The Gospel for this Sunday is Luke 9:28b–36
1. The New and the Old Testament
Only when we read the New Testament in the light of the Old Testament do we understand Jesus. St. Augustine aptly indicated that “the New Testament is hidden in the Old, while the Old finds its explanation in the New.”
Today's Gospel is an example of this.
2. Keywords
Jesus went up the mountain to pray.
God prays. This is an amazing example of Jesus praying before major events, such as choosing the apostles, the Passion, and on Mount Tabor. Furthermore, Jesus prays at the beginning of every day. Often the gospels tell us that Jesus went out in the morning to pray, thus starting his day with prayer. Since God himself prayed, there is no better motivation for us.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote: “Prayer was a central act of the person of Jesus, [moreover] this person constituted himself in an act of constant communion with the One whom Jesus calls ‘Father.’ (...) he who prays begins to see.”
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Moses symbolizes the Torah, the Law of Moses. Elijah, on the other hand, is the Prophet. The revelation on Mount Tabor was a confirmation that the Law and the Prophets foretold that Jesus was the awaited Messiah.
The Hebrew Bible is divided into three sections: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. As a rule, passages from these three parts were read every Sabbath. So, the event on Mount Tabor strengthens the faith of the apostles and our belief that the predictions of the Old Testament are being fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
God the Father spoke similar words at Jesus’ baptism. He says them to us as well, so that we put our trust in Jesus. He will help us most and give us the best advice. Prayer is a special time and place for His action.
3. Today
Prayer is a conversation with God. This was very aptly expressed by the Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel, who wrote: “Prayer is not about prayer. Prayer is about God.”
