Day 77: Have No Fear

I'm Fr. Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and this is the Rosary in the

Year podcast, where through prayer and meditation, the rosary brings us deeper into relationship

with Jesus and Mary and becomes a source of grace for the whole world.

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This is day 77.

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If you haven't already, please consider supporting us at ascensionpress.com forward slash support. For today's Lectio Divina, we'll be praying with the fourth luminous mystery, Matthew chapter 17, verses 1 through 13.
And our focus is going to be these words of Jesus. Rise and have no fear.
And after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them.
And his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him.
And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is well that we are here. If you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.
He was still speaking when, behold, saying, Rise and have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, Tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead. And the disciples asked him, Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?

He replied, Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things,

but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him,

but did to him whatever they pleased.

So also the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.

Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Now let us move to a time of meditatio and engaging of the gospel.
We know that Pope Saint John Paul II referred to the transfiguration as the luminous mystery, the mystery of light par excellence. And we see that specifically here as Jesus is transfigured.
As his face shone like the sun, his garments became white as light. There's this experience of that which is invisible becomes visible.
The glory of Jesus, this light that radiates from the face of Jesus like the sun, that he is the light of the world. He is the light from which all other lights receive their light.
He is the glorious one. He is the son of God.
We also have, of course, we have Moses and Elijah pointing to Jesus himself as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. We have this taking place on the high mountain, a place of theophany.
Again, this is a manifestation of the divinity of Jesus, which during his earthly life is so often it's veiled, right, by his humanity. and then we hear the father again.
We encounter the father speaking to Jesus right at his baptism. And again here at the transfiguration, what does the father say? This is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased.
Listen to him. And notice how at these words, the disciples, Peter, James, and John, they fall on their faces.
Just notice the Lord seeing them now like afraid because of his glory being manifest. Just coming so like tenderly, right? And sweetly and gently and touching them, placing his hand calmly upon perhaps their shoulder or their arm and saying,

rise and have no fear.

And we know part of our understanding is what's happening here is that a grace is also being

offered in the revelation of the divinity, his glory, a grace is being offered to Peter,

James, and John, which is meant to strengthen them

as Jesus soon undergoes his passion.

So we have all of this happening.

And the father really ultimately kind of saying

about Jesus to the disciples and to us,

here's my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.

Listen to him.

Here's the one you have been looking for. Listen to him.
As we continue our meditatio and our Alexia, we're going to focus on verse 7. So we'll read it again.
But Jesus came and touched them saying, rise and have no fear. What I want to really ask us to do is to reflect on our lives of like, where, where do we still experience fear? Where do we experience doubt? And the father here is saying saying like here's the one you are looking for here's the one you're waiting for here's the fulfillment of all your desire there's no good that you're going to be seeking that you cannot find in him do not be afraid jesus comes and says do not be afraid just reflect on your life in those areas again That you're afraid to entrust to Jesus, that you're afraid he won't understand.

I want you to focus on him coming, not just like shoutingly, not forcefully, but gently

and touching you, touching you calmly, softly again on the arm, the shoulder speaking these words rise and have no fear so we're just going to read these words a couple more times and I want you to hear Jesus speaking them to you but Jesus came and touched them to you.

But Jesus came and touched them saying,

rise and have no fear.

Here's Jesus speaking to you, rise and have no fear. Rise and have no fear.
We'll move into our oratio following our template, receive, respond, request, rejoice. What is the good news being offered for us to receive? Jesus, the good news being proclaimed here is Jesus.
Jesus is the one we have been waiting for. Jesus, the fulfillment of all desire.
Jesus, the light. And Jesus is powerful.
He's almighty God. But Jesus also comes to us and touches us gently and says, rise and have no fear.
The good news of the fourth luminous mystery, the transfiguration, is Jesus. So what's our invitation? We move and begin with adoration and praise.
Lord, we just thank you. We praise you.
We bless you for your glory, for your truth, for your light. We thank you, Lord, for fulfilling the law and the prophets.
What we notice here, Lord, we notice how when encountering your glory the disciples are afraid so we also just want to bless you Lord for coming to us again so gently so humbly coming and revealing yourself in a way that we are not afraid to approach you and when we are afraid we thank you Jesus we bless you for coming to us again and inviting us, but speaking this truth to us, that in you and because of you, we need not fear anything. We just bless you, Lord.
We love you, Jesus. We adore you, Lord.
Now we move to our response here. What is our our response to the good news we know perfect love casts out all fear perfect trust casts out all fear lord so let us lord respond like without fear let us give you everything again let us follow you even to the cross and through the crosses of our own lives like like without fear, because of who you are.
Now we're going to request, we're going to ask for the grace to this, Lord, this, may we see only you, Jesus, and your goodness and your care and who you are. And may we receive this grace, Lord, to trust you with everything.
Jesus, where there's fear in our lives that we are not strong enough to remove,

we give you permission to take that

from our hearts and from our lives.

And now we'll end with our rejoicing.

We just thank you, Lord,

for your transfiguration on Mount Tabor.

And we just thank you, Lord, for this grace,

this deeper invitation to trust you totally and fully and completely and now we'll conclude this episode by asking to receive deeply this grace to hear deeply spoken into our minds and our hearts these words of jesus rise and have no fear. As we conclude with our time of contemplatio and praying,

a decade of the Most Holy Rosary.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners sinners now and at the hour of our death amen hail mary full of grace the lord is with thee blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus holy mary mother of god pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee thee blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus holy mary mother of god pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death amen glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy spirit as it was was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. While this concludes our time of doing Lectio Divina together, I'd certainly encourage you to continue in silent prayer with God if you feel called to do so.

Thank you so much for joining me and praying with me here today.

I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

All right, poco poco friends.