What a huge difference there is between the first reading and the Gospel passage! The Epistle of James is primarily moral instruction--in the great tradition of Wisdom Literature --and today we are warned about the dangers of speech, sins of the tongue. The Gospel is Mark’s account of the transfiguration of Jesus, the disciples’ inability to grasp the meaning of Resurrection, and Jesus’ response to their question regarding the return of Elijah the Prophet, a response that seems to be a reference to the role and fate of John the Baptist.
My suggestion for prayer today is to enter into the mystery of “transfiguration,” and to reflect upon the meaning of this passage in the journey of Jesus and the formation of his disciples. Any number of interpretors have viewed this scene as a prelude to the Resurrection (for Jesus) and a preparation for the Passion (for His disciples). And the words of Jesus as they descend the mountain, warning them not to speak of this experience “until the Son of Man had risen from the dead,” do indeed look forward to His rising from the dead. So how do we enter into a Gospel experience so qualitatively different from all others written in the Gospels before his death on the Cross?
I can think of two very distinct but equally effective ways of doing this. One is to use an Ignatian contemplation of the scene: to put ourselves into the scene (perhaps as one of the disciples) through the power of our imaginations. After an effort to represent the place on the mountain where this occurred, use your imagination, first of all, to see the persons; then to hear, consider, and attend to what they are saying; and, finally to watch what they are doing. Then we are to “reflect upon all to draw some fruit from each of these details.” (THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES)
The other method of praying over this mystery of the Transfiguration is to recall some “peak experience” of our own lives and to allow the the power of memory to bring back again whatever experience of God or the Transcendent we felt at that time. It is truly amazing how God will assist us in re-living special faith experiences that brought us into contact and union with God earlier on our faith journeys. So, today, further along the journey of faith, I too can reap again the benefits of those past experiences of consolation that give me strength for the way of the cross that still lies before me and the invitation to “practice resurrection” in my everyday life.
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Since its inception in 1997, Online Ministries has been blessed to have myriad members of the Creighton University community offer their personal reflections on the daily scripture readings.
