Just like Peter, James, and John descended from the mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration of Jesus, so too do we move from spiritual mountaintops to the tough stuff of life.
Sometimes it's frustratingly just moments after Mass, Confession, or the peacefulness of prayer that we find ourselves feeling at the end of our rope with family, friends, co-workers, or fellow motorists.
By the way, as predicted, not everyone was driving the speed limit this week on my way to Sunday Mass. Further evidence that even with negative consequences, like paying high gas prices, we can still drift from doing what is best for us and others.
It's why we need to hear the prophet Daniel's confession so that we can remember and reflect. Like Daniel, we draw hope from remembering God's faithfulness as we reflect on whether we have been faithful to following his commandments.
As I read and reflected on this first reading, the word I was drawn to was "shamefaced." If you've seen a child who knows that they've done something wrong, they personify this expression. They look embarrassed; their eyes look downward and sad. The older we get usually, the better we're at hiding this true reflection of our souls. But, no matter how good we are at hiding the state of our lives, especially our inner lives, it doesn't change our need to seek forgiveness from God and those we've wronged.
Having listened to a lot of country music, as I thought about the word "shamefaced," I thought of Garth Brooks's song called "Shameless."
It's a love song, where the singer professes his love and says, "You know it should be easy for a man who's strong--To say he's sorry or admit when he's wrong---I've never lost anything I've ever missed
But I've never been in love like this."
In those words, we can relate to the times when we need God's grace to admit when we're wrong and say that we're sorry for our sins. And, like Daniel, it's the love and fear of loss of our relationships with God and our family and friends that move us toward honest talk and actions. Actions that include being merciful and giving as God is to us.
Garth Brook's song ends with the words, "Well, I'm shameless, I'll do anything you want me to, I'll do anything at all." If our hearts, lips, and actions can follow this total giving of ourselves to God, we will rise above the traps of sin-- toward Jesus, helping others, especially our family members, to be unabashed, to be shameless in loving God and each other.
May God bless you and your families this holy day, and may we be shameless in our love for God and each other!
