Tag: Raphael Transfiguration

Feb 21 (Lk 9:28-36)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFSLeave a comment

George Washington was the first president of the United States and one of the founding fathers of the US.

He was well admired for his strong leadership skills that saw him win the first two national elections unanimously.

Once at a banquet, given to some of the officers, a distinguished French Officer asked Washington’s mother, how she had managed to rear such a splendid son.

The mother replied, “I taught him to obey!”

Obedience was the school that he had been trained in, in order to achieve excellence of life!

In Christian life too, obedience ought to be the school in which we are trained, to be effective apostles of the Lord…
…Obedience to the Voice of the Lord
… Obedience to the Will of the Lord

The Gospel of the Day is an exhortation by God to hear the voice of the Lord, to listen to Him and to be obedient to Him.

The second Sunday of the Season of Lent presents to us the “Transfiguration Event” from the Gospel of St Luke.

image
Transfiguration, Raphael, 1520, Vatican City

The scene of the Transfiguration is indeed a powerfully visual and authoritatively impactful incident.

Jesus takes three disciples – the core team among the Twelve – Peter, James and John – and led them up a high mountain. (Lk 9: 28)

Why were these three chosen? …and not others?

Well… we can only make some guess-works… because the bottom-line is:
“They were ‘chosen'”
(Choice is always a gift, and not a merit!)

Peter:
•       Probably as the one who is the Leader
•       The one to whom the Lord entrusts to be the rock on which He would build His Church (Mt 16:18)

John:
•       Probably as the one who had a intimate bond with the Lord
•       The one who is referred to as the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23)

James:
•       Probably as the one who warranted a special privilege, being the first apostle to be martyred.
•       The one who would be the first among the apostles to literally lose his life for Jesus (Lk 9:24)

These three also had a privilege of some “firsts”…
•       Peter was the “First” Pope…
•       James was the “First” Martyr among the apostles…
•       John was the “First” witness to the death of Christ…

The choosing of the three also reflects Jesus as the New Moses!

Moses had chosen seventy(two) elders.
But when he went up to the mountain, there were three close men with him: Aaron, Nadab, and Abiu. (Exodus 24:1)

Jesus had chosen twelve apostles.
But when he went up to the mountain, there were three close men with him: Peter, James and John (Lk 9:28)

Jesus is the New Moses…
….through whom the New Covenant will be established!
… through whom the New Law will be written on the tablets of the heart!

Up on the mountain, witnessing the glorious and magnificent Transfiguration, the disciples behold their Master, Jesus in dazzling white…joined by Elijah and Moses. (Lk 9:30)

And then, they hear a voice, from the cloud…
“This is my Beloved Son! Listen to Him!” (Lk 9:35)

“Listen to Him”…is the commandment that is exhorted!

•       The Apostles are to listen to the Beloved Son, Jesus and grasp His teachings for life
•       The Apostles are to listen to the Beloved Son’s commitment in the path of suffering.
•       The Apostles are to listen to the Beloved Son’s trust in God’s Will at every moment

The same words are today echoed boldly and loudly to each one of us: “This is my Beloved Son! Listen to Him!”

•       Life will take us through many deserts and desolations of difficulties.
•       Life will put us through various storms and hurricanes of hardships.
But in all such moments, are we ready and open to listen to the Voice of the Lord?

Abraham in the Old Testament…the Father of Faith… went through suchimmensely agonizing and hard moments. (Gen 22: 1-3)

Asked to sacrifice His beloved Isaac… His special one…
… Abraham was torn between listening to his own voice of affection for his child or to the voice of God
… Abraham was shredded between listening to his own reasonable mind or to the incomprehensible plan of God

•       But Abraham chose to put his faith in the Lord.. and to listen
•       He chose to trust absolutely in the providence of God… and to be obedient

Yes, when we are in the dry deserts of life, we better be totally obedient to God.
When we are in the parched phases of life, we ought to fully heed the voice of the Lord.

