FREEING THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

4 March 2012

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT (B)

Mark 9, 2-10

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.

And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. (NIV)

FREEING THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

JoséAntonio Pagola translated by Rev. Fr. Valentine de Souza SJ

 The story of the “Transfiguration of Jesus” was from the beginning very popular among his followers. It’s not one more episode. The scene, recreated from various resources of a symbolic character, is grandiose. The evangelists present Jesus, his face shining, while conversing with Moses and Elijah.

Fr. Valentine de Souza SJ

 The three disciples who accompanied him to the top of the mountain are overwhelmed. They do not know what to make of it all. The mystery that envelops Jesus is too extraordinary. Mark says they were frightened.

 The scene ends is an unusual way: “Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” The movement of Jesus was born by listening to his call. His message, later issued in four slim volumes, inspired new followers. The Church lives its life listening to the Gospel.

 This message of Jesus encounters many obstacles reaching the men and women of our times. Having given up religious practice, many have stopped listening to it altogether. From then on they will not have heard Jesus except in a casual or distracted mood.

 Neither can those who wish to join Christian communities easily appreciate the message of Jesus. His message is lost in the mass of practices, customs, and doctrines. It is difficult to grasp its decisive importance. The liberating power of his Gospel remains blocked by the language used and commentaries alien to his spirit.

 Even today, however, the only important message we Christians can offer modern society is the Good News proclaimed by Jesus, and his project of a more healthy and dignified life. We cannot continue to block the humanizing power of his Gospel. We have to allow it a clean, vibrant, and copious flow in our communities. Let it reach homes, so that those who seek a new meaning to their lives can know it, and those who live without hope can hear it.

 We have to learn to read the Gospel together, to make its stories familiar, to put ourselves in direct and immediate contact with the Good News of Jesus. And we must take pains to do so. Here begins the renewal the Church needs today.

 When the institution of the church has lost the power of attraction it had for centuries, we have to discover the attraction Jesus, the beloved Son of God, has for those who seek truth and life. Within a few years we will come to realize that everything is driving us to place his Good News more faithfully at the heart of Christianity.

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Free the power of the Gospel

Source: URL of José Antonio Pagola's Buenas Noticias Web site: 

http://sanvicentemartirdeabando.org

Website for Spanish text and translations: www.eclesalia.net

Jose Antonio Pagola, vgentza@euskalnet.net , San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain.

English Translation by Valentine de Souza S.J. Mandal,