19 February 2011

19 Feb 2011, Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Heb 11:1-7


Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God,
so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.
By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s.
Through this, he was attested to be righteous,
God bearing witness to his gifts,
and through this, though dead, he still speaks.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death,
and he was found no more because God had taken him.
Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him,
for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who seek him.
By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen,
with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household.
Through this, he condemned the world
and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.

Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 10-11
Responsorial PsalmR. (see 1)


I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Gospel
Mk 9:2-13


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;
then from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, the disciples 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.
Then they asked him,
“Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
He told them, “Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things,
yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man
that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt?
But I tell you that Elijah has come
and they did to him whatever they pleased,
as it is written of him.”

Meditation: Mark 9:2-13

“He hardly knew what to say.” (Mark 9:6)


Every person has a specific temperament that they tend to carry throughout life. For example, some rarely speak, while others think carefully before they talk. And then there are those people who talk a lot—and who don’t always think before they speak! Peter was certainly in this category. Having a powerful vision of Jesus at the transfiguration, Peter was awestruck; he didn’t know what to say. So, of course, he was the first one to speak up!

If you try to follow Peter’s life in the Gospels, you’ll find that his tendency to speak and act impulsively is consistent—and in a way, even endearing. When he throws down his nets and leaves the catch of a lifetime just to follow Jesus (Luke 5:1-11), we are moved by his humility and devotion. When he is the first disciple to identify Jesus as “the Messiah,” we are impressed—and then we become sympathetic when Jesus rebukes him for misunderstanding the sacrificial nature of his mission (Mark 8:27-33). And here, as Jesus is being transfigured, Peter is at it again. Beholding Jesus’ heavenly glory, Peter wrongly assumes once more that he knows what’s going on. He believes that Jesus’ mission is about to come to its fulfillment, so he proposes erecting a monument to mark so auspicious an occasion.

Like Peter, we all want to try our best to figure out God’s plan—and that is a good thing. But sometimes, the secret to a deeper spiritual life means listening and not rushing to action. So often, the world tells us that we should move quickly to fix or advance every situation that seems out of kilter in our lives. But if we do this, we risk taking action before listening for the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit— whether through prayer, in Scripture, or in the advice of a trusted brother or sister in Christ.

Over time, Peter developed an attitude of waiting, listening, and asking. Through trial and error, he learned how to quiet his heart and discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And that’s great news for us. Like Peter, we too can become better listeners, both to God and to other people. All it takes is practice.

“Jesus, open my ears and my heart. Help me to value listening and learning more than advising and acting. Infuse my words and actions with wisdom and holy timing.”

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