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| Transfiguration of Christ by Gerard David |
Genesis 12:1-4
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22
2 Timothy 1:8-10
Matthew 17:1-9
If you’ve heard a handful of my
homilies (or maybe read the blog), you’ll probably know that I love talking
about typology – how God uses events that point toward something greater to
come, a sort of ‘shadow’ that longs for it’s fulfillment. The crossing of the
Red Sea is a type for baptism. The union of Adam and Eve is the type for
marriage. We could name countless instances of such events in the Bible, but as
I was praying with the Scriptures today, I realized that the Gospel passage we
just heard was yet one more of those events that in some way points toward
something greater to come. The Transfiguration, if you’ll stick with me for a
few moments, is actually what we’re experiencing in every celebration of Holy
Mass.
Let take a look. It begins by
telling us that, “Jesus took Peter,
James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.”
This little intro setting the stage is actually quite important for two
reasons: 1) It is Jesus – God Himself - who brings them to a separate place to
be with Him for a specific event. Likewise, it is God who draws us here today.
We come of our own free will, but it was God who first put that desire or
compulsion in our heart. 2) He calls them to a separate place for a specific
purpose. Almost every time we hear about a mountain in Scripture it is in
relation to some encounter with God Himself; Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the prophets at various points, and this one with Jesus is
yet another. You may not have thought about it before, but almost every
Catholic Church you’ve been to in your life has a step to get up into it
because we are coming to have another encounter with God here in this church.
Stretching the connection a little bit, I laughed while thinking about this
because us Louisiana people don’t have hills much bigger than the levees out
front and I remember the first time I lived in the mountains for a while and
how every time I wanted to get to my cabin up top I had to make several stops
long the way to catch my breath again. And the Bible says it was a high
mountain, so in a sense I guess you could say that the beginning part of the
journey was also the penitential rite! Maybe a stretch, but it works!
Anywho, continuing on. The
passage carries on as Jesus “was
transfigured before them” and they beheld for a moment His radiant glory as
His face and clothes “became white as light.” This incredible event was a
physical way of Jesus revealing Himself and letting the disciples understand a
little more who He really was. And is this not the exact thing that happens in
the reading of the Scriptures? The presence of Moses, the one who gave God’s
law to the Israelites, and the greatest prophet, Elijah, who pointed forward to
Jesus, indicates that the whole law and prophets were awaiting this one man to
come among us. Each weekend we hear those same readings from the law and
prophets in the Old Testament and the letters and Gospels of the New Testament
and are able to hear Jesus speaking to us about who He is. When the disciples
see what is happening Peter cries out, “Lord!
It is good that we are here! Let’s build three tents!” He wants to stay
there because of the joy of the occasion. Shouldn’t we too be rejoicing in the
occasion of revelation from Christ? The truth is that if we come here and are
not impacted in some way by the readings there is a problem because we have
become deaf to the voice of God. It’s a time to be attentive and wait for the
Lord to speak to us and reveal Himself to us in some way. But it is not enough
for us to stay in that place.
In the middle of Peter’s
exclamation to Christ, bright cloud cast a shadow over them and a voice pierced
the skies saying, “This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” A statement and a
command. After the revelation of Christ in the Scriptures we celebrate the
Eucharist and a sort of shadow comes over us, too, veiling the full mystery at
hand – there is chalice veil, incense, and various prayers and actions and in
the midst of them all the sacred statement: “This is My Body. This is the
chalice of My Blood.” followed by the command: “Do this in memory of Me.” The
disciples prostrated themselves on the floor, but we simply kneel in humble
adoration as the Heavens are opened up to us as well and we receive what Jesus
describes as the Bread from Heaven, His own flesh.
Here comes the part that is most
profound. The disciples are there, faces pressed to the floor in reverential
fear of the Lord. And we are told that “Jesus
came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and do not be afraid.’” Holy
Communion is the time when Jesus comes to us. He descends from the heavens onto
this holy altar and then He descends the steps to come to each of us and
touches us; flesh touches flesh. And He says to each of us “Rise, and do not be
afraid.” All of us have our cross to bear. That’s what St. Paul is reminding
St. Timothy of in our second reading when he says, “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel.” He’s basically saying,
‘Timothy, pick up your cross! Walk!’ This walk is not something we can do alone
otherwise end up like this third Station right here when Jesus falls the first
time, except it happens a thousand more. We have to rely upon Him and the grace
He gives to us. St. Paul continued his urging, saying, “He saved us and called
us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus.” The calling God gives us and the
grace He pours out are not because of anything we have done but wholly because
we are part of His plan. Each of us has a purpose and all of us are written
into a certain part of God’s plan. Our daily task is to seek it out and to
fulfill it. And this is the conclusion of the Gospel.
When Jesus tells them to ‘Rise,
and do not be afraid’ it says that “when the disciples raised their eyes, they
saw no one but Jesus alone.” They saw no one but Jesus alone. This could be taken in two ways. First,
it is important for us to have Jesus Christ truly as the center of our life. It
is for us to see Jesus alone because we are always looking to Him so that no
matter whether we are at work, school, church, ball practice, the grocery
store, or playing games, Jesus is the center and everything else revolves
around Him. Jesus isn’t a part of our life. He is the whole foundation of
everything else. Secondly, it can be taken to indicate that every person that
they encountered from then on, they saw Jesus in that person. The poor person
in need of help: Jesus. Those ignorant of the faith: Jesus. The person that
aggravates us to no end: Jesus. The person that talks bad about us: Jesus. The
random person that we don’t know their name: Jesus.
My brothers and sisters, we’ve
climbed the mountain today to encounter the Living God. We have heard His
revelation to us. We will soon kneel in adoration at that sacred statement and
command, and then we will be touched by God and given strength to walk forward.
The task then is for us go out and seek to love, serve, and honor those in need.
God grant that we might walk away changed today and truly see Jesus alone.
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