Matthew 16:21–27

Matthew 16:21–27

²¹ From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.[1]

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St. Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on Matthew notes:

And why does He go to Jerusalem? He mentions the reason. But in that He says, Jerusalem, the first reason is that God’s Temple was there, the place where sacrifices occurred. Now the sacrifices of the Old Law were figures of that sacrifice which was on the altar of the Cross; for that reason, He willed that in the place where the figure was, the truth would appear; “And He hath delivered himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odor of sweetness,” etc., (Eph. 5, 2). Another reason is that the prophets suffered in Jerusalem, as it is written below: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee” (23, 37). He wished, therefore, to suffer there to show that their death was a sign of Christ’s Passion. Likewise, ‘Jerusalem’ means ‘vision of peace’; but the Passion itself was making peace; “Making peace as to the things that are on earth and the things that are in heaven” (Col. 1, 20). Moreover, He wished to suffer there so that by this way there might be to us a way to the spiritual Jerusalem; “But that Jerusalem which is above is free: which is our mother” (Gal. 4, 26)[2]

In response to the news Jesus gives them, Peter returns to form and engages his mouth before engaging his brain. It is easy to critique Peter here, but we might want to pause how shocking this would have been to the disciples. We have the spoiler alert of history and know how this all plays out. From Peter’s perspective, he had just had his suspicions confirmed Jesus was the Messiah. Had just learned that he was going to play a major role himself in Jesus’ mission. Hearing such news, who of us would have calmly taken this in, perhaps pondering the role of the suffering messiah in Isaiah or the other scriptural clues. The Holy Spirit gave him knowledge about Jesus as the messiah, but he needed to let go of his expectations to understand God’s plans. Peter, as the everyman experiences the same as all of us being stripped down of our want and desires to bring them in conformity with God’s will. “On his own, he cannot see the spiritual necessity of Jesus’ Passion for sinners.”[3]

It now seems almost comical at the thought of Peter “rebuking Jesus.” He tries to prudentially use his role as leader by taking Jesus aside and not rebuking him directly among all the other apostles. Peter might have thought of himself being quite prudent in doing this. I can imagine his shock at hearing, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

SATAN The Hebrew word שָׂטָן (satan) means to oppose, obstruct, or accuse. The Greek term (σατάν, satan) literally means “adversary.” In the New Testament, it refers to a title or a name—(the) Satan. The term שָׂטָן (satan) is rendered as diabolos in the Septuagint.[4]

Dr. Brant Pitre comments further on the language used here:

Well notice what Jesus says there. He doesn’t just rename Peter as Satan, he says “get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me.” The Greek word here for hindrance is skandalon. We get the English word scandal from that, so he is saying you are a scandal to me. Now what is interesting about that is that in the original Greek, the word skandalon literally means “a stumbling stone.” A skandalon would be a stone in the path that you trip over when you are walking. So what Jesus is doing here, in a sense, is punning off of the name he just gave Peter. So when Peter was confessing faith in Jesus’ divine sonship he was the rock, he was the Petra ; but now that he is opposed to the passion and death and resurrection of Jesus, he’s become a skandalon a stumbling stone. So he is still a rock, but he’s taken on a different form here.[5]

I like to reflect on the playfulness of the language that Jesus uses and that he will pun.

Brant Pitre remarks on how Jesus uses opportunities to teach:

Most of us, when we think about the story of Peter and Jesus, we end with “get behind me Satan.” We say “look at Jesus, he kind of rebuked Peter because Peter doesn’t understand the cross.” That is not where the story stops in Matthew’s Gospel, because in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus—once again—uses Peter’s mistake as an opportunity to open up a deeper mystery, to teach them something further. And in this case, it is about the mystery of suffering and discipleship.[6]

In the second paragraph of today’s Gospel reading, teaches on what is sometimes called the “cost of discipleship.” He never glosses over what it means to follow him. He does not soften the blow, but teaches what reality will bear out over and over. More importantly, he directs us to our final end, and the glorious plan he has for us. We are not just passing through our earthly life into eternal nothingness. He uses paradoxes to bring us closer to this mystery and to understand what we should prioritize.

