The look of love:
From the Father to his sons and daughters

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Fr. Randy J. Timmerman

A young woman dies of cancer. On the night of her funeral and burial, her husband invites their six-year-old son into bed with him.

While the two are lying in bed, the little boy asks, "Who will be at the house when I come home from school? Who will be there to get me to school in the morning?"

The father is unable to provide any answer of merit. He responds, "It will work out; we can get through this together. Let's get some sleep," and turns off the light.

Feast of the Transfiguration (Sunday, Aug. 6, 2006) Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9 2 Pt 1:16-19 Mk 9:2-10

After several minutes of lonely silence, the boy asks, "Dad, is your face turned toward me?" "Yes, it is," the father replies, "why do you ask?" The son responds, "Good, as long as I know your face is turned toward me, it will be all right."

The child knows the truth of faith. As long as we are aware of the love of the Father, and that, in fact, the Father's face is turned towards us, we are transformed by his truth: It will be all right.

The Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to be like the disciples and to notice Jesus differently in our lives. The disciples are changed by what they see and hear. Not only do they see that Jesus' clothes became dazzling white, but they also hear the voice proclaim, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

"This is my beloved Son" was the same teaching heard at the baptism of Jesus and thus it is the same voice proclaimed by the Father on the day of our baptism in Christ.

Through baptism we are claimed as beloved sons and daughters of the Father. Thus, to remember the truth of who I am in Christ is to receive the look of the Father's love for me.

When I remember this look of love, I begin to live from that place. It is this look of love that beckons me toward him, especially when I find myself believing the half truth of the evil one. The evil one tempts me to actually believe that I am loved because of what I do, because of what I have, or the great lie that I am what others say about me.

Reflection questions • Recall the prayer mantra of receiving the look of the Father's love for you, especially in times of trouble, loneliness, or times of anger. • In which area of your life, with a family member, friend, stranger, or one whom you hold a grudge against, are you being called to extend the look of love? How will you concretely extend that look (through prayer, a kind word, an apology, or a note) and allow yourself to be transfigured?

The Feast of the Transfiguration beckons us to receive the manifestation of the Father's look of love revealed in Jesus. From this place of manifestation we are invited to experience a transformation into Christ (as little Christians by virtue of baptism). This transformation leads to a proclamation in the manner in which our lives attest to the truth that we are one with the Father.

The Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to live from the truth of the Father's intense personal love for us and his deep yearning to love us more and more. And like the boy who just lost his mother, it is in the particular moments of loneliness, emptiness, and sadness that we receive the look of love from the Father.

Fr. Randy J. Timmerman is pastor of St. Paul University Catholic Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Through the desert:
God fills the emptiness in our hearts

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Gemma Narisma

I have never been to a desert, but I have a picture in my mind of what a desert may feel or look like. It is harsh and lifeless. It appears to negate any possibility of life.

The thought of traveling through it already makes me feel exhausted and thirsty. I probably will not travel into any desert soon but my picture of it and the feelings that it evokes are familiar.

I have gone through moments when life seemed harsh, empty, desolate. I have experienced a different kind of exhaustion, of hunger and thirst. Perhaps I have traveled through a few of life's deserts.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Aug. 13, 2006) 1 Kgs 19:4-8 Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Eph 4:30--5:2 Jn 6:41-51

The first reading reminds us that we are never alone in our deserts; we are never alone in distress. It reminds us that we will be given food to fill the emptiness inside our hearts.

How does an angel touch us in our deserts? At times it comes through the grace of silence, the silence that the desert can also give. It's like the quiet that comes right after snowfall in winter.

The quiet is also inside us, inside our hearts, and in our aloneness. It feels like everything is so quiet that we are brought to stillness ourselves. It is as if the emptiness of the desert draws us to be still and to listen. It makes us more aware of each gift given and humbly received.

We have to be open to the waking touch of an angel, because even if we are not aware of it, the food is there, and often the food comes in different packages. They may come through a passage in the Bible, a word in today's reading, Father Randy's homily, or perhaps through a song by Mercy Me, a poem by Rilke, or something that Russel Crowe said in A Beautiful Mind.

They may come through a friend's touch, a child's smile, a surprising hug, gentle rain, or through the soft yellow leaves of a willow tree coming back to life after winter.

They are there, food for the spirit. He feeds us, our hearts in so many ways. The first reading tells us that He will fill the emptiness, the lifelessness inside us.

It reminds us that when our hearts are exhausted and hungry, He will nourish us with food that will fill a different kind of hunger.

The Gospel tells us that this bread is Jesus Christ himself, the person, the relationship. In the end, through the desert, it is Christ himself who feeds us with his love through our relationships with others, with creation, and with himself.

	Reflection questions • What is the food for the spirit that I have been blessed with lately? • Have I been open to the waking touch of an angel to receive His gifts, to receive Him?

May our hearts be not too tired and desolate to feel the angel's touch bidding us to rise and receive the gifts that are there for the journey ahead of us.

"So get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you."

Gemma Narisma, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a member of the community at St. Paul University Catholic Center.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell We ask, What is true about evolution? And what is an interpretation or an exaggeration? Catholics believe that both the truth of evolution and the truth of revelation are from God. The Bible is entirely true, not about science facts, but about what we need to know for salvation. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   What did God the Creator create, and why? This question, urgent to participants in the debates over evolution, is urgent to others too -- all concerned about the environment, for example. The human person, created by God, possesses inherent dignity and worth. Created by God, the life of each human person must be respected, the church teaches. The universe, created by God, also possesses inherent dignity and worth. Often, human beings are described as the earth's stewards. They have a responsibility to treat the earth as a home for themselves and future generations. We are the world's caretakers, not its exploiters, the church teaches. My point is that in acknowledging God as Creator, our responsibility toward creation increases. Genesis saw God not only as a powerful Creator, but as a loving one. God's love for creation as its Creator becomes a mandate for us. full story   Evolution and God too? By Father John W. Crossin, OSFS Catholic News Service Is God's revelation to us in Scripture compatible with evolution? Or not? The media regularly cover these questions as they are debated by school boards or in classrooms and courtrooms. Scholarly journals discuss the details of what are known as "creationism," "intelligent design" or "neo-Darwinian evolution." full story  God: What kind of Creator? By Pat Wargocki Catholic News Service Can one believe that God is the Creator of the universe and also accept theories of evolution? According to Jesuit Father George V. Coyne, the answer is a resounding "yes." He believes that science reflects God's infinite purpose, and so they're not at odds. full story  Does evolution contradict the biblical view of creation? By Father Lawrence Boadt, CSP Catholic News Service The church insists the Bible is entirely true, not about science facts, but about what we need to know for salvation. In debates over evolution, people want to know whether the Bible is to be taken literally in saying that creation took place in seven days. People want to know also whether the human being is unique, specially created by God unlike any other creature as body and soul. full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: What sort of respect is owed to the world because it is God's creation?     Selected Response From Readers:
Copyright © 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops