Gospel – Luke 9:28b-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.

Michael-AndrejkoReflection on the Gospel from Br. Michael Andrejko, FSC

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God.

Anytime the disciples are silent or frightened, it suggests the fact that they did not understand what was being done in their midst. In short, they fail to realize the meaning of the miracle and the Transcendent in their presence. Even though they are given a real sign, they fail to believe. Even when God says “This is my chosen Son; listen to him”, they fall silent and don’t know what to say. Perhaps it is not so much that the author of Luke is trying to make the disciples appear as idiots as much as he points out that although God often provides evidence of the divine in the here and now, we oftentimes miss it because of our humanness. We don’t get it. We fear and fall silent instead. During the course of our daily lives there are experiences that we all have pointing to the presence of God in our lives. We just have to be open to the Grace that God gives us to recognize it. Then we can act more out of love than out of fear of punishment and ignorance. Then we are living more authentically the Will of God in our regard.

Reflection Questions

  1. In what circumstances have I clearly recognized and acted on God speaking to me through my human experience?

  2. How can I make a conscience effort to act out of love and not out of fear?

  3. How do the people I interact with on a daily basis see me? Am I always silent on the sidelines of life or am I an active participation in salvation history?

St. John Baptist de La Salle — Pray for us.
Live Jesus in Our Hearts — Forever!