I was thinking about the idea of the “cost of discipleship” in contrast to the “cost of non-discipleship.” From experience, I know that my attempts to maximize pleasure and to reduce suffering have had the opposite effect. Trying to avoid suffering, I almost always increased it in the long term. Avoiding conflict, I became more conflicted. Redemptive suffering is such a hard-sell, but it can also be the heart of love as it can focus us on the suffering of others and willing their good.

CCC 440 Jesus accepted Peter’s profession of faith, which acknowledged him to be the Messiah, by announcing the imminent Passion of the Son of Man. He unveiled the authentic content of his messianic kingship both in the transcendent identity of the Son of Man “who came down from heaven,” and in his redemptive mission as the suffering Servant: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Hence the true meaning of his kingship is revealed only when he is raised high on the cross. Only after his Resurrection will Peter be able to proclaim Jesus’ messianic kingship to the People of God: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”[7]

Sources

• St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew
• The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible꞉ The New Testament
• Lexham Bible Dictionary – Verbum
• Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition
• English Standard Version Catholic Edition
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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1. English Standard Version Catholic Edition (2019). Augustine Institute.  ↩
2. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Dolorosa Press  ↩
3. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament  ↩
4. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Lexham Press. (2016)  ↩
5. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time  ↩
6. ibid  ↩
7. Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference.  ↩

Matthew 16:13–20

¹³  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴  And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶  Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷  And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰  Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

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It is very easy to read this passage and think mainly of all the apologetic angles involved defending the Papacy. Especially as this dovetails exactly with the first reading. So much commentary has been written on this both in defense of the Papacy and against it. The commentaries I read mostly concentrated on this aspect, and for good reason, as this is a very rich vein for this purpose.

From my non-scholarly view, I also see a resurgence in the scholarly work being done on this topic. I think of Erick Ybarra tome, “The Papacy: Revisiting the Debate Between Catholics and Orthodox.” The amazing work Suan Sunna has presented on this topic and its Old Testament foundations. Along with William Albrecht and Father Kappes book “The Complete Guide to the Papacy in the Holy Bible.” This is not an area subsisting on just long fleshed out apologetic answers.

It seems to me here that Jesus is engaging in a mode of teaching, both asking a question and using the location of Caesarea Philippi. A question that does not even demand their opinion, but what other people had said about him. It is often so much easier to repeat other people’s opinion instead of doing the hard-thinking involved in revealing your own. You can be much more speculative and not reveal your preference. We not only want to have the right answer, but the approved answer.

After drawing these opinions out of them, Jesus then asks the very specific, “But who do you say that I am?”

The apostles may have talked about how Jesus didn’t fit their expectations of the Messiah and what this meant. The usual impetuous Peter jumps in with a reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This seems so unlike Peter that he blurts something out and gets it right in one take.

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

I wonder what Peter’s reply would have been without this revelation to him? Yet, it truly becomes his answer as he assents to it. He is being praised here by Jesus for not only his reply, but his intellectual assent and being docile to the Holy Spirit. Yet, in a passage that comes after this Gospel passage, Peter reverts to his own understanding when he denies Jesus will suffer and be killed.

I can easily reflect on the number of times in reaction my first thoughts would be a hot take. Instead of being open to God’s revelation, I express less honest and charitable thoughts. It is so audacious to turn and rebuke Jesus for what he reveals as part of his plan. It seems less audacious when I do the same.

I also think of the transformation of Peter, which I think of as PPP¹ and PPP², that is Pre-Pentecost-Peter and Post-Pentecost Peter. There is such a palpable difference, although I am tempted to pun with a papabile difference. While there is a unique charism associated with the Papacy, we are all called to transformation in Christ.

• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Suggested Resources

• The Papacy: Revisiting the Debate Between Catholics and Orthodox – St. Paul Center
• The Complete Guide to the Papacy in the Holy Bible: Kappes, Christiaan, Albrecht, William: 9798367000207: Amazon.com: Books
• Jesus, Peter & the Keys: A Scriptural Handbook on the Papacy: Butler, Scott, Dahlgren, Norman, Hess, David: 9781882972548: Amazon.com: Books
• Intellectual Catholicism – YouTube – Suan Sonna

Matthew 15:21–28

21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

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This event occurs after Jesus and the apostles, by boat, reached Gennesaret on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. They had a run-in with the Pharisees and scribes who had come from Jerusalem to question him. He exposes their hypocrisy. The first line in this passage states, “And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.” This sets up an interesting contrast between the Pharisees and scribes compared to the faith of a Canaanite woman.

