6th Week, Saturday, Feb 19th
James 3:1-10 / Mark 9:2-13
James talks about our speech; We ought not to curse our brothers.
In his book Saint Francis of Assisi, Lawrence Cunningham tells this striking story. One day a certain friar cursed a poor man who was begging alms. Francis was shocked and, on the spot, ordered the friar to prostrate himself, kiss the beggar's feet, and beg his forgiveness. Francis used to say, “Whoever curses a poor man injures Christ whose image he bears, since Christ made himself poor for the world.” That story illustrates how we can use our power of speech to hurt others.
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How are we using God's precious gift of speech? How could we use it more fittingly? “Words of thanksgiving and cursing pour out from the same mouth. My brothers, this should not happen! No spring of water pours out sweet water and bitter water from the same opening." James 3:10-11
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To say that digital electronics or computer technology is very complicated or sophisticated, that may not be actually so. Because at its very fundamentals are just two states - an ON or an OFF state or signal; it's either a 1 or a 0. But by various combinations of ones and zeros, the resultant is a very complex and sophisticated digital electronic system.
By the same token, to say that we human beings are a very complex and sophisticated race, that may not actually be so. Yet, we have that ability to complicate and confuse our lives and the lives of others around us by just one small and even hidden part of our bodies. That part of the body is pointed out in the 1st reading from the letter of St. James.
Our tongue, although small and hidden from sight, can make or break relationships, can heal or hurt, can bless or curse, can create or destroy. We know the awesome power of our tongue, or at least we know the power of other people's tongues.
But to tame our tongue to do good, we must have a transformation of another organ - the heart. May the glorious Transfiguration of Jesus also transform our hearts, so that we will be turned ON to God and turned OFF from the devil. May our tongues bless the Lord and proclaim His goodness always.
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Saturday of 6th Week in Ordinary Time
On the Mountain of Glory
Introduction
Alarmed by the evil done to the Christian community by false teachers, James warns against the dangers of falsehood. This warning is valid today when words are so much manipulated to deceive and disguise.
After he has announced his coming suffering and answered Peter’s protest, Jesus is transfigured before the eyes of his intimate friends among the apostles who will also watch his agony in the garden. This is how he strengthens their faith. Then, he speaks again with them about his approaching passion. Let us ask the Lord in this Eucharist to give us courage in difficult moments.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, when your Son was transfigured you gave eyes of faith to the apostles to see beyond appearances and to recognize Jesus as your beloved Son. This vision gave them courage for the hour of trial. When our faith and trust seem to desert us in dark moments, let your Son take us up to the mountain and give us a glimpse of his light, that with fresh courage and generosity, we may see where he wants us to go. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Intentions
– For the trust, that God is near to us in our deepest loneliness and in all trials, we pray:
– For courage and constancy, that we may keep doing what is right and good even if it demands pain and effort, we pray:
– For open hearts and hands for all those who suffer, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, all we see before us is a piece of bread and a cup of wine. Yet we believe that soon they will be changed into your Son among us. Let him come alive in us and guide us by his Holy Spirit, that with him, we may hear your call and go through the hardships and joys of life with faces lit up by hope, and by the certainty that you have prepared for us glory and happiness that will last forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, in this Eucharist, we have seen a glimpse of your Son’s glory in the love shown us at his table and in his encouraging words. Let our lives reflect his light and life, that each of us may be to his sisters and brothers firm support and a helping hand and a road sign on the way to you, our God, forever and ever.
Blessing
May the Lord give us in difficult moments a glimpse of his deep love and nearness, and may we too, brighten the face of people in their troubles with a word and a smile of sympathy and warmth. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Catching Mist in a Matchbox
Look at Peter’s response at the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. “Let us make three tents here.” The Church, whose prototypal leader Peter was, has often had this temptation to capture the mystical within the four walls of a building, the eternal temptation to build external edifices to immortalize spiritual experiences. Good intentions, but not the best; for such attempts would be like catching the splendid mist emerging from the Niagara Falls in a little matchbox. When God graciously lets us glimpse his mystery, it is to spark a fire within us, imprint that memory in the sacred chamber of our hearts, and help us descend into the plain realities of everyday life. That inner spark will guide our spirits when dark clouds of Calvary come beckoning us. Hence, “templing” the experience must happen within our souls primarily, and not necessarily in bricks and mortars.
