THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD
6 AUGUST 2023
Six
days before Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain, he had gathered
his disciples in front of a huge rock formation at the temple of a pagan
god. He asked them, “Who do people say
that I am?” His disciples gave him a few examples. Then he asked, “Who do you say that I
am?” Simon Peter responded, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus affirmed his answer and named him the rock, the foundation of his
Church. Then Jesus clarified his
mission. He will not be a messiah who
will defeat the Roman occupiers.
Instead, he will be rejected, suffer, die on a cross, and be raised from
the dead. When Peter objects, Jesus
calls him “Satan” and tells him to get behind him.
On this
mountain, the true nature of Jesus is revealed to these three chosen
disciples. Transfigured, he is clothed
with brilliant light. Surrounded by
Moses and Elijah, the giver of the Law and the greatest of the prophets, he is
shown fulfilling all the Scriptural prophesies.
Peter speaks again, wanting to build three tents to make sure that this
moment will continue. Instead, they hear
the voice from the bright cloud repeating what was said at the baptism of Jesus
in the Jordan River: “This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen
to him.”
Heeding the
words of Jesus that they tell no one about this vision, they continue to follow
him to another mountain. On Mount
Calvary, on a horribly dark day, Jesus will be stripped of his clothing and die
in a cross, surrounded by two thieves.
On that day, there will be no radiant glory. They will have to wait another three days to
see the bright glory of the resurrection.
As
disciples, we have had our transfiguring moments when the glory of the Lord has
shone through our lives. Perhaps it was
on the day of marriage or ordination.
Maybe the clarity of God’s presence was revealed in the birth of a
child. Many have experienced those
moments on Christ Renews His Parish
retreats. At every Mass, the Lord
reveals his transforming love for us.
That love is expressed in the rituals of the Mass. It is most powerfully revealed in the Lord’s
humble presence in bread and wine.
Instead of building tents to prolong our encounter with the risen Lord
here, we are sent out to ponder the Word spoken to us at every Mass.
We have
also have experienced the darkness of Good Friday. We have faced the horror of death, robbing us
of those we love. We have suffered
breakups with those who have been closest to us. We have born the crosses of pain and
disease. We know the bitter taste of
disappointment and sorrow. On this
anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, we see the terrifying
light of our human potential to destroy and kill. We do not have to look far to see the crosses
all of us must carry.
The most
important cross each of us must carry is the cross of selfless love. We carry that cross every time we die to
ourselves, trusting that our sacrificial acts will give the love of Jesus
Christ to other people. Carrying those
crosses of selfless love is not always easy.
Parents who sacrifice everything for their children understand this. Middle aged children who spend hours caring
for their aging parents carry the cross of sacrificial love. When we give themselves in humble service, we
do not experience the bright light of transfiguring glory.
After they
experienced the resurrection and received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
Peter, James, and John will finally understand the connection between the cross
of Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary and his transfiguration on Mount Tabor. The same can happen to us. We recall those transfiguring moments in our
lives. As we move forward, those moments
can help us to connect our crosses of selfless giving to the transfiguring
glory of the resurrection.
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