Via Brant Pitre’s commentary on Catholic Productions:

She’s coming to Jesus and begging him for mercy, and using the title, the royal title, “Son of David” when she is addressing him. Honoring him, in a sense, as King, as Messiah, as the ruler of the people of Israel—which is a lot more than Jesus got from some of his contemporaries living in the holy land. Many of them rejected him, but this Canaanite woman recognizes him. Also, I might just note here, that the expression “have mercy on me, Lord” — _eleēson me, kyrie_ in the Greek—is where we get _Kyrie Eleison_ from in the Mass.[1]

I wonder about the stories this woman must have heard about Jesus that invoked such faith. She accepted more than that he was a miracle worker. When ignored and then challenged by Jesus, her faith increased and saw beyond the insult and entered into the playful way Jesus was speaking to her.

Peter Kreeft has some excellent nuggets of insight regarding her action and Jesus’ response.

He was deliberately insulting her, implicitly calling her a dog, to test her faith. And she responded by refuting his argument from analogy. She used his own analogy against him. She said, in effect, “I humbly accept your premise: we Gentiles are like dogs and you Jews are God’s chosen children. But that premise proves my conclusion, not yours, for even dogs eat scraps from their master’s table, if their master is a loving master, as you are. Therefore, please, for the love of my daughter, heal her.” Sometimes a teacher deliberately says something refutable and answerable, something that opens a pathway for his student to answer him and refute him, hoping that the student will see it and take that path. And Jesus’ hope is rewarded.[2]

Her growing faith and especially her humility shine through in how she responds to being tested. I especially enjoy this insight from Dr. Peter Kreeft:

Jesus thus, at one stroke, gave everyone involved what they most needed: the woman, her daughter, the demon, his disciples, and the world, which includes all of us who read this Scripture, down through the long corridors of time. The woman needed his miracle to satisfy her love for her daughter, and she also needed her faith to be tested and strengthened. Her daughter needed the exorcism. The demon needed to go home to hell where he belonged. The disciples needed a lesson in broadness and humility versus narrowness and pride. And the world needed to see Jesus’ love and wisdom and power, the three attributes of God that most clearly manifest his divinity.[3]

This dovetails nicely with St. John Chrysostom writes:

This was the cause why Christ was so backward, that He knew what she would say, and would not have her so great excellence hid; whence it follows, _Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee according to thy will. Observe how the woman herself had contributed not a little to her daughter’s healing and therefore Christ said not unto her, ‘Let thy daughter be healed,’ but, _Be it unto thee according to thy will; that you may perceive that she had spoken in sincerity, and that her words were not words of flattery, but of abundant faith. And this word of Christ is like that word which said, _Let there be a firmament_ (Gen. 1:6.) and it was made; so here, _And her daughter was made whole from that hour_. Observe how she obtains what the Apostles could not obtain for her; so great a thing is the earnestness of prayer. He would rather that we should pray for our own offences ourselves, than that others should pray for us.[4]

From the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture:

Much can be learned by reflecting on the words and actions of the Canaanite woman. Among other things, she is a model for effective prayer. First, notice that she comes to the Savior with _faith. She never questions whether Jesus is able to deliver her daughter from the demon. She simply trusts in the divine authority of Jesus, three times calling him “Lord.” Second, she shows _perseverance_ in asking for Jesus’ help. Neither his initial silence nor his attempt to decline the request lessened her tenacity in pursuing his assistance. She persisted until she attained what she sought. Third, the woman displays admirable _humility. One might expect her to take offense at the comparison between non-Jews and house pets. But the reaction of the woman gives no indication that her pride has suffered any injury. Instead of being put off by the comment, she accepts that she has no claim on the God of Israel or his Messiah. The episode thus presents us with dispositions essential to petitionary prayer. If we approach the Lord Jesus as the Canaanite woman did, we too can hope for his favorable response: “Let it be done for you as you wish.”[5]

There is some question as to the level of insult dogs was meant to be. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible notes:

Literally, “little dogs” or “puppies”.

Strongs concordance’s notes the same thing about the Greek involved. _kynárion_ – properly, puppy, a diminutive of 2965 /kýōn(“dog”). While Jesus would not have been using Greek here, the Greek might as a translation point to Jesus’ playfulness here.

