Reading II
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.
Gospel
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.
Reflection
Today’s Gospel offers us a vivid image of the glory of Jesus Christ, reminding us that while He took on our lowly flesh, He always remains the glorious Son of God. This passage also displays the destiny offered to all of mankind, if only we adhere to Christ.
Luke tells us that Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were discussing “His exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” What sort of “exodus” they meant was likely lost on the Apostles. But we know that Jesus would soon conquer death and thereby offer all people an escape from their slavery to sin. God the Father, in a terrifying cloud, gives clear instructions for how we are to join this exodus: “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
If we listen to Jesus, hearing His words and acting on them, then we cooperate with God’s efforts to make us more and more in His image. We too can share in the glory of God the way Moses and Elijah did in this scene. St. Paul tells us in the second reading that “[Jesus] will change our lowly body to conform with His glorified body.” The brilliance of Christ’s Transfiguration is promised to us, as long as we are not “enemies of the Cross of Christ.” To listen to Jesus is to lay down our lives, pick up our crosses daily, and follow Him. To reject the Cross of Christ is to reject the glory of Christ.
God provides all the grace we need to achieve the ecstasy of Heaven through conformity to the Cross—all we need to do is cooperate. One privileged way that God offers His grace is through the Sacraments, which heal us, sustain us, and equip us for our vocations. The same power that allows God “to bring all things into subjection to himself” is certainly capable of penetrating our hard hearts, if we permit it.
So, I conclude with the words of St. Paul: “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.” Embrace the Cross that is your hope and glory—and be confident that God provides everything you need.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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