A reading from the book of Genesis (22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18)
It happened some time later that God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ he called. ‘Here I am,’ he replied. God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and there you shall offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall point out to you.’
When they arrived at the place that God had indicated to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ he said. ‘Here I am,’ he replied. He said, ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your own beloved son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.
The angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. ‘I swear by my own self, the Lord declares, that because you have done this, because you have not refused me your own beloved son, I will shower blessings on you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All nations on earth will bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed my command.’
A major feature of the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis is that God repeatedly promises that he and his wife Sarah will have a son. Isaac is eventually born when both parents are elderly (Genesis 21). Naturally Abraham is horrified when he is led to believe that God is asking him to take his son, ‘his only son, Isaac whom he loves’, to be offered as a burnt offering on a mountain God will show him. Abraham, nevertheless, complies and makes the journey to Moriah, the mountain indicated by God, traditionally identified with Mount Sion, on which the Temple would be built. On arrival and, after all the preparations have been made to sacrifice the boy, God intervenes to stop Abraham from killing the child. Abraham’s willingness to obey shows that he truly ‘fears God’, for he has not refused to offer back to God the greatest gift God has given him, the son for Sarah and Abraham so long awaited, the child of the promise. The story concludes with a solemn restatement of the promise by God: Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars and as the sand on the seashore.
Psalm 116 (115) The psalm speaks of the promised ‘land of the living’, held out to Abraham, and fully revealed by Christ.
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (8:31-34)
If God is for us, who can be against us? Since he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for the sake of us all, will he not with him give us everything else? Who can bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies; who can condemn? Jesus Christ who died, or rather was raised up, who is also at the right hand of God and who intercedes for us?
The eighth chapter of the Letter to the Romans is a celebration of salvation in Christ. In a series of rhetorical questions St Paul expresses his amazement at God’s plan for salvation. God did not keep back his own Son, but gave him up for the salvation of the human race. It follows that no-one can condemn those whom God has chosen, and least of all Jesus, who now sits at God’s right hand. To appreciate all this we need a deeper grasp of God’s holiness, God’s justice and God’s love.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Mark (9:2-10)
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own by themselves. In their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, ‘Rabbi,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and from the cloud came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they were coming down from the mountain he instructed them to tell no one what they had seen, except when the Son of man had risen from the dead. And they kept the matter to themselves, though they puzzled what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.
As in the other synoptic gospels Mark positions the story of the transfiguration at the time when Jesus is beginning the fateful journey to Jerusalem, and has spoken about his coming death and resurrection. Mark gives an honest account of the journey of faith of the disciples of Jesus, not concealing their frequent blunders. At the climax of the transfiguration story in all three synoptic gospels Peter blurts out ‘it is wonderful for us to be here.’ Only in Mark does the evangelist underline the gaucheness of this remark by speaking of the fear of the disciples. For Mark Peter ‘did not know what to say; they were so frightened’. The cloud and the divine voice add to the mystery. Mark also honestly reports that the disciples struggled with the idea of ‘rising from the dead’.
How much do the disciples learn from the transfiguration experience?
Pray for those who prefer their own comfort to honestly facing the problems of life.