An important point that John Bergsma makes:

So, in the case of this Sunday’s Gospel, we need to understand Jesus’s actions as tailored to the faith of this woman. He sees that she has faith—he puts her faith to the test to elicit more faith. Untested faith is no faith at all.[6]

This Gospel passage ends with Jesus replying, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” This is another example of how Jesus replies to faith. Specifically, marveling at the faith of a gentile such as with the Centurion at Capernaum.

Sources

• Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A
• Catena Aurea Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers, Volume 1 St. Matthew – Verbum
• The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)
• Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
• The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A – John Bergsma
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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1. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time↩︎
2. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time↩︎
3. ibid↩︎
4. S. John Chrysostom, Abp. of Constantinople, A.D. 398. _Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels_↩︎
5. The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Edward Sri and Curtis Mitch↩︎
6. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time↩︎

Matthew 14:22–33

²²  Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³  And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴  but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵  And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶  But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 

²⁸  And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹  He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” ³¹  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”^[1]

Jesus’s walking on water is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and in John. In these three cases, time cues point to this happening after the feeding of the 5,000 and the miracle of the loaves and fishes. They also showed it in these three Gospels that Jesus sends the Apostles on their way as he goes to the mountain to pray and is likely to separate himself from those who want to make him king immediately. In the first reading, we also have Elijah go up on a mountain to pray and he also will hear God’s voice in the weather’s turmoil.

Peter Kreeft notes:

Jesus loved company. Even when he was exhausted, he ministered to the crowds that followed him. But he also needed and sought solitude, as he did at the beginning of our story in today’s Gospel, when he went up a mountain to pray in the middle of the night. We need both human company and solitude, and there is something spiritually and psychologically wrong with us if we do not love and seek out both. They enrich each other: if we have no solitude, no inner life, we have nothing precious or powerful to share with others; and if we shun company with others, we can have no healthy company with God, for “whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).^[2]

St. Thomas Aquinas really dives into the mystical aspects relating Jesus going up the mountain to pray and the danger what Apostles faced on the Sea of Galilea, where there were often such storms.

Afterwards, the danger from the time is described, for it was night, and there is greater danger from the sea at night; for that reason, he says: And when it was evening. And His Passion is signified, because in the Passion He ascended alone; “While they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1, 9). But the boat in the midst of the sea was tossed with the waves. By the boat, the Church is signified; and by the sea, the world is signified; “So is this great sea, which stretcheth wide its arms” (Ps. 103, 25). And this Church, when Christ went into it, remained in the sea, and in the world’s dangers. For when some great man attacks the Church, then it is agitated by the waves. “All thy waves thou hast brought in upon me” (Ps. 87, 8). But because Christ prays, it cannot be submerged, even though it toss and be lifted up. “The waters lifted up the ark on high from the earth” (Gen. 7, 17). Likewise, it is agitated by the wind: and this wind is an assault instigated by the devil. “Because a wind came on a sudden from the side of the desert, and shook the four corners of the house” (Job 1, 19); “The blast of the mighty is like a whirlwind beating against a wall” (Is. 25, 4).^[3]

St. John Chrysostom:

It should be observed, that when the Lord works a great miracle, He sends the multitudes away, teaching us thereby never to pursue the praise of the multitude, nor to attract them to us. Further, He teaches us that we should not be ever mixed with crowds, nor yet always shunning them; but that both may be done with profit; whence it follows, And when he had sent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray; shewing us that solitude is good, when we have need to pray to God. For this also He goes into the desert, and there spends the night in prayer, to teach us that for prayer we should seek stillness both in time and place.^[4]

After Jesus prays, he walks on the water. At this point, the disciples are about 4 miles from the shore as the translation of the Gospel of John reports. In Mark we get the tantalizing detail that Jesus had meant to walk past them.

Jimmy Akin speculates concerning this detail:

Mark records that “he meant to pass by them,” perhaps intending to arrive ahead of time and playfully surprise them when they disembarked (a similar element of playfulness is indicated in his appearance on the road to Emmaus; see Luke 24:28–31). His plan changes, though, because “when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were terrified.” It appears that they do not recognize him the darkness, because he immediately assures them, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”^[5]

Only in Matthew do we learn of the typical Peter response. A mixture of docility to the Holy Spirit to act and an awkwardness focusing on self and consequences. It really took some chutzpah for him to attempt to walk out towards Jesus. Yet he does not just strike out on his own, he asks Jesus first. None of the other apostles were seemingly tempted by such an impetuous act.

John Bergsma, in his commentary on this passage:

As soon as Peter cries out, Jesus “immediately” (Greek eutheos) reaches out his hand and catches him, suggesting an attentive solicitude for the Apostle’s welfare. The Lord doesn’t sit back and let Peter flounder around in the water awhile to teach him a lesson. Even the rebuke, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” we may understand that Jesus said with gentleness, from one who knows the weakness of our condition.^[6]

How often do we, in trusting God, start to sink in our doubts? Shift the emphasis from what God can do with us to our own will and human possibilities. The plethora of “Fear nots” we get from Jesus are lost as the wind and waves of life make contact.

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen has a section in his book “Life of Christ” on why Peter began to sink, that includes this:

The deliverance was first; then the gentle rebuke; and that probably with a smile on His face and love in His voice. But this was not the only time that poor Peter would doubt the Master Whom he loved so well. He who then asked to walk upon the waters in order to come quickly to the Lord was the one who would later swear that he was ready to go to prison and even to death for Him. Courageous in the boat but timid in the waters, he would later on be bold at the Last Supper, but cowardly the night of the trial. The scene at the lake was a rehearsal for another fall of Peter.

I find it interesting that it is only after Jesus calms the wind that those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” The recent miracle of the Loaves and Fishes had certainly got them thinking more deeply on who Jesus is. His walking on water would add to this. It was the apostles familiarity with scripture which taught them that only God had control over the wind and the waves. Water was associated with death both mystically and in their daily lives as fisherman. Also, “This is the first of three declarations of Jesus’ divine sonship in Matthew (also 16:16 and 27:54).”^[7]

Sources

• English Standard Version Catholic Edition
• Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A
• St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew
• Jimmy Akin’s Studies on Mark (3 vols.) – Verbum
• The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A – John Bergsma
• The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)
• Catena Aurea Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers, Volume 1 St. Matthew – Verbum
• Life of Christ
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

1. English Standard Version Catholic Edition (2019). Augustine Institute.  ↩
2. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time  ↩
3. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Dolorosa Press  ↩
4. St. John Chrysostom, Abp. of Constantinople, A.D. 398. Thomas Aquinas. Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels.  ↩
5. Jimmy Akin. (2014). Mark, A Commentary  ↩
6. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time  ↩
7. The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Edward Sri and Curtis Mitch  ↩

In today’s First Reading, this section from Numbers struck me, starting with 13:31.

³¹ Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” ³²  So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.

Especially, that they intentionally delivered a bad report. Initially, what I considered was people who talk as if the Catholic faith is too stringent. It is difficult to live the virtues required daily. That this call for perfection is an ideal, but not something to live out. The call to perfection in Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer is just hyperbole and not an actual goal. They deliver a false report since they believe that resisting such temptations is not possible and that they are just too strong to overcome. Taking such advice would also make it difficult for us to enter the Promised Land. Those that present this false report, it seems to me, would see this as acting pastoral according to their lived experience.

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” —G.K. Chesterton, “What’s Wrong with the World”

There is a clear lack of faith in God’s ability to enter our lives and change us, despite how slowly it seems on our timescale. While true, we will often fail in pursuing a life of holiness, the saints show us that this is not unobtainable. We need to be encouraged and not presented with false reports exaggerating the danger.

The second aspect I thought about is just how often I also exaggerate the difficulty and present myself with a false report. Pursuing what seems to be more pleasurable over seeking union with God. All those shortcuts instead of seeking God first. Those disappointments in myself that I think I will overcome. The truth is that I will never overcome them by my own will.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Php 1:6)

Matthew 17:1–9

¹⁷ And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. ³ And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁵ 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.” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” ⁸ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

⁹ 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.”[1]

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This passage references that this event occurred eight days after the previous passage in In Matthew 15:28 “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”, the parallel passage shows six days. This discrepancy is something some Church Fathers reconcile, but what is important here is how the promise about some of them seeing the kingdom of God is unlocked. Peter, John, and James saw this revealed in the Transfiguration. Each of the Synoptic Gospels provides this time cue to help us connect the dots.