The Lord will take us through…
… every crisis
… every desert
… every darkness
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8: 31)

Let us grow in our efforts to be completely obedient to our Master!

Let us pray for His grace to be truly listening and following the voice of our Master!
>> Are we ready to listen and obey the voice of the Lord?

God Bless! Live Jesus!

8th Aug (Based on Mt 17:14-20)

Fr Jijo Manjackal MSFS1 Comment

Raphael is the famous Italian painter – the architect of the High Renaissance.

Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, he forms the traditional trinity of great masters of that period.

There is a famous painting of the Transfiguration of our Blessed Lord by Raphael.
This painting was done in Rome in 1520.

Raphael had his health deteriorating at this time, as soon he was to die at the age of 37.
With the life-energy draining out of him, he chose to apply his mastery strokes on the painting of the Transfiguration.

image

In the upper centre part of the painting is seen a flat, rock mountain top.
 The three disciples – Peter, James and John – are shielding their eyes from the glory.
 Just above them, in the air, are Elijah and Moses and Jesus.
 Jesus is glisteningly white, as scripture says, “no fuller on earth could bleach”

At the bottom of the mountain, is the crowd of the other disciples.
 They are being unable to heal a boy, who is possessed by a demon.
 The boy, an epileptic is seen in a fit of seizure, and flanked by his helpless father

These two contrasting images in the same picture are drawn from the 17th Chapter of the Gospel of St Matthew.
• The Transfiguration of the Lord (Mt 17: 1- 13)
• The inability of the disciples to heal the epileptic boy (Mt 17: 14ff)

The Gospel of the day is the second incident: of how the disciples fail to heal the boy and how Jesus intervenes to cure and teaches the importance of possessing strong faith.

These two incidents that are depicted in the Painting of the Transfiguration by Raphael, shows contrasting dimensions…
 On one side, immense glory being revealed and the Divine splendour being manifested
 On the other, lack of faith being exposed and the failure in the Kingdom ministry

 On one side, the three disciples basking in the light of heightened faith and devotion
 On the other, the other disciples being lost in the darkness of inability to put the faith to effectiveness
.

And how often is this the painting of our own lives too…

• There are some moments when we experience the loftiness of God’s glory and power
• There are other moments when we fail  miserably to evoke His presence and are unable to feel His

• There are some times when faith makes us to feel that everything is so glorious and wonderful
• There are other times when our faith hits rock-bottom and our spiritual life loses its sheen and all seems so miserable

This is the reality of our lives – contrasting experiences of glorious faith at some instants and miserable lack of trust at other

But the Gospel of the day ends with an encouraging exhortation by Jesus to have a strong and sturdy faith – the faith the size of a mustard seed

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Mt 17:20)

When the disciples were unable to bring about a healing to the epileptic boy, the Lord sure did rebuke them for their “lack of faith”.

But after having healed the child, He does not linger with the reproaching or admonishing attitude… instead as a loving friend and a caring master, gently but firmly encourages them to be stronger in their faith.

This is the approach that He has towards us too…
 He knows that we have our weak moments and situations of disbelief and doubts
 He knows that there are periods when our faith is merely on the lips and not really from the depths of our hearts
 He knows that there are times when annoying circumstances encroach our faith-life and all our efforts in devotion meet with bitter conclusions

Yet, with firmness and fondness, Jesus invites us to keep seeking to grow in our trust in Him and have faith of the size of the mustard seed.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St Dominic, the valiant preacher of the Word of God and the passionate promoter of the Devotion to our Blessed Mother in the Holy Rosary.

Fulton Sheen speaking on the Rosary says:
“The rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known.
It is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men.
It is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next.
The power of the rosary is beyond description.”

May the words of St Dominic, “A man who governs his passions is master of the world.
We must either command them, or be enslaved by them.
It is better to be a hammer than an anvil”

… and our love for our Blessed Mother through the Holy Rosary help us to deepen our faith and trust in the Lord!

God Bless! Live Jesus!