Continuing Testament

The Texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate and share the message of the Transfiguration for our journey as followers of Christ.

Testament and Transformation

The Reading from the Book of Genesis presents Abram’s Call and Migration.

* [12:1–3] Go forth…find blessing in you: the syntax of the Hebrew suggests that the blessings promised to Abraham are contingent on his going to Canaan.

* [12:2] The call of Abraham begins a new history of blessing (18:18; 22:15–18), which is passed on in each instance to the chosen successor (26:2–4; 28:14). This call evokes the last story in the primeval history (11:1–9) by reversing its themes: Abraham goes forth rather than settle down; it is God rather than Abraham who will make a name for him; the families of the earth will find blessing in him.

* [12:3] Will find blessing in you: the Hebrew conjugation of the verb here and in 18:18 and 28:14 can be either reflexive (“shall bless themselves by you” = people will invoke Abraham as an example of someone blessed by God) or passive (“by you all the families of earth will be blessed” = the religious privileges of Abraham and his descendants ultimately will be extended to the nations). In 22:18 and 26:4, another conjugation of the same verb is used in a similar context that is undoubtedly reflexive (“bless themselves”). Many scholars suggest that the two passages in which the sense is clear should determine the interpretation of the three ambiguous passages: the privileged blessing enjoyed by Abraham and his descendants will awaken in all peoples the desire to enjoy those same blessings. Since the term is understood in a passive sense in the New Testament (Acts 3:25; Gal 3:8), it is rendered here by a neutral expression that admits of both meanings. (Genesis, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 33 praises God who created the three-tiered universe of the heavens.

* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the First Letter of Timothy declares that Christians value the Old Testament as the first stage in God’s revelation of his saving plan.

* [1:8–11] Those responsible for the speculations that are to be suppressed by Timothy do not present the Old Testament from the Christian viewpoint. The Christian values the Old Testament not as a system of law but as the first stage in God’s revelation of his saving plan, which is brought to fulfillment in the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

* [1:10] Sodomites: see 1 Cor 6:9 and the note there. (1 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents The Transfiguration of Jesus.

* [17:1–8] The account of the transfiguration confirms that Jesus is the Son of God (Mt 17:5) and points to fulfillment of the prediction that he will come in his Father’s glory at the end of the age (Mt 16:27). It has been explained by some as a resurrection appearance retrojected into the time of Jesus’ ministry, but that is not probable since the account lacks many of the usual elements of the resurrection-appearance narratives. It draws upon motifs from the Old Testament and noncanonical Jewish apocalyptic literature that express the presence of the heavenly and the divine, e.g., brilliant light, white garments, and the overshadowing cloud.

* [17:1] These three disciples are also taken apart from the others by Jesus in Gethsemane (Mt 26:37). A high mountain: this has been identified with Tabor or Hermon, but probably no specific mountain was intended by the evangelist or by his Marcan source (Mk 9:2). Its meaning is theological rather than geographical, possibly recalling the revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:12–18) and to Elijah at the same place (1 Kgs 19:8–18; Horeb = Sinai).

* [17:2] His face shone like the sun: this is a Matthean addition; cf. Dn 10:6. His clothes became white as light: cf. Dn 7:9, where the clothing of God appears “snow bright.” For the white garments of other heavenly beings, see Rev 4:4; 7:9; 19:14.

* [17:3] See note on Mk 9:5.

* [17:4] Three tents: the booths in which the Israelites lived during the feast of Tabernacles (cf. Jn 7:2) were meant to recall their ancestors’ dwelling in booths during the journey from Egypt to the promised land (Lv 23:39–42). The same Greek word, skēnē, here translated tents, is used in the LXX for the booths of that feast, and some scholars have suggested that there is an allusion here to that liturgical custom.

* [17:5] Cloud cast a shadow over them: see note on Mk 9:7. This is my beloved Son…listen to him: cf. Mt 3:17. The voice repeats the baptismal proclamation about Jesus, with the addition of the command listen to him. The latter is a reference to Dt 18:15 in which the Israelites are commanded to listen to the prophet like Moses whom God will raise up for them. The command to listen to Jesus is general, but in this context it probably applies particularly to the preceding predictions of his passion and resurrection (Mt 16:21) and of his coming (Mt 16:27, 28).

