Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Matthew 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to you on this Feast of the Transfiguration to remember your divinity and to accompany you on the mountain. May the contemplation of this event increase my faith, hope, and love. May it bring me closer to heaven and spark my desire to spend eternity with you. Lord, help me to live with reverence and to approach the tabernacle with an awareness of your divine presence.

Encountering Christ:

1. Foretaste of Heaven: God the Father bestowed particular favors on the three Apostles that accompanied Jesus. He gave them a glimpse of Jesus’ glory, affirmed Jesus’ mission, and made them feel so wonderful that they did not want to leave the mountaintop. They even proposed to build three tents and remain there. What a prelude to our heavenly home God has shown us! How wonderful it will be to dwell in the presence of the living God! Imagine the sight of the transfigured Lord, with all of the angels and saints. Heaven is our destiny. Let’s live with that in mind.

    

2. “Do Not Be Afraid”: How often we hear these words—Our Lord speaks them to us in today’s Gospel, and they were repeated by St. John Paul II during his inaugural address after being elected pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church in 1978. Fear is a saint’s worst enemy. Fear blocks the movements of love in our hearts. We are not truly free when we’re afraid. To the degree that we’re afraid, we’re limited in the good we can do. The antidote to all fear is the recognition of the depths to which God loves each one of us. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…” (1 Jn 4:18).

    

3. “Do Not Tell the Vision to Anyone”: This experience with the Lord was so intimate and beyond most people’s understanding that Jesus advised the Apostles to keep it to themselves. Our Lord can sometimes enter into deep intimacy with us and reveal sacred things. Not everyone can understand and not every spiritual experience is meant to be shared with friends. It’s our responsibility—perhaps with the help of a good spiritual director—to decide what belongs to our personal relationship with the Lord and what should be shared with others.

Conversing with Christ: Dear Lord, help me to live in awe and reverence of your divinity. I treasure my spiritual intimacy with you, knowing how unworthy I am.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take a moment to recall my smallness before you and place myself spiritually before your awesome majesty.

Renee Pomarico is Communications Director for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. She is from Philadelphia, has been consecrated to God since 2000, and is currently stationed in Rome.

Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 15:21-28

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask you to increase my faith, nourish my hope, and strengthen my love. Pour your grace into my heart so that I may not feel entitled to any good thing apart from that which you grant to me. Lord, I approach you with humility, recognizing that everything I receive comes as an unmerited gift from you.

Encountering Christ:

1. Insults of the Lord?: It seems that the Lord was indifferent to the Canaanite woman’s plea. He seemingly ignored her. When the disciples wanted to send the woman away, Jesus responded, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” We know that Jesus would never inordinately throw out an insult. What could he mean by this strange way of encountering the Canaanite woman? All we know for sure is that she was going to be blessed, because we are always blessed when we encounter Jesus. He is a God of love.

    

2. Eliciting Faith: Rather than receiving the words of the Lord as an insult, the Canaanite woman recognized her lowly position, knowing that she had no right to demand something of a Jew, according to the rules of their society. She also knew, however, that Jesus is “Lord, Son of David” and believed that he would extend his miraculous gifts to someone culturally beyond his reach. She believed that his love was greater than a race or a people. She was right. Jesus made it clear that he was not meant to minister to the Canaanites, yet he granted an immediate cure and extolled the woman for her great faith.

    

3. A Model of Virtue: Who are we to say that only certain people can be saved? Who are we to put limits on the Lord’s grace? Who are we to refuse to minister to those outside our circle? If Jesus reached out, so can we. If a soul is open to the Lord’s grace, or moreover pleads for it, who are we to deny them from partaking of the good things of the Lord? Let us be apostles to the outcast, the weary, the hungry, the poor.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I ask you to provoke my faith as you did that of the Canaanite woman. Help me to respond with humility.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will do an act of unwarranted service or kindness to someone who needs it.

For Further Reflection: Read and reflect on Moses’ example of humility in Numbers 12:3: “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than anyone else on earth.”

Renee Pomarico is Communications Director for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. She is from Philadelphia, has been consecrated to God since 2000, and is currently stationed in Rome.

Memorial of St. John Mary Vianney, Priest

Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14

Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.” He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I look to you with love, confident I will receive all good things from your hands. I open my heart to hear with faith what you want to say to me. Lord, I humbly ask for the grace to grow ever more deeply in sync with you, allowing you to transform my natural vision to a supernatural one.

Encountering Christ:

1. “Hear and Understand”: How often we esteem others for their words or actions only to be disappointed and surprised by their misbehavior. Jesus taught the crowd that external practices and things people say are not measures of holiness. Only the Lord can judge the heart, and he cautions us to keep our hearts pure so that our mouths speak only the goodness we contain within. “A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit” (Ps 51:12).

    

2. Interiority: Our Lord told the crowd, and he says to us, “Hear and understand.” We begin to “hear and understand” when we meditate on Our Lord’s words in Scripture. At first, meditation can require hard work—focusing one’s attention, placing oneself in the presence of God, spending time reflecting on small sections of Scripture at a time. Day by day, God gives us understanding (a gift of the Holy Spirit), opening our ears and our hearts to more deeply know and love him. When we put this effort into our prayer, it’s as if Jesus is making the Sign of the Cross over us, blessing us now and for all eternity.

    

3. Blindness: When the blind lead the blind, both fall into a pit. The evil one can be very active when souls resolve to pray faithfully every day. Most times, an external spiritual director or someone knowledgeable and experienced in the spiritual life can confirm and orient us. Many great saints had equally great spiritual directors. “The Holy Spirit gives to certain of the faithful the gifts of wisdom, faith and discernment for the sake of this common good which is prayer (spiritual direction). Men and women so endowed are true servants of the living tradition of prayer” (CCC 2690).

Conversing with Christ: Lord, grant me the grace to recognize your voice and understand your words with supernatural insight.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will examine my judgments about others and seek to rectify anything that is based merely on hearsay or external practice.

For Further Reflection: Thomas H. Green has published numerous books on prayer including Opening to God for beginners, When the Well Runs Dry for those at an intermediate stage, and Drinking from a Dry Well for those advanced in the practice of prayer. A synopsis of “How to Do a Meditation” can be found in The Better Part, by Fr. John Bartunek, on the front and back flap.

Renee Pomarico is Communications Director for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. She is from Philadelphia, has been consecrated to God since 2000, and is currently stationed in Rome.