Today, on this second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading we hear in the Liturgy of the Word at Mass tells the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. To a Jewish audience this story echoes of Moses in the Book of Exodus, where Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, and "[Moses] did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD" (Ex 34:29). Here, in Mark's Gospel, we encounter what Matthew also recorded in his depiction of the Transfiguration event, "Jesus was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light" (cf. Mt 17:2). Jesus, joined by Peter, James, and John, encounters the law and the prophets of the Old Testament when then "Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus" (Mk 9:4). Today, as we enter the second week of Lent, we are reminded and given a glimpse of the glory to come in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are encouraged to call to mind what glory awaits for those who abide in the Lord. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. As we approach Easter we will find this promise fulfilled as he establishes his New Covenant. Let us continue on our Lenten journey; let us open our hearts to Jesus and encounter him in the Holy Scriptures; let us encounter him face-to-face as we receive him in the Eucharist in the Mass. Blessed are we indeed who are called to the Supper of the Lamb! For a brief and interesting reflection on today's Gospel reading, please click on the image. Peace be with you!

In the tenth chapter of Matthew's Gospel, "Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword." This is a striking statement from Jesus, no doubt. Although swords are most commonly associated with warfare, they were also used in other contexts ...  So why is Jesus mentioning a sword? For a brief and interesting reflection on today's Gospel reading, please click on the image. Peace be with you!

Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:27-28). For a brief and interesting reflection on today's Gospel reading, please click on the image. Peace be with you!

Still today there is confusion on this figure of Jesus Christ. Some wish to fashion him as just a great teacher, espousing great moral truths on how one should live out one's life and treat one's neighbor. But Jesus did not leave room for such an interpretation. He, in fact, spoke in the person of God. Even religious teachers like Buddha, or Muhammad, or Confucius did not claim to be God. But Jesus did. Though some wish to present Jesus as purely a "human Christ," a teacher and great prophet, a thorough biblical understanding of Jesus points to Jesus as fully human and fully divine - that He is God Incarnate; Jesus is the Word made flesh - in whom humanity's salvation rests. For a brief and interesting reflection on today's Gospel reading, please click on the image. Peace be with you!

It's said the goods of the world can be summed up in these four things: Wealth, Power, Pleasure, and Honor. All that the world offers us, if you will, falls neatly into one or all of these categories. Yet, as we encounter in St. Matthew's Gospel (Mt 5:1-12), Jesus turns what we're offered on its head. In his teaching - which we call his Sermon on the Mount - he provides an interpretive key to understanding our natural human inclinations to want to fill up our lives with such things. It's inadequate, however, to read this story and to then point to Christianity as a fussy prohibition of worldly desires; or to say Christianity is yet another inordinate attempt to restrict our freedoms. Properly understood - viewed in the light of faith and reason - Christianity is a person in the name of Jesus, who is the fulfillment of all desire. In the story of the Sermon on the Mount, read in today's Catholic Liturgy of the Mass, we encounter Jesus who gives us a key to understanding discipleship - a key to well-ordered fulfillment; a key to a life of joyful discipline and peace. For two brief and interesting reflections on today's Gospel reading on the Sermon of the Mount and the Beatitudes, please click on the image. Peace be with you!