Introductory Prayer:  Lord, I believe in your love and I trust in your love. I want to love you as you deserve to be loved, because when I was nothing you gave me life, and when I was far from you, you redeemed me. My soul is open for you to speak to me in this prayer.

 

Petition:  Lord, grant me the grace to know you as you are, and to realize what you want me to be. By baptism you have transformed me and called me to be an apostle of your love, but I am weak and I need your grace to be faithful to that call.

 

Gospel: Mk 9: 2-10

 

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

 

1.  Perseverance in Prayer.

 

A prophet is not recognized among his own. If this was true for Jesus all the more he needed to remind the disciples, who lived day in and out with him, of who he was. At times our relationship with Christ can unwittingly slip into this familiarity. Difficult moments arise and, sadly enough, we seek out consolation from people and other sources of comfort before we turn to Christ. Jesus never abandons us yet we sometimes forget he is there. He is not just one more friend along side us: he is Lord and Savior.

 

Why do we allow fear enter our hearts if we believe?  It is because, like the disciples, we really dont know him; or what we know of the Lord is just a glimpse of his fullness. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The disciples experiential leap of faith in Jesus, the Nazarene, to Jesus, the Son of God, is the fruit of grace given in prayer.. Like climbing the mountain, our daily perseverance in prayer brings us closer to experience the presence and power of Christ in my life.

 

2.  Consolation in Prayer.

 

It is good to be here. Peter manifests the joy of beholding the transfigured Christ, fruit of an arduous ascent to the pinnacle of Mt. Tabor. Peter's experience of Christ, though, was not given just to James, John and him alone. Many more saints have since seen and contemplated the face of God; some even in apparent dismal times of persecution or spiritual darkness. Intimacy with Christ is a universal invitation. Christ desires to reveal his divinity to all. The gateway is prayer.

 

Prayer, like ascending a mountain, comes at a high price. Perhaps this is why many times we are reluctant to pray because we know it does not come easy. Like the skilled mountain climber, we need to we need to focus on the pinnacle as we pick our way forward, it makes all the effort worthwhile. When we are resolved to pray and persevere despite the tiredness or dryness, the Father delights in our efforts and sends the Holy Spirit to help us experience the intimacy of Jesus, his son. Nothing can compare with the genuine experience of Christ.

 

3. "They Saw No One with Them Anymore But Only Jesus."

 

The dynamics of prayer are simple. Only God can satisfy the needs of our soul. Our hearts remain restless until they rest in you (St Augustine). The desire for prayer originates in our state as creatures aware of our dependence upon God, our Creator. No one man can call God, Abba (Father), if not by the Holy Spirit. Our prayer is made possible by the divine prompting of the Spirit.  This was the experience of the disciples. They came to Jesus to come and see who he was. Jesus invites them to now go further in this relationship by committing to accompany him up the mountain. There they experienced the marvelous sign and wonder of the Transfiguration. Peter, James and John found great consolation in it. Consolation in prayer is significant, but the true fruit of prayer is an increase in our practical faith in Jesus Christ, shown in the way we live our daily life.

After the awe of being among the greatest prophets and hearing Jesus Sonship and Divinity  proclaimed by the Father, now Peter, James and John find themselves alone with the Lord no longer transfigured, the ordinary, every-day Jesus. They head back down the mountain to their ordinary, every-day life. This is how our prayer should be. Our prayer is not to experience the consolations of God but to experience the God of consolation. When our experience of Christ is genuine in prayer, we get back into our daily life with a renewed sense of his presence, a renewed sense of what he expects of us, and with the strength and will to do it, even when it is difficult and our feelings are adverse.

 

Conversation with Christ: I want to see your face, Lord, and live. For me to live is Christ and therefore I resolve to seek you in prayer. Strengthen me to live your Will today so that the relationship and friendship I have sought in this time of prayer will remain unbroken and even strengthened throughout my day.

 

Questionnaire:  This optional questionnaire is intended to help you evaluate you life in light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you spent with him in prayer.

 

1. How well do I know Christ? Do I have a personal relationship with him, in which I speak with him habitually about my deepest desires and needs?

 

2. To what degree do I seek his consolation in prayer, and do I think my prayer is useless when I cannot feel his presence?  What connection do I see between my prayer and they way I normally behave in my daily life?

 

3. What do I need to do in order to pray better and more sincerely?