eye-openers and ear-openers
"Listen to Him." —Mark 9:7
After Pentecost until the end of the Church year, we begin six months of intensive work in evangelizing the world and building God's kingdom. As we enter the third month of working, we may be bogged down. We can blame it on the "summertime blues" or the heat of the day. We often blame other people for our problems; especially we like to blame the Church.
Maybe, however, "the trouble is in our set," that is, on our end, and has nothing to do with the temperature or the season of the year. Maybe we're simply not listening to Jesus. We need to see Jesus transfigured before us and hear a voice saying: "This is My Son, My Beloved. Listen to Him" (Mk 9:7). We need to keep our attention closely fixed on the prophetic message (2 Pt 1:19). We need anything that will open our ears to hear the Lord.
May this feast of the Transfiguration be an eye-opening and especially an ear-opening experience. "Let him who has ears heed the Spirit's word to the churches!" (Rv 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22)
Prayer: Father, may Your voice pierce the darkness and confusion in my life.
Promise: "He received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve Him." —Dn 7:14
Praise: Praise the transfigured Jesus, Who opens our eyes to the glory all around and our ears to the voice of the Father!
Reference: (Give yourself an eye-opening experience by reading the Bible every day. We have several tape series to help you. Overview of the Bible is six audio tapes starting with AV 10A-1 or three video tapes starting with V-10A. 15-minute Bible Teaching - New Testament is forty audio tapes starting with #700. An Introduction to each Book of the Bible is thirty-two audio tapes starting with AV 21-1 or seventeen video tapes starting with V-21.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 11, 2009
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