From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew:

But why is it stated here, After six days, and in Luke (9, 28) it is stated, “After eight days”? It is apparent that Luke numbers the day on which He spoke these words, and also the day of the transfiguration; but Matthew numbers only the intermediate days; for that reason, when the first and the last days have been subtracted, there remain but six days. By six days are signified the six Ages, after which we hope to arrive at the glory to come. Likewise, in six days, the Lord finished His works; and so, the Lord chose to show Himself after six days, because, unless we are raised up to God above all the creatures that the Lord created, we cannot reach the kingdom of God.[2]

There is a lot to digest regarding trying to understand the transfiguration at just the surface layer and, more so, the spiritual depths.

Dr. John Bergsma gives a tight summary of how the Fathers viewed this:

As the Fathers long recognized, the Transfiguration is a foretaste or glimpse of the glory of Christ in his resurrected state. The sight of his glory is given to Peter, James, and John to encourage them to persevere through the difficult times that lay in front of them before they witness Christ’s Resurrection. For us now hearing this Gospel proclaimed at Mass, it is meant to encourage us to persevere not only in Lenten mortification and asceticism until we sacramentally experience Christ’s triumph at Easter, but more broadly in embracing the sufferings of the Christian life until our lowly bodies become like his glorious body (Phil 3:21).[3]

One question I have heard asked multiple times is how did Peter, James, and John know this was Moses and Elijah? My guess would be that Elijah’s clothing and appearance was rather well-known, which is why they recognized John the Baptist as coming in the manner of Elijah. I would also surmise that once they recognized Elijah, it would not take too much effort for them to determine the other figure was Moses. The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture points out “both figures were associated with Jewish eschatological hopes, for the Old Testament proclaimed the return of Elijah (Mal 3:23–25) and the coming of a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15–19).”[4] These were two important and dominant figures in salvation history and expected their return in some manner.

There is also a good deal of speculation regarding why Jesus revealed this to Peter, James, and John only? That only they were led up the mountain and witness this overshadowing by the cloud of God’s glory, this theophany. There are many possibilities here regarding God’s wisdom in doing this. Still, we can scratch the surface with some conjecture. For example, I like this take from St. Thomas Aquinas, “And why did He take only three disciples? It was to signify that no one can reach God’s kingdom except in the faith of the Trinity.”[5]

Turning to a Doctor of the Church, St. John of Damascus:

Matthew and Mark indeed say that the transfiguration took place on the sixth day after the promise made to the disciples, but Luke on the eighth. But there is no disagreement in these testimonies, but they who make the number six, taking off a day at each end, that is, the first and the last, the day on which He makes the promise, and that on which He fulfilled it, have reckoned only the intervening ones, but He who makes the number eight, has counted in each of the two days above mentioned. But why were not all called, but only some, to behold the sight? There was only one indeed who was unworthy to see the divinity, namely Judas, according to the word of Isaiah, Let the wicked be taken away, that he should not behold the glory of God. (Isai. 26:10 LXX.) If then he alone had been sent away, he might have, as it were from envy, been provoked to greater wickedness. Henceforward He takes away from the traitor every pretext for his treachery, seeing that He left below the rest of the company of the Apostles. But He took with Him three, that in the mouths of two or three witnesses every word should be established. He took Peter, indeed, because He wished to shew him that the witness he had borne to Him was confirmed by the witness of the Father, and that he was as it were to preside over the whole Church. He took with Him James, who was to be the first of all the disciples to die for Christ; but He took John as the clearest singer of the sacred doctrine, that having seen the glory of the Son, which submits not to time, he might sound forth, In the beginning was the Word. (John 1:1.) [6]

There are other intriguing reasons that display the depth of parallelism that the Holy Spirit breathes into sacred scripture.

Dr. Brant Pitre brings up this example:

but he brings up Peter and then James and John who were also brothers just like Nadab and Abihu. Why does he bring these three up? Because he’s preparing them for an experience like Moses had. When Moses went up the mountain to meet God, he brought Aaron, Nadab and Abihu; Jesus brings Peter, James and John up the mountain for the same reason.[7]

Jesus is transfigured in his glory “and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light,” Peter has his typical reaction of engaging tongue before engaging his brain. As Mark 9:6 says regarding Peter’s reaction, “For he did not know what to say.” This is a lesson for all of us. How often when we have a partial glimpse of God’s glory and his action in our life that our first response is not well-considered? I can certainly think of all of my superficial responses when I have encountered this in my life. We have a tendency to want to condense mystery into a soundbite. To transform it into bullet points, we could present. It is good for us to draw this in and to make sense of it. To make initial conclusions, but to take the time to realize how little of the picture we see and instead to draw this out in contemplation in awe and wonder. Sometimes in the face of recognizing God’s glory, our proper response is to do as these apostles did, “they fell on their faces and were terrified.” It is an act of love and humility to be overwhelmed by God’s glory, we were made for his glory, to recognize our own sinfulness, and how much we want to please God by repenting of this.

