MEDITATIO

“Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother” and, taking them up a high mountain apart, he revealed to them the radiance of his glory. For, even if they had understood that God’s majesty dwelt within him, they did not realize that his body, veiling his divinity, shared in God’s power. This is why, only a few days before, our Lord had expressly promised that “some of those here” among his disciples, “will not taste death before they have seen the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom” (Mt 16:28), that is to say in the kingly splendor (…) particularly suited to the human nature he had assumed. (…) This transfiguration had as its first purpose to remove the scandal of the cross from the disciples’ hearts, so that the humiliation of his Passion, voluntarily suffered, would not disturb the faith of those who had witnessed the greatness of his hidden dignity. But, with the same foresight, the transfiguration fixed in Jesus’ Church the hope intended to sustain it so that the members of Christ’s Body might understand what sort of change would one day be brought about also in them. For they were called to share the same glory they had seen shining in their Leader and Head. Our Lord himself had said in this regard, speaking of the majesty of his coming: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father” (Mt 13:43). And the apostle Paul stated the same thing when he said: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us” (Rm 8:18). And elsewhere: “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ you life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:3-4).
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

“I lost myself and was found” The one who walks in the love of God seeks neither gain nor reward, but seeks only to lose with the will all things and self for God: and this loss the lover judges to be a gain. Thus it is, as St. Paul asserts: “For me death is gain” [Phil 1:21], that is, my death for Christ is my gain, spiritually, of all things and of myself. Consequently the soul declares: I was found. The soul that does not know how to lose herself does not find herself but rather loses herself, as Our Lord teaches in the Gospel: “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 16:25). Should we desire to interpret this verse more spiritually and in accord with what we are discussing here, it ought to be known that when a soul treading the spiritual road has reached such a point that she has lost all roads and natural methods in her communion with God, and no longer seeks him by reflections or forms or feelings or by any other way of creatures and the senses, but has advanced beyond them all and beyond all modes and manners, and enjoys communion with God in faith and love, then it is said that God is her gain, because she has certainly lost all that is not God and has truly lost herself.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

Peter was to receive the keys of the Church, even more the keys of heaven. The government of a large number of people was to be entrusted to him. (…) If Peter, with his tendency to severity, had remained without sin, how could he have given evidence of mercy for his disciples? However, according to the design of divine grace he fell into sin such that, after he himself had gained experience of his wretchedness, he might show kindness to others. Now consider well : the one who yielded to sin was Peter himself, chief of apostles, firm foundation, indestructible rock, guide of the Church, impregnable harbor, indestructible tower, who had said to Christ: “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you” (Mt 26:35), he who confessed the truth by a divine revelation: “You are the Christ, Son of the living God.” Now the gospel relates that, on the very night Christ was betrayed (…) a young girl said to Peter: “You, too, were with that man yesterday” and Peter answered: “I do not know the man” (Mt 26:69f.). (…) He, the column, the rampart, evades the suspicions of a woman (…) Jesus looked at him, (…) Peter understood, repented of his sin and began to weep. And at that moment the merciful Lord granted him pardon. (…) Peter fell into sin so that awareness of his error and of the Lord’s forgiveness would lead him to forgive others out of love. Thus he fulfilled a providential design conforming to God’s way of acting. Peter, to whom the Church was to be entrusted, pillar of the churches (Gal 2:9), harbor of faith, who would teach the whole world, shows himself to be weak and a sinner. Indeed, truly, this was so that he might find in his own weakness a motive for exercising his goodness towards others.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team