THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Second Sunday in Lent 16 March 2014

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friend,

In the Gospel today, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His ultimate Sacrifice. They are still inundated with the ways of the material world, and not the spiritual ways of God. The chosen apostles witness the Divinity of Jesus Christ that has remained hidden within Him for so many years. He has shown them His true and glorious Self. For a brief moment these apostles find themselves glimpsing into Heaven while still here on earth. 

There is a stark contrast between the glory of Jesus at this moment and the death of our Savior that was soon to take place. This revelation was given so that they would understand that no one was to take the life of Jesus — He laid down His life freely and willingly, and just as freely took it up again. As God He has power not only of the spiritual, but also of the material world. The material life or worldly life is not worthy to be compared to the spiritual or heavenly life. This sharp contrast between the two worlds is brought forcefully and clearly before the eyes of the apostles. There is no reason for them to fear or doubt that Jesus is God and Man. 

There is also another transformation that takes place at this moment. The apostles were likewise being instructed in the fact that the Old Law of Moses was fulfilled and was completed. The New Law of Christ has taken its place. The Voice of the Father instructed the apostles to hear Jesus. It was not the law of Moses, nor was it the prophets that they were hear, but rather the words of Jesus — the beloved Son of the Father. 

All of those who remained attached to the law of Moses or the prophets, remained so only in appearance. The true followers of Moses and the prophets recognized that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and prophesies. They saw clearly that all pointed to Him and they listened to Him and believed and were baptized. Those that refused to follow Jesus and to become Catholic have failed to follow the Law or the prophets. Their clinging to the Old Testament, is a sure sign that they never really followed it at all. 

Today, many confuse the Torah and the Talmud. The Torah is the Old Testament (inspired by God) that prepared the way and pointed the way to Jesus Christ. The Talmud is a compilation of the many works of man in reinterpreting and adapting the Torah to the modern Judaism. Modern Judaism bears little resemblance to the Old Testament because of the Talmud. It is not the religion of the Israelites. The true religion of the twelve tribes of Israel had a priesthood and sacrifice and prepared the way for Jesus. What is called Judaism today does not have a priesthood or sacrifice. It is materialistic and worldly as opposed to spiritual. 

This Transfiguration was a turning point in history. Moses and Elias here bore witness to the fulfillment of their works in Jesus Christ. The Father in Heaven confirmed this with His Voice from Heaven when He said that Jesus is His Son and we are to hear Him. 

We are to take home the understanding that Jesus is both God and Man. We are to believe clearly that He is the fulfillment of all that was foretold in the Old Testament; and that Jesus begins a new chapter in history. The bloody sacrifices of the animals in the Old Testament has been replaced with the un-bloody sacrifice of Jesus in the Mass. The priesthood of the Old Testament has died out and now God has instituted a new Priesthood that is to continue to the end of time. 

We are to understand that this material world is not all that there is. There is a spiritual world that is above and far better than the material world that we now experience. If we will believe Jesus we will value this present life as the means to gain the spiritual life. The loss of this life is the gain of the next one which is infinitely better. It is this thought that has led all the saints who have gone before us to turn their backs upon this material world so that they may look forward to the spiritual one. 

It is now our turn. We are called upon to recognize that Jesus is God, Our Lord, and Savior. He has called us not to the life of the Old Testament or of the man-made religions of the Talmudists or the Protestants, but rather to the life of grace in the One, Holy and Catholic Church. This life of grace demands that we value the spiritual life above the material one; and are ready, willing, and able to sacrifice the lesser for the greater.