Gospel – Matthew 17:1-9
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.”
Homily
All of us need persons in our lives to whom we listen. When I was a young priest struggling with my own insecurities and uncertain about whether or not I could do post graduate studies, a great priest friend, Fr Michel deVerteuil, encouraged me to take up the challenge. We’re it not for him, I probably would not have done further studies and I probably would not be the person that I am today.
I thought of this fact of life as I began to prepare the homily for this weekend because like all of us, the disciples of Jesus needed someone in whom they had confidence and to whom they would listen.
The Father was well aware, knowing human beings as he does, that the passion and death of Jesus would prove very difficult for the faith of the disciples and so to strengthen their faith, the Father allowed the disciples, Peter, James and John, a glimpse of Jesus in his glory and then tells them; “This is my son, the Beloved, He enjoys my favour, listen to Him. This listening was not just a hearing of the words and teachings uttered by Jesus. It was a letting of the Jesus event, his words and actions, his care and concern for those on the margins of society, his comforting of those in distress, touch and transfigured their lives, so that in time they too in their very persons would reveal the loving and merciful face of Jesus Christ to all whom they encountered. These words of the Father, “This is my Son, the Beloved, He enjoys my favour, Listen to Him” call out to us the present day disciples of Jesus also. We too must let the Jesus event as related to us in the Gospels and the apostolic letters touch us and bring about a transfiguration in us so that we too in our daily encounters with others reveal the loving and merciful face of Jesus Christ to all whom we meet.
The question then becomes for us; how do we listen to the Beloved Son who is no longer physically present to us. We can only do that listening by spending quality time with the Lord, making ourselves present to the Lord and being aware of the living presence of Christ to us. It is in this quality time that we hear God speaking to us; that we discover God’s will for us and we get the courage to do God’s will.
A look at the lives of the saints shows us that all the saints made it a habit of spending quality time with the Lord and that this quality time helped them as they undertook what the Lord was asking of them. May all of is after the example of the saints build the habit of spending quality time with the Lord and so come to know and have the strength to do what God asks of us as we come down the mountain.
Prayer
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All powerful and ever-loving God, Peter, James and John were invited to spend quality time with the Lord and so experienced Him in his glory and received the Father’s advice to listen to Jesus. Help us to heed the invitation to spend quality time with Jesus so that we too may experience his glory and come to know what He asks of us. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus your Son. Amen
