First reading Daniel 7:9-10,13-14
His robe was white as snow
As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,9
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
For you indeed are the Lord
most high above all the earth,
exalted far above all spirits.
Gospel Luke 9:28-36
Jesus is transfigured before them
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.
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The mountain of prayer
“Jesus…went up the mountain to pray”. Jesus would soon reach Jerusalem and He was aware that He would suffer rejection and persecution from the Jewish religious leaders. In this challenging moment, Jesus went up the mountain to pray and spend time with God the Father. He needed to find inner strength and peace from God so that He could embrace all that was to come. In prayer, Jesus experienced God’s presence so profoundly that His whole being was transfigured and lit up with the Father’s perfect and unconditional love.
We need to go to the mountain of prayer to allow God to touch us deeply with His loving presence. From the mountain of prayer, we then have the strength and peace to go back down to the valley of daily living, work, relationships, etc. Today, let us listen to God as He calls out to us, “This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to Him”. May we spend time in prayerful listening and allowing Jesus’ words to shape our lives and guide us in our steps.
Reflection question:
Do I set time and space to go up the mountain of prayer and listen to Jesus as He speaks to me?
Do I set time and space to go up the mountain of prayer and listen to Jesus as He speaks to me?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
