Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The only group Jesus criticizes in the Gospels are the religious authorities of his day, because they turned religion into a matter of rules, which could be followed without ever invoking the heart.
For some, religion was strictly an external affair. “All their works are performed to be seen,” Jesus laments.
“They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets and seats of honor in synagogues.”
This temptation to appear religious – to simply follow the “rules” – is timeless, even for Catholics during Lent.
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Over the course of these forty days, the Church encourages us to pray, fast, and give alms. But like the scribes and Pharisees, whom Jesus rebukes in today’s Gospel, we can do all of these things without ever changing our heart.
We can avoid meat on Fridays while still harboring a grudge.
We can write a check without ever seeking contact with the poor.
We can pray for strangers while remaining estranged from loved ones.
Missing a meal or checking a box will not turn us into Saints. We must walk the path of humility and love in order to please the Lord.
As the Lord cries out through the prophet Isaiah in our first reading, “Wash yourselves clean! [Cleanliness is a matter of the heart.] Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good.”
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Only when we allow God to change our hearts, will we be holy and pleasing in his sight.
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.
It’s definitely worth a try.
“For the measure with which you measure,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “will be measured out to you.”
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Image credits: (1) Mindful.org (2) The Jewish Link (3) Allan Swart, Pixels
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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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This week was the 11th anniversary of my mother’s passing from pancreatic cancer at the tender age of 58. I pray for her daily, often in silence at Mass.
Thinking about Mom this week made me wonder what our conversation would be like if she could speak with me from heaven.
I’d start by asking her questions like, “What is heaven like? Did you know that I became a priest? Do you know that you have three grandchildren?”
After answering a flurry of my questions, I know where our conversation would inevitably turn. Every mother wants what’s best for their child.
Mom’s focus would be on my highest good, reminding me to do one thing only: follow the Lord.
But as we learn in today’s Gospel, God’s will – even for hisownSon – involves not only consolation and glory, but also trust, patience, and suffering.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus is seen speaking with people from heaven: namely, Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest prophets from the Old Testament.
Have you ever wondered what they spoke about?
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Moses and Elijah are telling Jesus that he must finish the work they started.
Just as the Jews rejected Elijah and tried killing him, so the religious authorities will reject Jesus and put him to death.
And just as Moses led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt in the first exodus, so Christ’s death will become the newexodus, paving the way for all souls to attain eternal life in the “promised land” of heaven.
Mysteriously, this is all part of God’s plan of salvation, which Christ has accepted.
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Just a few days prior to this journey up the mountain, Jesus predicted his Passion and death while speaking with his disciples. But to them, such an idea was awfully scandalous.
So, the Lord is transfigured before them in order to remove the scandal of the cross from their hearts. But because of their drowsiness, Peter, James, and John are unable to grasp the full significance of what is happening.
Their sleepiness is a form of self-consolation, closing their eyes and ears from the truth that is being revealed – not only that Christ must suffer and die, then rise, but by extension, his own disciples must also suffer before rising again.
It’s a truth we all try to shy away from. For Christians, the only way up is down; Lent leads to Easter; death leads to life.
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Peter, always the leader, reveals his lack of understanding in several ways.
Once he realizes that Moses and Elijah are parting, he attempts to make them stay by offering to build three separate tents.
This could’ve been Peter’s attempt to postpone the inevitable; if he heard anything of Christ’s conversation with Moses and Elijah, then he knows that – in spite of his protesting – their next stop will be Jerusalem.
Offering to build three tents also suggests that Peter sees these three figures as equals, which is reinforced by the fact that he addresses Jesus as “Master,” not, “Lord.”
“Master” is a title of respect. “Lord” is a title of divinity or adoration.
Suddenly, God the Father interrupts Peter’s antics, curtailing his plans, by saying, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”
It’s time to go to Jerusalem.
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On the way down, Peter, James, and John fall silent. They cannot process all they’ve seen and heard. How can the Messiah suffer and die? What will happen to their own lives?
Ironically, just hours before Christ’s death, the same three disciples remain shrouded in ignorance and fear as Jesus invites them to pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane.
While he sweats blood in agony, they become drowsy, falling asleep once again, just as they did on the mountain.
So, he rebukes them, “Could you not stay awake with me for just one hour?”
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Like Peter, James, and John, how many of us become “drowsy” in the presence of the Lord?
When have we been afraid of suffering with Christ or said to him, in so many words, “enough”?
Does fear or ignorance prevent us from going deeper in our relationship with God?
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Here at Mass, I often pray for my mother, because prayer is type of a conversation with people in heaven. Although I still long to hear her voice, she speaks to my heart, saying those words spoken by God the Father in today’s Gospel:
“Listen to him.”
In so doing, my life and yours becomes transfigured by love; luminous; patient in suffering; hopeful of glory; longing for heaven.
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Image credits: (1) The Transfiguration, Carl Bloch (2) Leaving Laodicea (3) Heaven’s Gift, Yongsung Kim
