Prayer with the Pope: The Fourth Luminous Mystery - The Transfiguration

Pope Francis has invited us to pray the rosary with him during the month of October: a holy antidote to the devil's stirring things up. We join this global prayer for renewal, strength and healing. 

Our Father...

St. Richard, the 13th century bishop of Chichester, England, has given us this prayer. Perfect thoughts:

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou has borne for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen.

Hail Mary...

Jesus has just told the disciples of his impending passion. Now in great kindness, he gives them this window into Easter's joy. The planet is weary with the untimely deaths of so many young people, so much destruction and waste - even faces made ugly by hate and lies. We might keep this icon of light and reassurance close at hand.

Hail Mary...

The Gospels are not newspaper accounts. What happened on the mount was beyond optical sight, and so the evangelist stretches, using word images. It is the best he can do: "his face shone like the sun," "his garments became white as light," "glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them." God has shared divine energies with us. The scene is for our contemplating.

Hail Mary...

As at the Lord's Baptism in the River Jordan, where the Holy Trinity was revealed, so here as well, "A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.'" Matthew 17:5. But I don't want to be just an admire-r or spectator, but a participant.

Hail Mary...

This icon shows Peter, James and John hurtling down the mountain, "They fell on their faces, and were filled with awe." Has God's presence, God's splendor, God's energies ever knocked me off my feet?

Hail Mary...

Moses and Elijah are part of the mountaintop vision. Moses is on the right with his book representing God's law. Elijah is on the left representing the ancient prophets. Both had secret visions of God. I want a secret vision of God too - not to dazzle me or for God to put a stamp of approval on me, but only that further grounds me in God's justice and love. 

Hail Mary...

Jesus stands inside two symbolic shapes. The five-point star is called a pentacle, representing the bright cloud from which the Father's voice of delight was heard. The round circle of light and brightness (an aureole) repeats the theme - perhaps even enhancing or stretching the idea, as this luminous circle contains cosmic stars.

Hail Mary...

One author writes of the church at Mount Tabor, "On this mountain one can encounter God and his revelation." Why would I doubt that? But in our religion one needn't travel to Mount Tabor, or any mountain for that matter, to encounter God. God's Holy Spirit isn't bound or limited in any way. The holy mountain is wherever I step. And God's revelation? Any time; any place.

Hail Mary...

Do we notice that even the rocks of the mountain sparkle, reflecting the divine energies of the Transfiguration? While some nations are pressing ahead from the undeniable and dire signs of our planet's warming and poisoning, in other places, black toxins are still being spewed into the sky and the ocean is clogged with degrading plastic, killing the sea animals and even getting into the food chain. "Earth's crammed with heaven." Why can't we treasure our planet-gift which is meant to sparkle?

Hail Mary...

August 6 is the Summertime Feast of the Transfiguration: Jesus, in the flash of white light. But it is also Hiroshima Day. The morning Masses had just finished. The new weapon: city-buster bombs. "No such thing as coincidences" it's said. What does this mean?

Hail Mary...

Glory be to the Father...