Thursday, August 6, 2015
One of my favorite icebreaker questions is, “If you could
witness one event in all of history, what event would you choose?” I’ve heard
every kind of answer from the crumbling of the Berlin wall to the Resurrection.
I myself go back and forth between the Annunciation and the Transfiguration.
Both events involve mystery, light, an intimate encounter, and spoken words.
Mystery | Light | Encounter | Word.
Today’s gospel is the account where Jesus brings his
groupies to the mountain. Peter, James, John, and Jesus go on a hike and I am
sure the three apostles were thrilled, honored, and maybe a little smug at
being chosen for this special field trip. Jesus clearly wanted these three
friends to see something apart from the rest of the group. Were they his
“besties”? Probably, and we all know that every now and then, we just need a
weekend or a getaway with our besties. It’s healthy for our souls and when we
get away from life in the valley, we start to see things differently.
The mystery of it all must have captured their hearts. Why
did he choose us? What were we going to do and see? How long is this camping
trip? Who brought the food? A life with Christ can and does have a constant
element of mystery to it because God is like a cloud that can’t be pinned down.
There is excitement in mystery and yes, there is also anxiety. We know first
hand from our own experience (i.e. Cursillo) that if we succumb our will and
simply trust in the unknown, God’s surprises will completely rock our worlds,
blow our minds, and transform our hearts. Mystery is God’s way of pulling our heartstrings
closer and closer.
Once our hearts are enticed with a little bit of
mysteriousness, God uses light to show us something wonderful. The mystery
calls us to look closer and the light illuminates whatever it is that we are
trying to find; in this case, a glimpse of heaven. Jesus gives us glimpses of
heaven everyday like when your best friend looks into your eyes, or when a baby
smiles, or when a child sings, or when a butterfly soars by. These hints of
eternity call us to encounter Christ in all things.
The mystery brings us in, the light shows us His face, and
the encounter changes our hearts. Peter,
James, and John were changed on that mountain because Jesus went out of his way
to reveal himself to them. Have you ever played hide and seek with a child and
found the most obvious place to hide just so they would experience the joy of
finding you? That is exactly how God works. He’s the fat guy hiding behind the flagpole.
He wants us to see him, he wants us to find him. In the finding, we encounter
and in the encounter, we are changed because we are no longer alone and
intimacy with Christ is precisely how we live forever.
Mystery leads to light, light leads to encounter, and
encounter leads to word. The words in this story: “This is my beloved son.
Listen to him.” And I’m pretty certain that those same words apply to every single
encounter with Christ. When we enter into a mysterious and intimate
relationship that is illuminated by grace, we will hear our Heavenly Father
remind us that Christ is the way, the truth, the life, and all we have to do is
listen to him.
The Transfiguration gives us a wonderful formula for
spiritual growth and awakening. Mystery draws us in, light pours grace into our
lives so that we can encounter love and in love we can hear the words of
everlasting life. May we celebrate every single transfiguration, big or small,
with the same excitement and fervor that Jesus’ besties did, proclaiming: “It
is good that we are here!”
Gospel MK 9:2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
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