* [17:6–7] A Matthean addition; cf. Dn 10:9–10, 18–19. (Matthew, CHAPTER 17, n.d.)

Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ, comments that Lent is a journey.  Like Abram, we are called to leave our “home” – the unhealthy, deadly, unloving patterns we call home – and to make our home in Jesus. In these words, or with our own words - let us pray.

Dear Lord, I really need your help these days of Lent. Accompany me, guide me, comfort me to receive the gifts and graces you want to offer me, so that I might grow in freedom, in courage and in hope. Make my heart more like yours.  Don’t let me be afraid or discouraged.  Let me be a source of healing and reconciliation. Let me put my trust in you, as we grow close each day on this journey. (Alexander, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Listen to Him,” by Leo the Great, 400?-461 A.D.

"A voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. I am manifested through his preaching. I am glorified through his humility. So listen to him without hesitation. He is the truth and the life. He is my strength and wisdom. "Listen to him" whom the mysteries of the law foreshadowed, of whom the mouths of the prophets sang. "Listen to him" who by his blood redeemed the world, who binds the devil and seizes his vessels, who breaks the debt of sin and the bondage of iniquity. "Listen to him" who opens the way to heaven and by the pain of the cross prepares for you the steps of ascent into his kingdom." (excerpt from Sermon 38,7) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the imagery of the early chapters of Genesis changes in Chapter 12 to the real history. Abram is called to lead his land. He trusts and wades into the unknown. Timothy exhorts us to live as Christ calls us to live until His return. The Transfiguration involves the Big Three Peter, James, and John traditionally on Mt Tabor. We see a theophany the divinity of Jesus. Moses and Elijah represent the Law and Prophets Along with Enoch they are associated with apocalyptic books that represent the revelation of the secrets of heaven. And they offer to build three tents for the holiness of God. Friar Jude comments that even in the moment of glory the event is associated with His passion by the Suffering Servant words used by Jesus to declare manifestation of the glory of Jesus in His love on the Cross.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 17:1-9 comments that Jesus revealed his glory to them to give them a glimpse of where he was headed—and a glimpse of their own target. He gave them a foretaste of their own future glory, and that revelation strengthened them for the difficult path ahead.

Let today’s Gospel do that for you, too! We are at the start of Lent, but we know that the time will come when we will see Jesus, beaten and bloodied, stripped of all dignity, raised up on a cross between two criminals. That’s the time to remember the transfiguration, when his glory shone brightly on the mountain. Even in his suffering, Jesus knew what his destination was: resurrection. And in our struggles, we can look toward our destination—heavenly glory, in union with Jesus!

“Jesus, help me hold onto this glorious vision as I aim toward heaven.” (Meditation on Matthew 17:1-9, n.d.)

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, emphasizes how God’s justice in the Bible is fundamentally loving and restorative rather than punitive. God wins by making sure we win—just as any loving human parent does. 

Love is the only thing that transforms the human heart. In the Gospels, we see Jesus fully revealing this divine wisdom. Love takes the shape and symbolism of healing and radical forgiveness—which is just about all that Jesus does. Jesus, who represents God, usually transforms people at the moments when they most hate themselves, when they most feel shame or guilt, or want to punish themselves. Look at Jesus’s interaction with the tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10). He doesn’t belittle or punish Zacchaeus; instead, Jesus goes to his home, shares a meal with him, and treats him like a friend. Zacchaeus’s heart is opened and transformed. Only then does Zacchaeus commit to making reparations for the harm he has done.

As Isaiah says of God, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). Yet I am afraid we largely pulled God down into “our thoughts.” We think fear, anger, divine intimidation, threat, and punishment are going to lead people to love. We cannot lead people to the highest level of motivation by teaching them the lowest. God always and forever models the highest, and our task is merely to “imitate God” (Ephesians 5:1). (Rohr, n.d.)

