Yesterday’s news gave all of us…as people of faith…
something very significant to ponder.
Yesterday Bobby Cutts, a former Canton police officer.
was found guilty in the of two individuals.
He was found guilty on the charge of of his friend Jessie Davis.
He was found guilty also on the charge of aggravated of her unborn child.
It is striking that received the higher charge for the of the baby.
At one point on the radio broadcast I heard the judge describe the charge as
“the purposeful of an unborn child.”
What should come instantly to mind for all of us is that
doctors in abortion clinics
purposefully take the lives of thousands of unborn children every day.
We conveniently call it a “medical procedure” and suddenly it is legal.
There is something very wrong with this picture.
Ponder very seriously what has gone wrong in our world…
and consider how you might allow your faith in Jesus Christ
and the truth of the dignity of human life
to guide you in making a difference for the lives of all human persons.
[PAUSE]
Today’s Gospel is among the most intimate scenes of the whole Bible.
Jesus takes with Him Peter James and John
and they go up the mountain by themselves.
These are the three closest friends and disciples of Jesus.
Peter: Rock…chosen successor…spiritual shepherd of the Church…Pope…
James: the one who responded with great zeal...the zeal of a new young priest...
that he was ready to serve the Lord
and ready to drink of the cup of suffering from which Jesus would drink..
John: the beloved disciple…the one who remained at the foot of the Cross…
These three are with Jesus in the most significant moments of His life…
Gethsemane…
Easter morning…
Here at His Transfiguration…
72 disciples in pairs…
12 apostles…
3 closest friends…
Among them Peter…the 1 pope…
These three share a unique preeminence and intimacy with Jesus.
Saint Luke’s version of the story tells us why they go up the mountain alone:
to pray.
Jesus: truly God and truly man…
As true man He prays to the Heavenly Father…
In the midst of their communion in prayer…
He is transfigured before them and the fullness of His divine nature is revealed.
Jesus desire to share with these three closest friends the fullness of who He is
and how He wants to share His life with us!
The disciples are so enthralled in their experience with Jesus
and the splendor of his glory
that they want to build tents and remain on the mountain.
Of course they must come down from the mountain…
to face the reality of their own vocations.
As they come down they know they will never be the same…
they are changed forever by their experience of God’s wondrous presence.
[PAUSE]
For each of us…human persons created in the image of God who is Love itself…
God who is essentially a communion of person…
we know we cannot live entirely on our own.
Truly we are meant to be people of self-giving love
and people who share life with one another.
What is more, life is totally meaningless
without a deep and abiding relationship with God.
We cannot expect our relationship with God to remain strong
if we are distant from Him
if we never talk to Him.
We cannot live without going up the mountain with Jesus to pray.
There are many ways to pray…
Most of all…the best kind of prayer…is whatever brings us closest to God.
We know Jesus is closest to us…truly present to us…in the Eucharist.
Jesus is really present in the Host reserved in the Tabernacle
or displayed in the Monstrance for Adoration.
When we come into the church and make a visit to the tabernacle
or come to Eucharistic Adoration
we rest in the living presence of Jesus.
We desperately need this kind of prayer.
We cannot live…or maybe we can survive…but not truly live and thrive…without it.
We need Jesus.
We need to go up the mountain with Him.
We need to rest in His presence and talk to him…
Allow Him to fill our hearts with His love and peace…
Allow Him to show us His glory as He did to the apostles…
Allow Him to make us one of His chosen beloved friends…
Allow Him to be with us in the most significant moments of our lives…
What will happen to us?
We will be transfigured!
What will happen to our lives?
We will become more loving people!
We will become closer to Christ!
We will become happier, healthier, and holier people!
Everything will change...for the better!
Adoration on Thursday nights…please come…
Perhaps you are afraid? Unsure of what this is all about? Come anyway.
Come to Jesus…be transfigured…
You will come down form the mountain of your prayer to face your vocation in life
and you will never be the same.
You will never be so happy and blessed as when you sit in the presence of God
and delight in the communion of your heart with His.
Nothing less than the greatest experience of intimate love awaits you!
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