Reading 1 Jas 3:1-10
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters,
for you realize that we will be judged more strictly,
for we all fall short in many respects.
If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man,
able to bridle the whole body also.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we also guide their whole bodies.
It is the same with ships:
even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds,
they are steered by a very small rudder
wherever the pilot's inclination wishes.
In the same way the tongue is a small member
and yet has great pretensions.
Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.
The tongue is also a fire.
It exists among our members as a world of malice,
defiling the whole body
and setting the entire course of our lives on fire,
itself set on fire by Gehenna.
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature,
can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,
but no man can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless the Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men
who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers and sisters, this need not be so.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 12:2-3, 4-5, 7-8
R. (8a) You will protect us, Lord.
Help, O LORD! for no one now is dutiful;
faithfulness has vanished from among the children of men.
Everyone speaks falsehood to his neighbor;
with smooth lips they speak, and double heart.
R. You will protect us, Lord.
May the LORD destroy all smooth lips,
every boastful tongue,
Those who say, "We are heroes with our tongues;
our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"
R. You will protect us, Lord.
The promises of the LORD are sure,
like tried silver, freed from dross, sevenfold refined.
You, O LORD, will keep us
and preserve us always from this generation.
R. You will protect us, 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
We all fall short in many respects.” (James 3:2)
Peter sure put his foot in his mouth sometimes. Offering to set up tents for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses? It seems Peter needed to say something, but wasn’t sure what. You can just imagine the Father looking down on him with a knowing smile as he said: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him” (Mark 9:7) Stop babbling about tents and memorials, Peter, and let Jesus explain what this all means!
This story about Peter touches a chord in our hearts because we all know how prone we are to speak first and think later. We can all remember times when we’ve said the wrong thing, even when we’re trying to share the gospel. It’s just as James says: Our tongue can really get us into trouble (James 3:8).
So what do we do? Do we “tame” the tongue by keeping our mouths shut? At least that way we wouldn’t end up saying the wrong thing. But what would happen to our family if we stayed quiet? Who would teach our children about God? What would happen to our culture if we stopped trying to proclaim the gospel, flawed though our attempts may be?
Don’t stop! Keep moving forward, and keep growing in wisdom and prudence. The sower in Jesus’ parable must have felt discouraged (Luke 8:4-15). So many of his seeds had no chance to bear any fruit— trampled on the pathway, choked by weeds, parched in shallow soil. But he didn’t dwell on his failures. He kept sowing, and as he sowed, he discovered the best places to plant the seeds. Because he put into practice what he learned, his seeds bore more fruit!
Today, imagine God smiling down at you just as he might have smiled at Peter. With time and practice and patience, you can mature in your faith just as Peter did. Don’t let your missteps stop you. You may be a child of God, but that doesn’t mean that you’re perfect! Allow yourself to laugh at your errors, and then try again.
“Heavenly Father, help me not to be so hard on myself. I want to be able to start over when I make a mistake! Help me to see how you look at me: as a loving Father looks at his growing child.”
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