Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection August 06, 2024
The Transfiguration of The Lord
06th August 2024 (Tuesday)
Psalter: Week 2
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9 (R. see 1a, 9b)
R/. The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
Second Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-19
Beloved: We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”, we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel : Mark 9:2-10
At the time: Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Tuesday – Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: Our Lord is a God of glory and not misery. He has shared and shouldered our misery caused by sin in order to make us sharers of glory
1. The Lord goes to mount Tabor to pray with three of his disciples, Peter, John, and James. There he is transfigured. His original divine glory is manifested. His face and clothes shone exceedingly bright. He is seen conversing with Moses and Elijah. A voice from an overshadowing cloud attests, “This is my Son, my Chosen one, listen to him”. This in brief is the whole scene of transfiguration.
2. We can pick up some quick pointers from this event. First, Jesus is truly divine. That is why his shining is matchless. His encounter with Moses and Elijah indicates that he is the meeting point, the blend, and the culmination of Law and the Prophets respectively. Father’s own voice affirms his intimacy with His Son and strongly urges us to listen to His Son.
3. Therefore, his incarnation does not diminish or annul his divine essence. Human misery does not cancel his divine glory. The earthly limitations do not dilute his heavenly power. Glory is not something that is added on to him. It essentially belongs to him. It was the divine will and plan that this divine glory maintains a low profile during his earthly and humanly fragile existence.
4. The manifestation of this inherent glory is meant to authenticate his divinity and boost up their drooping spirits. This experience of glory would keep them aloft, especially in times of misery. It is also an indicator of our future glory. We too would inherit the same heavenly glory, if we follow the Lord.
5. How to inherit the same glory? We need to constantly climb up the mountain of silence, solitude, and serenity, apart and even amidst our noisy and worrying preoccupations. We need to spend ourselves in moments of prayer. We need to be transfigured, that is, transformed. This transformation is not piecemeal but total and entire. This includes both the interior and the exterior. This is symbolized and indicated by the change of face and clothes respectively.
6. We need to encounter and experience the Lord intimately. Our experience of the Lord must not be shallow but something profound and heart-touching. It is so nice and relishing that it is worth-continuing, worth-pursuing, worth-nurturing, and worth-cherishing and worth-fostering.
7. That is why, Peter would exclaim, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”. He does not want to stop and miss that exciting experience. Then, listen to him attentively and obey his directions. Follow his ways. Walk the very same way of the cross. Accompany him always and everywhere.
Practice: Transfiguration of the Lord is not just one bygone event. It is not just an individual matter that pertains to Jesus alone. It is an indicator of our glory as well and it must make us transfigured daily.
