READINGS for 2007-02-17

GRANDMA, LISTEN

?This is my own dear Son ? listen to Him!? ? Mark 9:7

When he turned five, my grandson, Dylan, learned to dial the phone. When he calls me at the office, I simply drop everything, sit back, and enjoy.
      ?What are you doing?? Dylan asks me.
      ?I?m working,? I reply.
      ?Where is Lolo ?? he asks.
      ?He is working,? I reply.
      ?What about Tito Paul??
      ?He?s working, too.?
      Then, he asks, ?What is working??
      I begin a long discourse, defining the word. When we say our goodbyes, it hits me what Dylan was really asking about. He just wanted to know what kind of work his grandpa, uncle and I were doing.
      I didn?t understand Dylan because I wasn?t really listening to him, engrossed as I was with how cute and smart he was. Peter in today?s Gospel is so engrossed with the transfiguration of Jesus that the disciple who is going to head the Christian Church seems oblivious to the fact that God is already revealing the true identity of Jesus!
      Indeed, it is not enough that we marvel at the greatness of God. We will please Him more if we truly listen to Him and do the things He wants us to do. Cynthia S.

REFLECTION:
How well do you listen?

Lord, give me the grace to be a good listener, especially to You.

1st READING

Hebrews 11:1-7

This insertion of a part of Hebrews 11 in the middle of our series of readings from Genesis is that it serves as a summary verse extolling the faith of the figures that we have been reading about over the past two weeks. The faith of Abel and Noah are set before us as examples of men who entrusted their lives to the Lord. It is this trust that we should seek to emulate and so become known as men and women of faith of our own generation.
  
1 Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. 2 Because of it the ancients were well attested. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the Word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain?s. Through this he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and ?he was found no more because God had taken him.? Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.

P S A L M

Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 10-11

R: I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

2 Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. (R) 4 Generation after generation praises your works and proclaims your might. 5 They speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty and tell of your wondrous works. (R) 10 Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. 11 Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. (R)

G O S P E L

Mark 9:2-13

Throughout the ministry of Jesus there are events that would have served to strengthen the faith of the apostles. The Transfiguration of Jesus is one of them. It is important for us at times to allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith allowing Him to lead us deeper into God?s love for us. This may sound a bit like stating the obvious but I do not think that we allow God to do this as often as He wants to do it for us. We tend to want to be self-sufficient and so deny God the opportunity to really strengthen us for the work that He has for us to do.
  
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, ?Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.? 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, ?This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.? 8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. 11 Then they asked him, ?Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?? 12 He told them, ?Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.?

my reflections
think: We tend to want to be self-sufficient and so deny God the opportunity to really strengthen us for the work that He has for us to do.
  
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 God?s special verse/thought for me today________________

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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Deuteronomy 13-15

SO OFTEN FAITH IS THE ONLY ANSWER

It is not a matter of being anti-reason; it is simply the truth that sometimes the only way ahead is to choose to have faith and let some of the questions that arise in our minds and hearts be, without having to have an answer to them all. This section of the Letter to the Hebrews is very aptly placed at the end of our reflection upon the proto-historical section of the Book of Genesis as it serves to remind us of the central role of faith in our lives when it comes to our seeking to understand many of the more profound aspects of human existence.
      Our author lists a number of the key players in the proto-historical drama and situates them in the context of faith as a reminder to us to never forget that we are a people of faith on a journey seeking the truth of these matters. If we divorce our search for truth from our faith, we are certain to end up with the wrong conclusions. This path is one that is all too evident in the secular understanding of life that is permeating twenty-first century society. The world would be wise to reconsider the basis upon which it is seeking to address its problems, as if it fails to do so, I am sure the end result will be failure as well!
      Faith is at the heart of our Christian being and without it we are dead to the Spirit. Yes, there is a sort of half existence without faith but it is empty and devoid of ultimate fulfillment. It is a very sorry reflection on life to consider arriving at a meeting with God face to face without any faith. Some may counter that they do not believe in God; well, I will counter that with ?Why not?? For me the overwhelming evidence points to God?s existence and as such we would be fools not consider and act upon this evidence. Without God what meaning is there to our lives? The consequences of there not being a God are too horrific for me to consider. Fr. Steve T.

REFLECTION QUESTION: What part does faith play in my life? Is it a central role or have I relegated my faith to being a part-time player in the drama of my life?

Lord Jesus, You became a man so that You could redeem us from our sins. You are a God who is active in our lives. Thank You for this and help me to live accordingly.

St. Silvin of Auchy, bishop, pray for us.