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Saturday – Sixth Week – OT1
Readings: Heb 11:1-7; Mk 9:2-13.
1/ Reading I: NAB Hebrews 11:1 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.
2/ Gospel: NAB Mark 9:2 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.”
I. THEME: If we believe in God, we must accept his way.
Trust demands two directions: If we believe what other said is correct, we must do it; we can’t say one thing and then turn around and do other thing. For example, a wife said she trusts her husband; but she is always present beside him to see if he is really faithful to her! Similarly with our faith in God: If we believe in God, we must keep what he teaches us.
Today readings concentrate on our faith in God. In the first reading, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews recalled the witnesses of faith in the Hebraic history: Abel, Enoch and Noah. They believed in God and did all what God commanded, whether he is present or not. By their faith in God, they were rewarded correspondingly with their hope. In the Gospel, Jesus brought with him three closed disciples to Mt. Tabor and let them see his true glory with two well-known witnesses of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah. The purposes of the Transfiguration are for them to believe that he is God and to accept a Messiah who must go through the way of the cross to save his people.
II. ANALYSIS
1/ Reading I: Believing in God is keeping what he teaches.
1.1/ The faith in God: The author defines, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” When God promises anything to our ancestors; though that thing isn’t happened yet, they still believe in his word and do what he commands because they know it will happen soon or later. Their faith was certified by God. The author advanced further, “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.”
1.2/ Some historical witnesses of faith: The author used these witnesses to encourage his faithful to believe strongly in God who never lies. These historical witnesses never doubt what God said to them; they always live their relationship with God and do everything he commands.
(1) Abel: He is Cain’s young brother. When he offers his offering, he always chooses the purest bread and the best animals for God because he loves God; not to offer as a habit as Cain. When Cain saw his offering isn’t received by God, instead of examining to see the reason for God’s rejection, Cain got angry with both God and his brother. He told his brother to go out into the field and kill him there. The blood of his brother cried out to God, and he was punished heavily by him.
(2) Enoch: The author said about Enoch as following, “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. 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.”
(3) Noah: He and his family are the remnant after the Great Flood because he always believes in God and practices what he commands. When commanded by God to build a great ark, he quickly did it though was laughed by all people around him. It is because his faith that when the Great Flood happened and destroyed all humankind, only his family survived.
2/ Gospel: Jesus transfigured before his three disciples.
2.1/ What happened when Jesus transfigured:
(1) Jesus conversed with Elijah and Moses: Elijah is the representative for the prophets, and Moses, the representative of the Law. What did they talk about? Based on the apostles’ question below, “what the rising from the dead meant?” we can guess they talked about Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. The report according to Luke said more clearly: “And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Lk 9:30-31).
(2) The Father’s voice from heaven: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” This voice was spoken the first time when Jesus was baptized by John at Jordan river. The Father’s voice confirmed Jesus’ coming passion and death. He wanted to advise Jesus’ apostles that they should believe what Jesus was revealing to them.
2.2/ The purposes of the Transfiguration: are for the apostles to believe not only Jesus is the Messiah but also, he must go through his passion to save people. The apostles were easy to believe the first than the second, as we shall see their reactions in three times which Jesus revealed his passion to them.
(1) Resurrection from death: “And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. So, they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.”
Why did Jesus prohibit them to talk to people about his Transfiguration event? One more time, this clarifies “the secret of the Messiah” in Mark. Jewish tradition couldn’t accept a suffering Messiah, especially he must be dead to redeem people. The apostles can talk about this event after Jesus resurrected from death, as a proof of whatever Jesus said, is fulfilled.
(2) Elijah has come: Jesus wanted to say about John Baptist’s imprisonment and death by Herod’s hand. He also let them know that if they maltreated the herald as such, they shall also treat the Messiah the same. Even though Jesus let his apostles see his true identity and clearly explained everything for them, but it is still difficult for the apostles to accept a suffering Messiah, because they believed not only in the tradition but also, as the majority of men, they don’t want to follow the way of the cross!
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– Believing in God requires us to practice what he teaches. If we say we believe in God and don’t do what he teaches, truth is not in us; we are deceiving ourselves.
– Many times, we don’t do what God commands because that isn’t what we want; but if we do what he commands, we shall harvest many good results.
– When we doubt of God’s power, we should recall historical witnesses such as: the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Paul, Abraham, Abel, Noah. All what God promised to them was fulfilled.