Today’s feast of the Transfiguration presents the full force of God’s power. In the rare moments when humans are permitted to encounter God’s intense fullness, the human reaction is the same: fear. The prophet Daniel is so frightened by his visions that he falls at on his face in terror. Today’s Gospel reports that Peter, James, and John were “very much afraid” when they saw Jesus transfigured on the mountain. They too fell prostrate in fear. These mighty revelations of God’s brilliant majesty have a paralyzing effect on those who witness them. God does not prefer to terrify us, however. God chooses only rare moments to reveal the divine glory, and then sends witnesses to the rest of us so we can believe without fear. Saint Peter’s letter advises us to be attentive to God’s witnesses. Their testimony is true. Their words renew our hearts and transform our lives.

The Eye of the Beholder

Matthew’s Gospel reveals that Jesus’ face “shone like the sun” during his transfiguration. The evangelist is using a figure of speech, of course, but we can imagine what beholding the Transfiguration might have been like for Peter, James, and John. The brightness of Jesus’ face is compared to the sun. Earth is about ninety-three million miles distant from the sun, yet if we look directly at it, we suffer retinal burns, permanent eye damage, or severe vision loss. What is it like to behold the brightness of Jesus? The disciples were terrified. Perhaps looking at Jesus in his glory feels as dangerous as staring at a solar eclipse. Sure enough, the disciples hid their eyes, falling at on their faces.

God’s Mercy

Although the disciples’ experience on the mountain was frightening, our merciful Lord does not want fear to overshadow the miracle they witnessed. Jesus touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” God’s words from the cloud overhead were similarly encouraging: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” God lovingly reassures us, con rming Jesus’ identity as the Son of Man and inviting us to pay attention to the One who comes to save us.

Saint Peter, an eyewitness to the event, declares that his testimony is “altogether reliable.” We can depend on his word. Peter hopes his words act like a “lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” Thanks be to God, we can rely on the life-changing experiences of others to help transform our own lives. We may not ever have intimidating mountaintop revelations like Peter, James, and John, so we listen to them as witnesses of God’s majesty. All of our readings today remind us that God gives us the Word to believe and live, and sends us the words of Daniel, Peter, and Matthew to encourage us.

© J. S. Paluch Co.

In some places a spiritual ‘desertification’ has evidently come about as the result of attempts by some societies to build without God or to eliminate their Christian roots. In those places “the Christian world is becoming sterile, and it is depleting itself like an overexploited ground, which transforms into a desert.” In other countries, violent opposition to Christianity forces Christians to hide their faith in their own beloved homeland. This is another painful kind of desert. But family and the workplace can also be a parched place where faith nonetheless has to be preserved and communicated. Yet, “it is starting from the experience of the desert…that we can again discover the joy of believing, its vital importance for us men and women. In the desert we discover the value of what is essential for living; thus in today’s world there are innumerable signs, often expressed implicitly or negatively, of the thirst for God, for the ultimate meaning of life.”

“The joy of the Gospel is such that it cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything. The evils of the world – and those of the Church – must not be excuses for diminishing our commitment and our fervor. Let us look upon them as challenges which can help us grow. With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of darkness, never forgetting that ‘where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more.’

St. John XXIII on the memorable day 11 October 1962 (said): ‘…We feel that we must disagree with those prophets of doom who are always forecasting disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand. In our times, divine Providence is leading
us to a new order of human relations which, by human e orts and even beyond all expectations, are directed to the fulfillment of God’s superior and inscrutable designs, in which everything, even human setbacks, leads to the greater good of the Church.’”

The St. Francis Knitters are a group of volunteers who make knitted and crocheted items for the guests of the St. Francis Breadline and others in need of a warm hat or scarf. They welcome new members to join in the ministry, even if you can only work from home.

If you are interested, please contact Edward Trochimczuk, Director of Volunteers, at 212-736-8500, Ext. 361, or etrochimczuk@stfrancisnyc. org.

