Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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If you have ever played a video game, then you know that there is always a series of levels.
The first level is the easiest, and the final level is the hardest. Sometimes it takes multiple tries before you succeed in beating that final level.
But if you do, then you’ve mastered the game.
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If Christianity were likened to a video game, then today’s Gospel would be part of that final level: stop judging; stop condemning; forgive without limit; love relentlessly.
If you can do these things, then you’ve mastered Christianity.
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Perhaps one of the most difficult steps is forgiveness.
What makes it so hard is the fact that, when we forgive, we forfeit the right to be angry with a person, waiving all opportunities to play passive aggressive; to weaponize our silence; to “win” an argument; or to seek revenge.
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But if we can do this – if we can love without limit and freely forgive – then we’ve mastered Christianity.
In the least, it’s worth a try. “For the measure with which you measure,” Jesus says, “will be measured out to you.”
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Image credits: (1) World Challenge (2) Mario Bros., Pinterest (3) Blog del Asistente de Bilingüismo
Jesus took Peter, James, and 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Have you ever wondered what heaven is like?
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At times, it seems so distant, so far detached from our daily lives. It’s a place where we hope to end up someday, where we mentally place God and our loved ones, but it’s out there, not here.
The Book of Revelation describes heaven as a city – radiant, clear as crystal, with twelve gates, high walls, and angels protecting it.
A place where every tear is wiped away; where there is no more wailing, pain or death. A place for the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers, the clean of heart, those whom Jesus calls in his first public sermon, “blessed.”
As magnificent as heaven must be, Jesus simply refers to it as his, “Father’s house.”
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Today’s Gospel reveals who else lives in heaven. Among its residents are Moses and Elijah, who speak with the Lord as Jesus is transfigured before his disciples.
Peter, James, and John cannot comprehend anything like this. God the Father has literally ripped the heavens opened, allowing the disciples a glimpse of the place where everything began, and where everything ends.
So much could be said about this miracle, but there’s one detail, in particular, that captures my attention.
Yes, Peter sees the Lord in his unfiltered glory. “His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them,” the Gospel says. But what else – who else – does Peter see?
Moses and Elijah.
These men lived 800 to a thousand years before Jesus, yet they are alive again! They have names, faces, and bodies. Peter even distinguishes between the two of them. Moses represents the Law of the Old Testament and Elijah the prophets.
They reveal that in heaven, our names, our bodies, and our memories go with us. Nothing is lost. Nothing is forgotten. You’ll be you. And I’ll be me.
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Peter was overcome with such delight at this marvelous sight – he wished to stay there forever! – that he says to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Peter was not wrong in wanting to build something beautiful for Christ; he was wrong about the building materials.
Peter wanted to construct a tent.
What Jesus wanted was to fill Peter’s “inner room,” that place deep in his heart, with faith.
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The fact that Peter offers to build three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah suggests that, to him, all three are equals. This point is reiterated by the fact that Peter refers to Jesus as “Rabbi,” teacher, not Lord.
What Peter doesn’t understand yet is that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament in himself. He is the long-awaited Messiah; the fulfillment of the Law; the one whom all of the prophets foretold. God the Father affirms this as he says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Although Peter saw such a marvelous sight – the heavens opened, Christ transfigured, Moses and Elijah floating gloriously above him – he failed to put all of the pieces together, reminding us just how difficult it can be to believe.
Faith stretches our minds, enlarges our hearts, and challenges us to see the “fourth dimension,” God’s presence in all things.
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What are other things the Lord wants us to “see”?
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He wants us to see him “transfigured” at the altar. He wants us to see him in the Eucharist we are about to celebrate. He wants us to see him in the face of our family members, our friends, even strangers we pass as we exit this church. As he promises at the end of Matthew’s Gospel:
“Behold, I am with you always.”
Not just in heaven, but always, now.
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So, have you ever wondered what heaven is like?
Maybe it is a city – radiant, clear as crystal, with twelve gates, high walls, and angels protecting it. I hope to find out for certain one day!
But until then, each of us is invited to remain close to the One who will lead us – Jesus, God’s “beloved Son,” the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
What might that mean for us this week?
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Image credits: (1) Busy Blessed Women (2) The Transfiguration of Jesus, Carl Bloch (3) www.bibleinfo.com
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, likened the soul to a charioteer whose task it was to drive two horses.
One horse was gentle and mild, obedient to the commands of the charioteer. The other was wild, untamed, and rebellious.
The name of the first horse was Reason. The second was Passion.
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Reason and passion live in constant conflict within us.
For example, if someone strikes us across the cheek, reason would say, “Take a deep breath. Back down. They may be stronger than you!”
Even, “forgive them.”
Passion would say, “Hit ‘em hard! Smack ‘em back!”
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It’s our passions that Jesus is addressing in today’s Gospel.
As Christians, we are called to more than just knowing or doing what is right; we must also be people of good will. That is a matter of the heart.
Meaning, it’s not enough to refrain from slapping a person; we should not even wishto hurt them.
It’s not enough to refrain from gossip; we should not even thinkpoorly about another person.
It’s not enough to refrain from dishonesty; we should never considertelling a lie.
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Humanly speaking, such a high standard is impossible to reach; Reason and Passion constantly tug at our will.
The only charioteer who can tame them both is Jesus.
When he does, we can say the words of Saint Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me.”
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Image credits: (1) (2) Heather Dansie, Medium (3) Genesis Bible Fellowship Church
