A MOMENT OF GRACE
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: There are moments when we feel discouraged and disheartened. At these moments, we need the uplifting power of love. When we receive such love, we are renewed and get a new burst of life that enables us to resolutely face the challenges of life.
Let us pray that we may be open to uplifting moments and that we may uplift others.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have chosen to give up, let us ask the Lord to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you were transfigured before your disciples:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you are the beloved Son of the Father:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you strengthened the faith of your disciples:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God of glory,
it is good for us to be here.
Reveal your Son to us now
in the message of the prophets
and the witness of the apostles,
that we may heed his voice
and receive him in faith.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9
Response The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Reading 2 2 Peter 1:16-19
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.
Gospel Matthew 17:1-9
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine you are with Peter, James, and John when Jesus “led them up a high mountain”. What are your thoughts and feelings when “he was transfigured before them” and when you hear the voice from the cloud?
Sunday Snippets
Eric Carle, the author and illustrator of children’s books, recalls that he was a shy six-year-old when the storytelling world opened for him:
“The world seemed a cold and confusing place, except for one thing—a picture of a cityscape that faced my bed: red brick buildings with darkened windows, except for one exploding with the joyful colours of a Christmas tree. The picture was the work of an art director at my father’s job.
Once, my father took me to work. I was so shy I could barely speak. The art director smiled, opened the drawer of his drafting table… a treasure of coloured drawing pencils, and said: ‘You can use them all.’
I had no language for what I felt. Today I would call it grace.”
For Jesus and the three apostles, the transfiguration was a moment of grace.
The transfiguration confirmed for Jesus his identity: In the experience of prayer on the mountain, the Father reveals who Jesus is: “This is my Son, the Chosen One.”
The transfiguration confirmed Jesus’ saving mission: Luke gives the content of Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah. “They… tell him about his departure (or exodus) that had to take place in Jerusalem.” The exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt was a struggled-filled journey; so will it be for Jesus! The transfiguration gives him a foretaste of his glory and strengthens him for his journey to Jerusalem.
The transfiguration showed the apostles Jesus’ identity: Peter, James, and John realise that this is no carpenter; no preacher or healer or miracle-worker; this is God!
We have moments of grace: in prayer, in encounters with significant people, in key life events. God is present within us to affirm that we are his children and to confirm his will for us.
Let me recall some of these! Do I see these as “transfiguring” moments; as God’s reaffirmation of my identity as his child? Do I allow God’s grace to transfigure sadness into joy; despair into hope; fear into faith and courage; isolation into communion?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: What things have power over me? Are they good things? Would I want some of them lose some of their hold?
Reading 2: Peter’s letter suggests that his readers “will do well to be attentive” to the prophetic message that the three apostles received at the transfiguration. What enables me and what prevents me from being attentive to inspiration?
Gospel: What should the contemplation of the Lord’s face, shining like the sun, move me to do?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Sisters and brothers, we come to our Father, inspired by the transfiguration of his beloved Son, and ask that he bless us as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that God may transform us through our listening to his Word so that we can radiate his glory through our lives, we pray…
R: For our world: that God may turn the hearts of world leaders from violence and establish peace in areas of conflict, we pray…
R: For all who have lost hope: that the glory of the transfiguration may free them from despair and open a new vision for what God can do in and for each person, we pray…
R: For those whose lives have been overshadowed by pain, sickness, or grief: that Christ be the light who dispels their darkness and that his resurrection guide them to new beginnings, we pray…
R: For all who lack self-esteem: that as the Father affirmed Jesus, we too may affirm them and remind them of their God-given value and dignity, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may testify to God at work in us and in the lives of those around us, we pray…
L: God, your glory brightened the face of Jesus, your Son. Let his light dawn on us like a new sunrise full of promise. Create us and the world anew. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
The disciples saw your majesty
and started talking about building tents!
Lord,
make us pause our working
and just listen.
May we realize our value and dignity
as daughters and sons of God,
and treat one another with respect.
Let us find you shining like the sun
in our neighbour and in our enemy,
in the poor and the oppressed.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord God,
transform us into the likeness of Christ,
whose splendour you revealed
when he was transfigured in glory.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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