The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames) - Day 37: To Be Transfigured

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

The mystery of the Transfiguration is a glimpse of heaven, giving us an image of the home Jesus has prepared for us. Fr. Mark-Mary takes us on a journey in the book of Exodus as we explore Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Transfiguration and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be. For the complete prayer plan, visit https://ascensionpress.com/riy.

I'm Father Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars with Renewal and this is the Rosary in a Year podcast where through prayer and meditation, the rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world. The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 37. To download the prayer plan for Rosary in a Year, visit AscensionPress.com forward slash rosary in a year or text R-I-Y to 33777. You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month. It's a great way to track your progress. The best place to listen to podcasts is in the Ascension app. There are special features

built just for this podcast and also recordings of the full Rosary with myself and other friars. No matter what app you're listening in, remember to tap follow or subscribe for your daily notifications. The fourth Lumis mystery is the Transfiguration, Matthew 17, verses 1-13. And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garment became white as light.

And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is well that we are here. If you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. He was still speaking when behold, 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. When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise and have no fear.

And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, Tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead. The disciples asked him, "'Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?' He replied, "'Elijah does come and he is to restore all things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come,

and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.'" Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. So also the Son of Man will suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. All right, friends, sorry to disappoint you. I'll get the disappointment out in the beginning. No Pope Benedict XVI today, no Jesus of Nazareth consulted.

We will begin just with a little reminder that Pope John Paul II in his Epistlech letter on the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary referred to the Transfiguration as the mystery of light, the luminous mystery par excellence, the mystery of light par excellence. And so here we are sort of at the high point. And why do I say this? Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses and Elijah, the law and the prophets. He reveals himself to be the Lord of glory in communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and he shows to us as well, like our completion,

our end, where we are headed. We are headed to share in this same glory, in the same relationship of belovedness and glory and power that Jesus has with his Father. The mystery of Light Part Excellence, which reveals to us the fullness of the truth of our end, our completion, where this whole journey, this pilgrimage of faith is headed, it's headed to share in the glory that Jesus shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit. My brothers and sisters, this is where we're headed.

This is the good news. To properly understand the Transfiguration, we have to root it in salvation history. We have to see this in the light of Exodus 24. In the book of Exodus chapter 24, it's the beginning of where God is going to invite Moses up Mount Sinai and establish his 24, it's the beginning of where God is going to invite Moses up Mount Sinai and establish his covenant, give him the law. This is what Exodus 24, 12 says, The Lord said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and stay here,

and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction. Then verse 15 says, When Moses went up the mountain, again, we begin here, Jesus took them up a high mountain, the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days, the cloud covered the mountain, again, pointing to the fulfillment here in Jesus of this cloud of glory, this moment here on Mount Sinai. For six days, the cloud covered the mountain

and on the seventh day, the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites, the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain. He stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. We see the glory, we see the cloud, we see the power, we see Moses. This is what it says about Moses. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. And it shone so bright that he had to cover his face.

He had to veil his face when he was talking to the people. Remember, Moses first, he leads the people of Israel out of slavery. He leads them on this exodus. It is to Moses that God gives the law to his people. And Jesus is the perfection. He is the fulfillment of this. And so it says, when they open their eyes, they see nothing but Jesus, right? Like Moses has done his part.

The prophets represented by Elijah, they have done their part. There's no more need for prophets. We have the one they were proclaiming in Jesus. We have in Jesus the fulfillment of the law, the one who will give us the new law to the power of the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus, who's going to lead the people of God out of slavery definitively in the new Exodus

by the shedding of His blood. It has all led to and pointed to the culmination, the fulfillment that is found in Jesus alone. And we'll pivot just the conversation for a moment. We see what we saw at the baptism of the Lord, right? The cloud, we hear the Father's voice. This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him. One of my very favorite gospel commentators, his name is Erasmus Leva Marikakis, at least his author name. He became a Catholic priest, I believe. Father Simeon, he wrote a commentary in the Gospel of Matthew called, Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word.

And this is what he says. This is my beloved son, for Jesus is the only thing the father ever has to say to us. All that the father has to say for us is Jesus. They looked up and they saw only Jesus. The only word the father has to speak to us is Jesus. They looked up and they saw only Jesus. The only word the Father has to speak to us is Jesus. And he goes on to say, commenting on the words, listen to him. By listening to him, surely a great deal more is meant by the Father than simply learning his teaching or obeys commandments.

Rather, the injunction takes us in the direction of ultimate interpersonal delight. Delight or pleasure is a word that often occurs in connection with the relationship between the Father and the Son. It is as if the Father was saying, if you abide with Him and listen to Him in the same way as He and I always abide with and listen to each other, then you will experience the same divine delight within your beings that is the very substance of our life is God. Again, that's Marikakis. And this is our end, right? To share in the glory of Christ, the glory of his relationship with the Father.

My brothers and sisters, this is our fulfillment. This is our end. This is where we are headed. This is why we listen to him. This is why we follow him. This is why we pray. This is why we do the Rosary in the Year podcast, Bible in the Year podcast, so that we can be more and more ourselves transformed into the image and likeness of the one who was transfigured on Tabor, the one who already now reigns in glory

and who has prepared a place for us. And so, my brothers and sisters, let us pray. Let's pray to receive the grace, the promise proclaimed here that the Lord has prepared a place for us, a place in glory, that He has prepared for us and given us access to His own relationship with the Father. And as Jesus goes from Tabor, from this mountain down ultimately to the cross, may we remain with Him, listen to Him, be obedient to Him, journey with Him, knowing that the cross is not the

end. The cross will not be the fulfillment, but sharing in His glory in His relationship with the Father. That's where we're headed, my brothers and sisters. That's the end of this new Exodus. May the Holy Spirit encourage us and give us hope and strength for this journey. Let us pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who

trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and

at the hour of our death. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen. All right, friends, thanks for joining me. Praying with me again today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow. All right, Poco a Poco. Bye now.