The Knitters are also looking for donations of dark colored yarn which you can drop off  at the reception desk in the lobby of the Parish

House.

“I must first say that the contribution of the Church in today’s world is enormous. The pain and the shame we feel at the sins of some members of the Church, and at our own, must never make us forget how many Christians are giving their lives in love. They help so many people to be healed or to die in peace in makeshift hospitals. They are present to those enslaved by different addictions in the poorest places on earth. They devote themselves to the education of children and young people. They take care of the elderly who have been forgotten by everyone else. They look for ways to communicate values in hostile environments. They are dedicated in many other ways to showing an immense love for humanity inspired by the God who became man. I am grateful for the beautiful example given to me by so many Christians who joyfully sacrifice their lives and their time. This witness comforts and sustains me in my own e ort to overcome selfishness and to give more fully of myself.”

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew continues with the themes of sowing seed, weeds, various types of soil, and how these relate to us. We know that there are many fac- tors that shape our lives, and among them are our family of origin, our culture, our education, our peers and friends, and when we were born. We don’t grow up isolated. How we live each day, how we treat people, the values and attitudes that we show forth, and the place of God in our lives reject what has shaped our lives over the years. Today’s Gospel reminds us that there are also negative factors that we have to deal with throughout our lives. These can make us selfish and self-centered but hopefully, the positive influences in our lives have a stronger impact on us and help us be Christ-like. A good examination of conscience can often help us keep those negative forces under control and allow the good in us to shine forth.

I want to congratulate one of our parishioners, Ryan Nevins, on the publication of his children’s book, Shine Kids! This book for children of all ages has a very positive and encouraging approach for children to recognize their talents and abilities and to use them. The text says, “You’re the gift of God’s dream” and continues throughout the book to praise and be supportive of all children. The art work is magnificent and you can spend time looking at the boys and girls on each page which emphasizes the text. At the end of the book there is a list of Character Virtues. The book is available in the lobby of the Parish House. Congratulations, Ryan!

Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

“We cannot ignore the fact that in cities human trafficking, the narcotics trade, the abuse and exploitation of minors, the abandonment of the elderly and infirm, and various forms of corruption and criminal activity take place. At the same time, what could be signifficant places of encounter and solidarity become places of isolation and mutual distrust. Houses and neighborhoods are more often built to isolate and protect than to connect and integrate.

The proclamation of the Gospel will be a basis for restoring the dignity of human life in these contexts, for Jesus desires to pour out an abundance of life upon our cities. The uniffied and complete sense of human life that the Gospel proposes is the best remedy for the ills of our cities, even though we have to realize that a uniform and rigid program of evangelization is not suited to this complex reality. But to live our human life to the fullest and to meet every challenge as a leaven of the Gospel witness in every culture and in every city will make us better Christians and bear fruit in our cities.”

“A sower went out to sow…”

Growing up in Allegany, New York, we had a large garden every year. By this time in July, seeds that had been sown in late May had sprouted and were maturing. Some had already yielded vegetables such as beans, lettuce, carrots;  flower seeds had grown and were blooming. What would stunt their growth was too much rain or not enough rain or weeds. Those weeds were always a problem and every day you had to do some weeding or it got out of control.

God’s life has been sown in us and it is meant to “produce abundantly.” We have to take care of this gift from God so that it will grow and enrich our lives, but there are those “weeds” which can stunt our growth: inattentiveness, business, prejudice, a bad attitude, lack of humility and more. Every day we have to be good gardeners and do a little “weeding” whether we want to or not.

You have probably noticed that Fr. Jeffrery Jordan is back with us for the summer. Fr. Jeffrery is continuing his studies at the Biblicum in Rome, Italy, and is here during these summer months. We are happy to have him here again. Watch for the course that he will be teaching in a few weeks.

Since work on the elevator in the church will not begin until sometime in September, we have moved the daily Masses, Monday through Friday, to the Lower Church. This helps us save energy and money by not air conditioning the Upper Church for these summer days. Doing this has saved us as much as $40,000.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.