1 Corinthians 10: 13

1 Corinthians 10: 13

“No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”

Psalm 37: 23-28

Psalm 37: 23-28

"The Lord guides the steps of a man and makes safe the path of the one he loves. / Though he stumble he shall never fall for hte Lord holds him by the hand. / I was young and now i am old, but i have never seen the just man forsaken nor his cheldredn begging for bread. / All the day he is generous and lends and his children become a blessing. / Then turn away from evil and do good and you shall have a home for ever; / for the Lord loves justice and will never forsake his friends."

Psalm 118: 13 - 18

Psalm 118: 13 - 18

I was hard-pressed and was falling / but the Lord came to help me. / The Lord is my strength and my song; / he is my savior. / There are shouts of joy and victory / in the tents of the just. / The Lord's right hand has triumphed; / his right hand raised me. / The Lord's right hand has triumphed; / I shall not die, I shall live / and recount his deeds. / I was punished, I was punished by the Lord, / but not doomed to die.

James 1: 1-4

James 1: 1-4

"...Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Romans 7:14 - 25

Romans 7:14 - 25

“For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I know not. For what I would do, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law, that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the good that I would do, I do not; but the evil which I would not do, that I do.

Now if I do that which I would not do, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Jeremiah 15:16

Jeremiah 15:16

Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by thy name, O LORD, God of hosts.

Bl. Antonietta Meo

Bl. Antonietta Meo

"Pain is like fabric, the stronger it is, the more it's worth."



"When you feel pain, you have to keep quiet and offer it to Jesus for a sinner. Jesus suffered so much for us, but He hadn't committed any sin: He was God. How could we complain, we who are sinners and always offend him?"

St. Leopoldo Mandic

St. Leopoldo Mandic

"I rely on the powerful intercession of Our Lady, on her mother’s heart, for everything. We have in heaven the heart of a mother, The Virgin, our Mother, who at the foot of the Cross suffered as much as possible for a human creature, understands our troubles and consoles us.”

St. Ignatius of Antioch

St. Ignatius of Antioch

"I want only God's bread, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, and for drink I crave his blood, which is imperishable love."

St. Bernadette

St. Bernadette

"May I accept privations, suffering, and humiliations genersouly as Jesus, Mary and Joseph did in order to glorify God."

St. Josemaria Escriva - "The Way"

"Whenever you see a poor, wooden cross, alone, uncared for, worthless...and without a corpus, don't forget that that cross is your cross--the everyday hidden cross, unattractive and unconsoling--the cross that is waiting for the corpus it lacks: and that corpus must be you." - St. Josemaria Escriva

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Transfiguration of the Lord




The Transfiguration
Raphael, 1516-1520
oil on wood
405 × 278 cm
Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City


BENEDICT XVI

ANGELUS
Saint Peter's SquareSecond Sunday of Lent, 12 March 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Yesterday morning marked the end of the week of Spiritual Exercises preached by Cardinal Marco Cé, Patriarch emeritus of Venice, Italy, here in the Apostolic Palace. They were days dedicated entirely to listening to the Lord, who always speaks to us but expects our still greater attention, especially during this time of Lent.

Today's Gospel reading also reminds us of this, re-proposing to us the episode of the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. Awestruck at the sight of the transfigured Lord who was speaking with Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John were suddenly overshadowed by a cloud, out of which came a voice which proclaimed: "This is my beloved Son on whom my favour rests; listen to him" (Mk 9: 7). When one has the grace to live a strong experience of God, it is as if one is living an experience similar to that of the disciples during the Transfiguration: a momentary foretaste of what will constitute the happiness of Paradise. These are usually brief experiences that are sometimes granted by God, especially prior to difficult trials.

No one, however, is permitted to live "on Tabor" while on earth. Indeed, human existence is a journey of faith and as such, moves ahead more in shadows than in full light, and is no stranger to moments of obscurity and also of complete darkness. While we are on this earth, our relationship with God takes place more by listening than by seeing; and the same contemplation comes about, so to speak, with closed eyes, thanks to the interior light that is kindled in us by the Word of God. Mary's pilgrimage of faith

The Virgin Mary herself, among all human creatures the closest to God, still had to walk day after day in a pilgrimage of faith (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 58), constantly guarding and meditating on in her heart the Word that God addressed to her through Holy Scripture and through the events of the life of her Son, in whom she recognized and welcomed the Lord's mysterious voice.
And so, this is the gift and duty for each one of us during the season of Lent: to listen to Christ, like Mary. To listen to him in his Word, contained in Sacred Scripture. To listen to him in the events of our lives, seeking to decipher in them the messages of Providence. Finally, to listen to him in our brothers and sisters, especially in the lowly and the poor, to whom Jesus himself demands our concrete love. To listen to Christ and obey his voice: this is the principle way, the only way, that leads to the fullness of joy and of love.
***

After the Angelus:

I am happy to greet all the English-speaking visitors present at today's Angelus, especially the group of pilgrims from Ontario, Canada. On this Second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of St Mark presents to us an account of the Transfiguration. God the Father instructs us to listen to Jesus, his beloved Son. Let us pray that our Lenten journey will open our hearts to Christ and his saving message! He leads us through his suffering and death to a share in his glorious Resurrection. Upon all of you I invoke God's abundant Blessings and wish you a good Sunday!
I wish a blessed Sunday to everyone!

© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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