Extending The Message

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#WhatIheardSunday
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INTO THE WILDERNESS - LENT 2021
Life is full of surprises. Around every corner, in every part of life, experiences of wonder await us. We only need to open ourselves for the possibility of the different, the unexpected. But the rote and routine of life dull our sense of awe. We become too familiar, take people for granted, make too many assumptions.

The disciples lived with Jesus throughout his ministry in Galilee. Even the closest of Jesus' friends walked with him as he made his way to Jerusalem blinded by their daily routines. They thought they knew Jesus. They thought they knew what to expect. Were they in for a shock! What do you do when God tells you something you don’t want to hear?

The gospel scene is full of biblical images. The disciples are brought by Jesus up a solitary mountain. Mountains are traditionally places where God is to be found. Moses delivered God’s Law from the summit of Mount Sinai. Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount from a mountain. There was also Mount Carmel linked with the prophet Elijah and the mountain in today’s First Reading where Abraham took his son Isaac to be sacrificed.

Peter is totally overcome by what he realizes is a uniquely privileged experience, “Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here!” In our journey of life we have peak moments, when the ground is holy. Like Peter, we want them to last forever. But Jesus, brings us down the mountain and prepares us for the hard times ahead, living on the memory of brief transfigurations.

It is important for us to share our faith stories with one another. Sometimes we need to share our stories for ourselves. We need to hear ourselves and we need others to validate our experiences of God. Other times though, others may need to hear our experiences to see God from a different perspective or catch a different image of God. What a gift it is to share our experiences and images of who God is. It can only help in our understanding of the mystery that is the Divine.

The message of this gospel is clear. To see, we need to look. To hear, we need to listen. To experience, we need to open our minds and hearts to the possibility of God's voice. Look at the Son. Listen to his words. Open your mind and heart to his presence. We don't need to be on the top of a mountain to experience God's fullness. Just shake off rote and routine. And he will be there.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Adults: Have you ever experienced the Awe of God or mountain-top experience? Describe it
- Kids: What experience stopped you and caught your attention?
#GettingReadyforNextSunday....

A Time for faith.....

Wilderness time is a time of complete dependence on God. This is such an important part of the wilderness experience. When the people of God were in the Sinai wilderness, God gave them what they needed. God gives us what we need in the wilderness. When our strength, our emotional resources, and other sources of what we need are at an end, then we learn to be dependent on God.
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Extending The Message

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More Reflection on the Sunday Readings