Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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.”
He was transfigured
1. He took them. Jesus led his friends up a high mountain, to the place where he was going to meet his Father God. You and I have this task, to take our friends to meet God, to go together with them to have that experience of God. That is your task and mine, but notice how Jesus did it; he was neither imposing nor insisting… He invited them with closeness and fraternity. Sometimes we are a bit insistent to lead people to God and sometimes we even fall into a fanatic attitude that can lead people away or make them simply tired of us. Remember, it’s in closeness and brotherhood, walking together, that we can lead others to God. Let’s not impose an encounter with God… simply suggest it.
2. Get up. Jesus encourages us not to be afraid. Fear paralyzes us, and we’re afraid to move, or do anything. Do not think so much about it, you must act bravely and keep on going because God is on your side. You have a lot to give, so don’t allow fear to trap you and bring you down. Fear leads you to give up; you forget to look towards the future. In your personal prayer ask Jesus to help you to be able to face fear and overcome it. Once you do this, you will be able to walk with confidence through life.
3) Do not tell anyone. Jesus asks for prudence. One thing is to keep silent about the truth, and another is knowing when to speak it. He has taken his friends with him so that they can keep this wonderful moment in their memory for the difficult times that will come. There are moments in your life that are beautiful, and you must keep them to yourself, in your heart, so will be able to remember them when times of crisis and hard blows come. When challenges come your way, remember the battles you have won. In times of failure, remember those moments when you got up and kept on going. When you feel lonely remember how many people have said: “I love you”.
God bless you and be with you, in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Remember that something good is on the way!
