Transformed in Christ's Presence

We are celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord!  The three wise men followed a star, a Light, until they found  the child Jesus, the Word made Flesh, the King of all kings, the Savior of the world. At one point the star seemed to disappear, so they stopped in Jerusalem to inquire about the newborn King of the Jews. When  King Herod  heard of the Magi's visit, he was greatly troubled, as were the people of Jerusalem. King Herod inquired of them "where the Christ was to be  born: "In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him." Herod instructed the Magi to find Him and then let him know so that he, too, could go worship Him.

We know Herod's intentions. God knew Herod's intentions, as He always knows what motivates us in the choices, good or bad, that we make.  The Magi do not return to give Herod any information, as God directs them not to respond to Herod. They return home by another route.  When you and I encounter the Christ, we, too, if open to grace, are transformed, changed, converted.  We are not the same as prior  to the visit, the encounter!

In what way have you been changed by your reception of the Eucharist, by your reading of the Scriptures, by your interaction with a faith-filled individual?

Lord, open my mind, my heart, my will to You in whatever way You choose today!

The Transfiguration

Today’s Gospel, Luke 9: 28b-36, gives us the story of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. Jesus is revealed to Peter, James and John in his glory while He was at prayer: “…his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white…Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory,…spoke [to Jesus] of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem [his passion, crucifixion and death on the cross].” On Tabor, these three apostles, though at one point overcome with sleep, were fully awake and frightened when “they entered…[a] cloud.” From the cloud they heard a voice saying “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” The Transfiguration occurs every time we celebrate the Liturgy and the bread and the wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. Transfiguration also occurs whenever we receive any of the sacraments. Miracles of conversion take place in our personal lives and the lives of others on a regular basis—the birth of a child, a couple falling in love, a reconciliation of differences, the asking of forgiveness and the healing of hurts that follows, a person reaching out to be neighbor to a stranger, a child filled with awe over the beauty of God’s Created Universe, to name a few. Like Peter, James and John, our ears are also opened in the “clouds” of our lives--in our confusion and emptiness, our disappointments and in our disillusionment--times when we may be more receptive to our need for God and more open to hearing God say to us: “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” My prayer today is that I will let God transform my life into the life of Christ and that I may I hear God speaking in the clouds of my life. I also pray that, at Jesus's invitation, I will go up to the mountain top to pray, to allow God to converse with me about what is happening in my life or about what is about to happen, so,I too, will be ready when God calls me to exodus from this earthly life and enter eternity. ,