Discussion Questions

First Reading

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18

F1. In this reading God Promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Will Abraham cling to this promise as he raises the knife to kill his son (Gen 22:9)? Where do you fall on the continuum where blind trust is required of you, (1 being low and 10 high)?
 
F2. God asks Abraham to sacrifice a heifer, she-goat ram, turtledove and pigeon. Do you think God is preparing Abraham to offer the Son Isaac, whom he loves most, as a sacrifice (Gen 22:1ff)? Is God the Father willing to let his own beloved son die to show how far God will go for humankind? In the end do you think Isaac is willing to be sacrificed? Is Jesus willing to give his life (in union with the Father’s willingness to give everything, even his son) to show how much God loves humankind?

Second Reading

Philippians 3:17-4:1 or 3:20-4:1

S1. In his Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Thomas Merton says “There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.” Discuss this idea as it relates to this statement from this reading: “he will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.

S2. Is your mind occupied with earthly things? Who or what helps you in your struggle toward your “citizenship in heaven”?

Gospel

Luke 9:28b-36

G1. In the blinding light did Peter know what he was saying? Think of some times that you have seen the divine, not in a transfiguration, but in the ordinary. Please share your experiences with others.

GPope Francis urges us to reflect on the Transfiguration. What does he say the scars, wrinkles, smiles, tears on the faces of the people who walk beside us reveal to us?

We must see the same beauty on the faces of the people who walk beside us every day, such as family, friends, and colleagues. How many luminous faces, how many smiles, how many wrinkles, how many tears and scars reveal love around us.

Let us learn to recognize them and to fill our hearts with them. And then let us set out in order to bring the light we have received to others as well, through concrete acts of love diving into our daily occupations more generously, loving, serving, and forgiving with greater earnestness and willingness. The contemplation of God’s wonders, the contemplation of God’s face, of the Lord’s face, must move us to the service of others.

Look for the beauty of Jesus' transfiguration in everyday life
Pope Francis, March 5, 2023

Anne Osdieck

**From Saint Louis University