kept in a reliquary here. The remains of St. Jerome rest in the crypt.
Feeding our love for the Eucharist through Fasting
In today’s readings, Christ continues to call us to purify our desire for authentic conversion through fasting. May our fasting this Lent increase our love for the Eucharistic. We can apply the desire we have for things we are offering up to the Eucharist. Transform the craving you have for food, into thirst for the Eucharist. May the pangs of hunger we feel, the sacrifice of abstaining from meat on Fridays, or coffee without sugar, or bread without butter, or fries without ketchup, be small but effective ways of increasing our appetite for the Eucharist, intensifying our desire to be united to Christ, to allow him to be more present to us than we are to ourselves, so that our days become either periods of thanksgiving after we have received Holy Communion or anticipation looking forward to the next time we will receive Christ. By converting our longing for material things into devotion for the Eucharist, may we allow Christ to reign in us.
When a car speeds past us on the highway, we typically label the driver “reckless” or a “jerk.” But when we’re the one speeding, it’s because we’re in a hurry for a very important reason! We condemn others but excuse ourselves for doing the exact same thing! We reason that we act with the best of motives, but assume that others do not. Why? Because we evaluate ourselves based on our intentions, but judge others based on their behavior.
