Friday, August 6, 2021

Gospel (Mk 9:2-10)

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
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.”
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.
So they kept the matter to themselves, 
questioning what rising from the dead meant.

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Reflection

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Happy feast day!

If you could meet anyone from the past, who would it be? There have been so many colorful, interesting characters throughout history who have accomplished so many things.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus meets two very specific people from Israel’s past: Moses and Elijah. They can seem like interesting choices. I wonder what they talked about while Peter, James, and John were cowering in awe before these spiritual giants.

As with all things God does, Moses and Elijah were chosen for a reason. Moses represents the Law in the Old Testament. Elijah represents the Prophets in the Old Testament. The symbolism here is that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets that Jewish leaders loved to talk so much about in the Scriptures.

The Law and the Prophets represent the way to be in good relationship with God. The law serves as a guide for our behavior. The prophets serve to let us know that God loves us and to warn us when we go astray from God’s ways.

The embodiment of the Law and the Prophets comes down to Jesus’ new commandment: to love God and to love our neighbors. This simple teaching is the culmination of thousands of years of wisdom and leads us to the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Let us work to live out this new law in our lives as followers of Christ.