We petition the Spirit for inspiration in the Transfiguration of Jesus to be agents of the care, love and mercy that reveal the love of Christ for all people.

References

Alexander, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-march-1-2026 

Genesis, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/12?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17?1 

Meditation on Matthew 17:1-9. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/03/01/1510533/ 

1 Timothy, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1timothy/1?8 

Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?4 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/just-love/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Listen to My Beloved Son. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Blind to Being Christlike

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to invoke the Spirit as we consider how we judge others without the care and compassion necessary to reveal the reality of their situation.

Blind to Situations

The reading from the Book of Genesis describes Abram’s Call and Migration.

* [12:1–3] Go forth…find blessing in you: the syntax of the Hebrew suggests that the blessings promised to Abraham are contingent on his going to Canaan.

* [12:2] The call of Abraham begins a new history of blessing (18:18; 22:15–18), which is passed on in each instance to the chosen successor (26:2–4; 28:14). This call evokes the last story in the primeval history (11:1–9) by reversing its themes: Abraham goes forth rather than settle down; it is God rather than Abraham who will make a name for him; the families of the earth will find blessing in him.

* [12:3] Will find blessing in you: the Hebrew conjugation of the verb here and in 18:18 and 28:14 can be either reflexive (“shall bless themselves by you” = people will invoke Abraham as an example of someone blessed by God) or passive (“by you all the families of earth will be blessed” = the religious privileges of Abraham and his descendants ultimately will be extended to the nations). In 22:18 and 26:4, another conjugation of the same verb is used in a similar context that is undoubtedly reflexive (“bless themselves”). Many scholars suggest that the two passages in which the sense is clear should determine the interpretation of the three ambiguous passages: the privileged blessing enjoyed by Abraham and his descendants will awaken in all peoples the desire to enjoy those same blessings. Since the term is understood in a passive sense in the New Testament (Acts 3:25; Gal 3:8), it is rendered here by a neutral expression that admits of both meanings.

* [12:5] The ancestors appear in Genesis as pastoral nomads living at the edge of settled society, and having occasional dealings with the inhabitants, sometimes even moving into towns for brief periods. Unlike modern nomads such as the Bedouin, however, ancient pastoralists fluctuated between following the herds and sedentary life, depending on circumstances. Pastoralists could settle down and farm and later resume a pastoral way of life. Indeed, there was a symbiotic relationship between pastoralists and villagers, each providing goods to the other. Persons: servants and others who formed the larger household under the leadership of Abraham; cf. 14:14.

* [12:6] Abraham’s journey to the center of the land, Shechem, then to Bethel, and then to the Negeb, is duplicated in Jacob’s journeys (33:18; 35:1, 6, 27; 46:1) and in the general route of the conquest under Joshua (Jos 7:2; 8:9, 30). Abraham’s journey is a symbolic “conquest” of the land he has been promised. In building altars here (vv. 7, 8) and elsewhere, Abraham acknowledges his God as Lord of the land.

* [12:9] The Negeb: the semidesert land south of Judah. (Genesis, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 33 proclaims that God created the three-tiered universe of the heavens,

* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns about Judging Others.

* [7:1–12] In Mt 7:1 Matthew returns to the basic traditional material of the sermon (Lk 6:37–38, 41–42). The governing thought is the correspondence between conduct toward one’s fellows and God’s conduct toward the one so acting.

* [7:1] This is not a prohibition against recognizing the faults of others, which would be hardly compatible with Mt 7:5, 6 but against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one’s own faults.

* [7:5] Hypocrite: the designation previously given to the scribes and Pharisees is here given to the Christian disciple who is concerned with the faults of another and ignores his own more serious offenses. (Matthew, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Mol­ly Mattingly comments that the 1999 stop-motion film “The Mir­a­cle Mak­er” imag­ined a per­son with a two-by-four some­how stick­ing out of their eye, which seemed rather impossible.

Jesus and the crowd laugh as they pic­ture the slap­stick scene, with the sil­ly arro­gant car­pen­ter who didn’t think to put down the beam before help­ing his friend. While this por­tray­al illus­trates the poten­tial destruc­tion if I don’t rec­og­nize my own blind­ness, it also gives me per­mis­sion not to take myself so seri­ous­ly. That, in turn, helps me to be open to learn­ing and mak­ing amends when my blind spots are revealed to me.

