Understanding the Word

By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.

The reading from Genesis expressly states that Abram is directed by God to  travel from the land of his kinsfolk to one that is foreign to him. God then promises a fivefold blessing: Abram will be a great nation; he will be blessed; his name  will be great; those who bless him will be blessed; those who curse him will be  cursed. The directives from God require profound faith on Abram’s part. They  determine his identity (his past), his place in society (his present), and his legacy  (his future). God is asking him to start anew. No questions are asked, no long  period of preparation is suggested. God directs and Abram responds. 

Paul exhorts his disciple Timothy to suffer with him the misfortunes that come  from fidelity to the gospel and accompany righteous living. The Christian hymn  that follows outlines what God has done for us and what Christ has done on our  behalf. There is no question in Paul’s mind that the wondrous blessings are all  God’s doing. Neither salvation nor the call to holiness is the fruit of any deed that  we might have performed. They are not rewards for good behavior; they come to  us freely out of the goodness of God.  

Jesus is transformed before Peter, James, and John, the apparent inner circle  of the apostles. Most scholars maintain that this account is not a vision of the  future glorification of Jesus but an insight into the identity that was his during his  public life. Jesus converses with Moses and Elijah, the representatives of the law  and the prophets. Jesus’ teaching is authenticated by the words that are spoken  from the cloud: “listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). The apostles want to prolong Jesus’  transfiguration. Jesus will not hear of it. Then, identifying himself as the mysterious Son of Man, he directs the three to remain silent about this experience until after his resurrection. 

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