One benefit of the Lenten season is taking stock of the barnacles and accretions we have accumulated and allowed to take hold on us. To fall on our face so that ultimately we can see the face of God. That terror at our own sins is rectified when we do as God the Father says here regarding to Jesus, “listen to him.” Jesus approaches the apostles who have prostrated themselves by saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” We properly pursued holiness with humility along with the recognition that Jesus has called us to sonship, that he has called us friends. We should be filled with gratitude and thankfulness for what he has done in our lives and the grace he is giving us to be more like him. As St. Paul writes, “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)”

“And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”

This event was overwhelming for Peter, James, and John. Seeing Jesus transfigured along with the appearances of Moses and Elijah would have been pointing them to fulfillment of the Kingdom of God and all the eschatological aspects this entailed. Was all this culminating in the end of the world? We all see signs in the ages in which we live. What do all these world events portend? Jesus lifts these fears when we fix our eyes on him and see “Jesus only.”

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:[8]

555 For a moment Jesus discloses his divine glory, confirming Peter’s confession. He also reveals that he will have to go by the way of the cross at Jerusalem in order to “enter into his glory.”[9] Moses and Elijah had seen God’s glory on the Mountain; the Law and the Prophets had announced the Messiah’s sufferings.[10] Christ’s Passion is the will of the Father: the Son acts as God’s servant;[11] the cloud indicates the presence of the Holy Spirit. “The whole Trinity appeared: the Father in the voice; the Son in the man; the Spirit in the shining cloud.”[12] (2576, 2583; 257)

You were transfigured on the mountain, and your disciples, as much as they were capable of it, beheld your glory, O Christ our God, so that when they should see you crucified they would understand that your Passion was voluntary, and proclaim to the world that you truly are the splendor of the Father. [13]

One final thought regarding the transfiguration brought out by the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture.

The transfiguration scene serves as “a twin of sorts” to the execution narrative in 27:32–54. Davies and Allison beautifully note the parallels. “In the one, a private epiphany, an exalted Jesus, with garments glistening, stands on a high mountain and is flanked by two religious giants from the past. All is light. In the other, a public spectacle, a humiliated Jesus, whose clothes have been torn from him and divided, is lifted upon a cross and flanked by two common, convicted criminals. All is darkness. We have here a pictorial antithetical parallelism, a diptych in which the two plates have similar lines but different colors.” The parallel scenes highlight the horror of Good Friday and the splendor of Jesus’ love for us. It is no ordinary man that will be crucified on Calvary, but the beloved Son of God revealed in glory at the transfiguration. This same glorified Son will freely submit himself to utter humiliation in order to redeem the human family (see Phil 2:5–11).[14]

Sources

• St. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew
• The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A – John Bergsma
• The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)
• Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers, Volume 3: St. Luke – Verbum
• Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition
• English Standard Version Catholic Edition
• Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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1. English Standard Version Catholic Edition (2019). Augustine Institute.  ↩
2. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Dolorosa Press  ↩
3. The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma, 2nd Sunday of Lent, Year A  ↩
4. The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Edward Sri and Curtis Mitch  ↩
5. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, Dolorosa Press  ↩
6. Catena Aurea: Commentary on the Four Gospels, Collected out of the Works of the Fathers: St. Luke, St. John Damascene, Presbyter of Damascus, A.D. 730 (Orat. de Trans fig. §. 8.)  ↩
7. Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, 2nd Sunday in Lent (Year A)  ↩
8. Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference.  ↩
9. Lk 24:26.  ↩
10. Cf. Lk 24:27.  ↩
11. St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 45, 4, ad 2.  ↩
12. Byzantine Liturgy, Feast of the Transfiguration, Kontakion.  ↩
13. Cf. Isa 42:1.  ↩
14. The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Edward Sri and Curtis Mitch  ↩