Change That Look On Your Face

There’s a Max Lucado quote that captures the heart of today’s gospel, “God invites us to see His face so that He can change ours. He uses our uncovered faces to display His glory. He loves to change the faces of His children. By His fingers, wrinkles of worry are rubbed away, shadows of shame and doubt become portraits of grace and trust. He relaxes clenched jaws and smooths furrowed brows. His touch can remove the bags of exhaustion from beneath the eyes and turn tears of despair into tears of peace. How? Through worship. We’d expect something more complicated, more demanding. No. He changes our faces through worship.” 

Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration when Peter, James, and John witness the changed face of the Christ. Jesus took His three closest friends on a pretty intense and challenging hike up to the top of a mountain. Raise your hand if you have ever done this. Then you would know that reaching the top is already a glorious experience and the view from on high places is breath taking. Part of our faith journey is the climb, challenging, difficult, strenuous, but worth it when the summit is reached. They had already been set up to witness glory because of the journey itself. Each of our trials is a precursor to glory. 

The next thing Jesus shows them and us is what true worship looks like. Have you ever experienced someone’s face lighting up when they see you and/or your face lighting up when you see someone you love? It is a tangible, palpable, visible transformation that shows on your face. Jesus laid eyes on His Father at the top of Mt. Tabor and not only His face, but His entire being transformed into light. He reflected that which He was praising. God is light, and loving Him from the depths of our souls, transfigures us into light. This intensity of pure light terrified the apostles and so God, recognizing that they were not yet ready for this glory yet, veiled them in the shadow of a cloud with the message, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” We can only get to the Father through Jesus. Jesus is that gentle covering that allows us to stare safely at the brightness of God without going blind. He is the lens through which we can gaze upon the intensity of God and still live. Jesus is the light that we are transfigured by through worship.

Worship is the act of magnifying the Lord. Climbing the mountains that life brings lifts us to those high places where Jesus is there waiting to cover us in light. Our receptivity to that light is our worship and as we worship, God becomes bigger, lovelier, truer, and wider. This is when He breaks through the veil and whispers to each of us, “This is my beloved child” or “You’re my favorite.” Let us not be terrified by this, but drawn into it so as to show everyone that “it is good that we are here” because, “God uses our uncovered faces to display His glory.” It is well with my soul. 

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Lectionary: 614

DN 7:9-10, 13-14

Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened.

As the visions during the night continued, I saw:

One like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm PS 97:1-2, 5-6, 9

R.(1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods. 
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.

Reading 2 2 PT 1:16-19

Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
"This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 

Alleluia MT 17:5C

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased;
listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 9:28B-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James 
and went up a mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance 
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, 
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus 
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, 
but becoming fully awake, 
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, 
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking, 
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said, 
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time 
tell anyone what they had seen.