His Face Shone Like The Sun

06-08-2017 HOMILY FOR EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A-TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD (FEAST).

SCRIPTURAL READING:

1. 1 Dan. 7:9-10.13-14.

Ps. 97:1-2.5-6.9. (R.1a.9a);

1. 2 Pet. 1:16-19; Accl; Matt. 17:5c.
2. Gospel Matt.14:22-36.

Preamble:

Dear friends please repeat these words after me;

Stay with me Lord Jesus, as I give you my mind, may your word never depart from me.

Stay with me Lord Jesus, as I give you my ears, help me listen and obey your voice.

Stay with me Lord Jesus, as I give you my heart, help me welcome you always.

Holy Spirit, rekindle in me the fire of your love. Amen.

THEME: HIS FACE SHONE LIKE THE SUN.

In my Saturday morning reflection on the gospel of Matt. 14:1-12 dated 5^th of August, 2017, I spoke about conscience with reference to the act of Herod and Herodias and the interplay between John the Baptist and Herod as well as Herodias. In that homily I explained to the congregation at that mass the meaning of conscience as explained by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I said, conscience is man’s most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths. Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act. For the man who has committed evil, the verdict of his conscience remains a pledge of conversion and of hope.

A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the creator. Everyone must avail himself of the means to form his conscience.

The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. The education of the conscience guarantees freedom and brings about peace of the heart.

The most suitable way to form ones conscience is the word of God which is the light for our path as the word of God in Psalm 119:105 tells us. Our conscience can be well formed when we take in the word of God in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the church.

Now if the conscience is formed aright, when faced with a moral choice between a thing that is good and evil, the formed conscience can make right judgment according to reason, in union with the true good willed by the wisdom of the creator.

But if the conscience has not been formed or even when formed well, exposes itself to evil, the conscience can become dulled as a result of sin and make wrong judgment according to the individuals reason at that time. Such as individuals like Herod and Herodias will always want to silence the voice of truth so as to further perpetuate evil which is against the wisdom and commandment of the creator. This is what erroneous judgment means.

Erroneous judgment can be caused by ignorance of Christ and his gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one’s passion, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the church’s authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity.

On the contrary, the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not responsible for his erroneous judgment as a result of deceit, lies, manipulations by external forces (evil spirit), confusions etc, the evil committed by the person cannot be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience.

A good and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity proceeds at the same time “from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith.” The truth remains that the more and more a correct conscience succeeds, the more persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by objective standard of moral conduct.

It is on these grounds, that if Herod and Herodias’ consciences had been dulled by sin and silenced the voice of truth-which was John the Baptist; and if it is so with many who lived in the world at that time of John the Baptist, Herod and Herodias, who had their consciences dulled by sin of which John the Baptist came to proclaim a baptism for the forgiveness of sins and even met with challenges to the point of his death, it then means that the apostles of the Lord who would be saddled with the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel should be able to witness first the transfiguration of the Lord. They needed to be educated in conscience about the figure and person-Jesus who is true and true the Lord of Lord, and King of Kings. There was need to educate their consciences about his person, his purpose and mission in the world that they may not fail in the accomplishment of the future task that lay before them to guide and instruct and educate the consciences of men and women even in the most dangerous and discomforting situations.

The apostles saw the dazzling light that light which is brighter than the sun was not meant to trill them but to enlighten their consciences about the persona before them. According to emeritus Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI, he says according to the senses, the light of the sun is the most intense ever known in nature. But according to the spirit, the disciples saw for a short time a brightness more intense: that of the divine glory of Jesus, which illuminates the whole history of salvation.

Jesus is the true light because of his connection with God the father. In his oneness with the father, Jesus is himself light from light. It is this light that enlightens us, our consciences, our entire life. we become enlightened with the word of God. St. Maximus the confessor saw the changes in Jesus’ clothes as symbolic of the words of Sacred Scripture which become clear, transparent and bright.

Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets, also appeared at the transfiguration. This prompted peter to suggest that the disciples set up three tents for them and Jesus. But Moses and Elijah vanished.

St. Augustine, commenting on this passage, said this shows that the Christian has only one home: Christ. “He is the word of God, the word of God in the law, the word of God in the prophets.”The disciples, contemplating the divinity of the Lord, are thus prepared to confront the scandal of the cross with faith.

God is real, so is Jesus, so the Holy Spirit, so his word and if we must also be real Christians as well as really educate our consciences, we must seek a close partnership with the Lord so that we make right choices when push comes to shove. The only way to be enlightened is by our closeness with the Lord and his word.

The apostles where strengthened by the event and experience of the Transfiguration so that they might accept the scandal of the cross. We too are strengthened by this today so that we may not be scandalized by the challenges we go through and begin to act in a wrong way. Let us hold on to true teaching, true wisdom, true way of life and upright living and the end will be wonderful.

May God’s blessings be always upon us in the name of Jesus. Amen.