Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. Feb 28, 2010 - Sunday Meditation (Walking with Jesus in Our Own Jerusalem)
| Feb 28, 2010 - Sunday Meditation (Walking with Jesus in Our Own Jerusalem) |
 |
 |
 |
| Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D. | |||
| Written by Bobot Apit | |||
| Friday, 26 February 2010 13:50 | |||
|
I sense that many people are searching for a “Feel-Good” religion or church. Peter had the idea; build three tents there and let the rest of the world go by. I could get into that at times. The Transfiguration as presented by Luke is not a “feel-good” experience. The call of God to listen to Jesus the beloved is a call to collapse the tents of dreams, let the cloud of glory lift, allow Jesus to become undazzling, and head back down the hill heading for Jerusalem . We would love taking the Jerusalem bypass and enjoy the silver-lined happy ending. There are good feelings in following Jesus. There are those moments of intimate communion perhaps. The deep good feeling is our walking with him through our own Jerusalem ’s and this is our fidelity, our act of being made “righteous”.
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18 Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14. Phillippians 3:17—4:1 or 3:20—4:1 L uke 9:28-36 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. (29) And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. (30) And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah, (31) who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem . (32) Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. (33) And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah" -- not knowing what he said. (34) As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. (35) And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen ; listen to him!" (36) And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Meditation by Larry Gillick, S.J. - Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality
PRE-PRAYERING There are contacts being made in our readings for this Sunday of Lent. These are rather unusual events which take some time to unpack. There are strange yet powerful statements made which have implications for the hearers. Abram and the three Apostles had to listen to mysterious words which brought them to the point of trusting or turning. They chose letting mystery be. We are praying these days of Lent to listen without demanding clarity and reasons. The implications of the promises to Abram and the implications for the apostles to what they heard are life changing. Lenten prayer is just that. There are promises made to us which take our lifetime to change us. Lenten prayer is waiting, watching, listening and letting mystery, just be. We call off thoughts a while and listen, lest we be transfixed with fears, doubts and turning away.
REFLECTION Abram has been called and has lived awhile trusting the God who has invited him. He has left his homeland, but he has a bit of a complaint. Having land and having children are signs of God’s loving blessing. Abram has neither and this is how the drama of our First Reading opens. The voice of God invites Abram to count the stars and then come to know that his descendents will be even more than all the visible array. Abram both makes a statement of faith and doubt at the same time. God has told him that he will possess a great land having many riches. Abram asks reverently about how he will know. This tension is resolved by the ritual of covenant-making. The animals are halved and the two parties agreeing to the history of the relationship, the promises and conditions of the pact walk between the slain animals. By doing this gesture of partnership, they are saying to each other, that if the covenant is broken, the offending partner wishes that he be likewise split in half. While Abram is in a deep mystical slumber, God passes between the animals in the form of fire and pledges a great land-deal to Abram and his many offspring. The Gospel is Luke’s account of a trance-figuration. Peter, James, and John, who will be witnesses to an inglorious struggle on the night of his betrayal and arrest, are present here. They are en-clouded and befuddled by some kind of trance themselves. While Jesus was praying, Moses and Elijah appeared speaking with Jesus about the “exodus” or passing through, which was to happen in Jerusalem . Peter, not knowing exactly what he was saying, proposed their all staying up on the hill. The “exodus” would take place on another hill near Jerusalem . There is glory present as Jesus seems to be trans-formed and there is the presence of the inglorious “exodus”. There is a voice from heaven announcing a confirmation of Jesus’ identity as well as a direction to listen to him. The apostles, as it was with Abram, are asked to make their acts of faith by trusting the mystery of what they had seen, or think they had seen, and what they think they heard. The power of this Gospel is that Jesus, as the divinely-initiated covenant, walks between the glorious and inglorious. He stands on this hill in contemplation of the next. He walks between Moses, Elijah, and these three men of the earth. Instead of animals being slain and halved, Jesus will receive his being slain as a covenantal sign. Instead of professing fidelity to a pact and declaring that any unfaithfulness of the covenant would result in being halved, Jesus will repair the original fracture by being halved himself. Lately I have heard a classification of movies, “feel-good”. I am attracted to these kinds of productions. I had a wonderful Jesuit English professor early in my religious formation who told me that I was a charter member of the Silver-lining and Happy-ending Society. I was a hopeless Romantic. At certain times, I still am. I sense that many people are searching for a “Feel-Good” religion or church. Peter had the idea; build three tents there and let the rest of the world go by. I could get into that at times. The Transfiguration as presented by Luke is not a “feel-good” experience. The call of God to listen to Jesus the beloved is a call to collapse the tents of dreams, let the cloud of glory lift, allow Jesus to become undazzling, and head back down the hill heading for Jerusalem . We would love taking the Jerusalem bypass and enjoy the silver-lined happy ending. There are good feelings in following Jesus. There are those moments of intimate communion perhaps. The deep good feeling is our walking with him through our own Jerusalem ’s and this is our fidelity, our act of being made “righteous”. God has made a covenant with us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This covenant comes to us with a history, promises and directions. The history is contained in our Jewish and Christian Scriptures. The promises are made in terms of the life to come. The direction is that we are to listen to God’s beloved Son who tells us all that we too, share his being beloved.
“Remember your mercies, Lord, your tenderness from ages past.” Ps. 25
Supplementary Reading Recall His Deed
But then I recall all You have done, O Lord; I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about Your mighty works. -- Psalm 77:11-12 E veryone has difficult days when things don't go according to plan. These days can be frustrating and sometimes overwhelming. It's during times like these that we have to be especially careful about what we think and say. The scripture tells us that our lives will go in the direction of our thoughts. Do you need to change your thoughts today?
I love what the Psalmist wrote here in Psalm 77. He was facing immense challenges when He cried out to God and said, "You know what? I'm going tofocus on what God has done for me. I'm going to dwell on His goodness. I will recall His deeds to mind."
Today, don't dwell on negative, self-defeating thoughts. Instead, recall His deeds to mind. Focus on what He's done for you. Thank Him for the gift of life and salvation. Make a list of all His wonderful blessings. Let your thoughts turn toward Him today. Stay focused on His goodness so you can move forward in the victory He has prepared for you!
Father in heaven, I bless Your holy name today! Thank You for the gift of life both now and in eternity. Thank You for loving me and setting me free. Help me to keep my mind on Your goodness today. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel Osteen)
For meditation/readings of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/
Daily Mass and Gospel Meditation Broadcast (Tagalog) thru DWXI (5am Phil Time), pls click this link: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=62#STS=g1jais7y.zk6
GOD BLESS US ALL! O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
Newer news items:
Older news items:
|
|||
| Last Updated on Saturday, 27 February 2010 07:38 |
Add your comment
User Menu
Who's Online
We have 60 guests onlineDonate
Please consider supporting the "ReVOTElution of Hope" for Sorsogon as the Pilot Province. Please see "ReVOTElution" Banner on this page for details.
Quote of the Day
"Ever wonder if illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?"--John Mendoza
