Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; When he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Just as Jesus was transfigured before his disciples, so we must transform ourselves more and more into Christ, Our Lord. He is the one who should have dominion over our souls. He is the one we should give all glory to in our thoughts, words, and works. He is the one who should have kingship over our lives. We all are called to know, love, and serve Him, His Father, and His Holy Spirit. It is only by becoming manifestations of this Holy Trinity that we can fulfill our purpose, accomplish what God has sent us into the world to do, and return to God clothed in the Light of Christ.

In what ways are we attempting to transform ourselves into Christ? How can we get into the habit of thinking, speaking, and acting like Jesus? What do we do to express God’s dominion and kingship over us and give him glory?

O Lord, transform our souls into yours.

Amen.

Tenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged.

The Holy Spirit is a spirit of true freedom. When we give ourselves over to God through the Holy Spirit, the chains of our sins are broken and we become our best selves. We are transformed into Christ-like members of the One, Body of Jesus. Coming with this transfiguration is the ministry to charity and mercy. For just as Jesus showed us these things, so must we spread them to others. We cannot live up to the name of Christians, if we do not go forth and act like Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit for our Heavenly Father.

Have we accepted the Holy Spirit into our lives? Are we allowing Him to transform and transfigure us into more faithful, loving, and merciful reflections of Jesus Christ? How can we do a better job of living out our ministry to others?

O Lord, free us through your Holy Spirit so we can become you for all people.

Amen.

Friday after Ash Wednesday

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

Fasting isn’t about giving up trivial things (chocolate, candy, etc.) or making exterior changes in our lives (exercising more, watching less TV, etc.). Yes, these can be parts of the whole experience, but they need to be grounded in the desire for an interior change that springs from choosing heavenly things over worldly ones. Fasting means acting justly toward others, helping them with their burdens, setting them free from those things that oppress them, breaking the yokes around our neighbor’s necks. It means sharing with, sheltering, and clothing those in need. It is learning to sacrifice yourself for others and never turning your back on them. If we do all these things, then we shall be a light for the whole world showing them the path of love, mercy, and grace that God has prepared for us all. It is not enough to think, say, or do the right thing out of a sense of obligation, we have to do good works because we want to be more like Christ.

What are we fasting from during this Lenten season? How can we interiorize the act of fasting? What can we do to transform ourselves over this time of purification so that we can be more Christ-like year around?

O Lord, give us the grace to fast not only outwardly, but inwardly, too.

Amen.

First Tuesday of Ordinary Time

For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin.

Just as Jesus was made perfect through suffering, so are we made better by it. We might not want to suffer, but without the possibility of failure or rejection then we wouldn’t appreciate our successes or learn how to love unconditionally. If there was no choice to be made between following the easy path of worldliness and the harder one of holiness, then we would be left wandering without direction. It is by choosing good over evil that we prove ourselves to God and are consecrated to Him. Uniting our sufferings with Christ’s is one way we can give glory to God and proclaim our allegiance to the Holy Trinity.

How can we live lives that give glory to God? How can we transform our sufferings into expressions of our love for God and His children? What can we do to consecrate our minds, hearts, souls, and strengths to God?

O Lord, make us better followers of your will through the consecration of our suffering to your glory.

Amen.

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up a 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.

Once again Jesus gives us an example of how to pray. He goes to a deserted place on a mountain and there he communes with his Heavenly Father. While doing so, his appearance is transformed and he converses with Moses and Elijah, witnesses to the Law and the prophets. This reminds us that our prayer lives should also transform us and lead us to live in accordance with the Scriptures and Traditions of the Church and to proclaim the Good News in all that we do. Lastly, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah speak of Jesus’ exodus, namely his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. In the same way, our own prayers should lead us to meditate on the life of Jesus as well as to contemplate the mysteries of God. If we do these things, then the roots of our faith will deepen, the branches of our hope will provide us with refuge, and the fruits of our love will nourish and sustain our family, friends, and neighbors.

How do we pray? What can we do to pray more like Christ? In what ways do our lives show others how to live in accord with God’s Will, the Church’s teachings, and our calling to spread the Good News to all the nations?

O Lord, transform us more and more into you in our prayers, words, and works.

Amen.

Thirteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.

Jesus' teachings were new and as such, they required a fresh start on the part of his disciples. Their old lives couldn't just be patched up. The new commandments Jesus proclaimed required them to cast aside their old lives and put on the life of Christ. Their lives before meeting Christ and after are too incompatible to coexist. Anyone who tries to live the Christ-like life while still clinging to their old passions, desires, and pride will eventually burst and be ruined. The lives Jesus is calling us to live require us to remake ourselves in his image by becoming proper vessels of his love, mercy, and grace. It is only when we do so that we can carry his Good News and truly preserve ourselves and others.

Have we taken Jesus' teachings to heart and transformed our lives? Have we truly remade ourselves in his image? Are we living new and fresh lives in faith and casting aside our old selfish selves?

O Lord, make us new in your love.

Amen.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

Every day we have the opportunity to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist. If we work, we may not be able to do it every day in the morning, but at the very least we have an opportunity to do so during the Sunday liturgy. These daily or weekly feasts with the Lord infuse us with His Divine Life. Unlike the food we eat at our own tables, the Body and Blood of Jesus can consume us if we allow it to. We are blessed beyond all imagination through the Eucharist. This sacrament offers to us eternal life and salvation, if we are willing to let it transform us into Christ. What a gracious gift Jesus has given to us in His Body and Blood. May we never take it for granted or miss an opportunity to receive it.

When we partake of the Eucharist, do we truly appreciate the graces it gives us or the sacrifice within it? Do we give thanks to God for the gift of the Blessed Sacrament? Do we allow the Body and Blood of Christ to transform us into better people?

O Lord, we want nothing more than to eat of your flesh and drink of your blood so that we might have eternal life and be raised on the last day.

Amen.