Final­ly, in this por­tray­al, the thing caus­ing the person’s blind­ness (the beam) is a lot of work to car­ry around! It looks heavy and unwieldy - indeed, almost like a cross. I like that in this image it is pos­si­ble to set the beam down. Maybe we don’t always know how to set it down, or we’re not even aware we’re car­ry­ing it. Until we can, though, I think it is bet­ter to just be present and trust that God will help oth­ers with their splin­ters just as God will help us to set down our wood­en beams. With the psalmist, let us remem­ber that God sees us even when our own vision is obstruct­ed: “See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kind­ness.” Per­haps, hav­ing expe­ri­enced God’s bound­less mer­cy and com­pas­sion for our­selves, we can offer oth­ers greater compassion. (Mattingly, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Judge from justice, forgive from grace,” by Ephrem the Syrian, 306-373 A.D.

"Do not judge, that is, unjustly, so that you may not be judged, with regard to injustice. With the judgment that you judge shall you be judged (Matthew 7:2). This is like the phrase 'Forgive, and it will be forgiven you.' For once someone has judged in accordance with justice, he should forgive in accordance with grace, so that when he himself is judged in accordance with justice, he may be worthy of forgiveness through grace. Alternatively, it was on account of the judges, those who seek vengeance for themselves, that he said, 'Do not condemn.' That is, do not seek vengeance for yourselves. Or, do not judge, from appearances and opinion and then condemn, but admonish and advise." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 6.18B) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 7:1-5 asks how can we become more aware of our own “wooden beams,” especially the ones that threaten our ability to look at each other with love and compassion?

It takes time, effort, and trust in God’s grace to remove the beams from our eyes. But nothing can compare to the joy that comes as we experience healing and freedom! And the best part of all? Every success brings us closer to the Lord. We discover that these wooden beams have kept us from seeing him in the people around us and from discovering him in the silence of our hearts.

Jesus wants to set us free. He wants us to be able to see the world, as well as ourselves, through his eyes. Let’s tell him we want the same thing!

“Lord, come and heal the way I look at the people you have put in my life.” (Meditation on Matthew 7:1-5, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Genesis 12 is the first account of the Covenant with Abram, a semi nomadic herdsman who leaves with Sarah and Lot to a promised land with a new name of Abraham. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches us we do have to be observant but we cannot judge the responsibility of others. We don’t know the Grace they have received. As we remove the beam, the things we do may be worse. We seek help from the Spirit in giving up bad habits and discern when to react and when to be quiet. Friar Jude reminds us that our own conversion is important for our understanding.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces poet and CAC staff member Drew Jackson who reflects on how the first Christians cared for one another. 

What was happening in these communities was the work of Spirit-inspired reimagination. There was a radical redistribution of wealth, and what drove this was not any particular form of ideology—it was not coercion—but was the simple fact that, as people being transformed by the Spirit, they could not move forward with anyone in their community having need. They could not move forward with anyone being in a position over or under anyone else due to wealth, status, or class.  

This new relationship and redistribution are what it looked like as people were pulled into the vortex of the Spirit. It was an intensified giving, an intensified belonging, and an intensified loving. This is what loving action practically looked like in these newly formed and forming communities.  

And so, as the wealth gap is only increasing in our world—because those in power want to make it so—we need a radically new way of belonging to one another. We need people who are not okay with the status quo of ongoing economic injustice, exploitation, and inequity, but who are freed from the tyranny of power, prestige, and possessions into a radical belonging and a radical love. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the distractions that impede our understanding of the need of care and compassion in our relationship with people we encounter who may be victims of rash judgement. 

References

Genesis, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/12?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7?1 

Mattingly, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection June 23, 2025. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-june-23-2025 

Meditation on Matthew 7:1-5. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/06/23/1311671/ 

Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?12 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Choosing Common Life. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/choosing-common-life/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). First Take the Log out of Your Own Eye. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 23, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jun23