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Greetings, SBT Readers:
It seems there is no escaping the sordid side of humanity -- that aspect of human nature responsible for each cruel act and every heinous crime. Of course, each of us has our own "Shadow side" to deal with, but the global eruption of violence and warfare, the complete disregard for human life, and the indifference to suffering we currently see reflected across all forms of media are disheartening, to say the least. What if people knew who they really are? I wonder. What if they knew we are made in the Divine image, animated by the very breath of God? Would this make a difference as to how we treat one another? What if everyone knew we are called to be transfigured as Jesus was transfigured -- that what happened to him during that mountaintop theophany is what God desires for each of us?
Perhaps the most powerful antidote to violence and cruelty is to move beyond self-loathing and hatred into an awareness of our own capacity for transformation. Once we begin to glimpse the Light within ourselves, that same Light illumines every person we encounter along the way, making it impossible to "do harm," whether through our words, actions, or omissions. Just as sin spawns sin, so Light begets Light; just as sin blinds us to others' humanity, so Light opens our eyes so we can behold their divinity!
Lenten Blessings!
Elizabeth
SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Link to the Sunday Readings
Jesus led Peter, James, and John, the brother of James,
up a high mountain. There, he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And, behold, Moses and Elijah appeared and conversed with him. Peter said to Jesus,
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents--
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, and a voice from the cloud said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
Hearing this, the disciples fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Get up, and do not be afraid."
When the disciples looked up, they saw no one else but Jesus.
While they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them,
"Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
Mt 17:1-9
Traditionally, the Feast of the Transfiguration represents a powerful theophany in which Peter, James, and John, upon seeing the splendor of Jesus' divine nature, are terrified out of their wits. In response to the appearance of Moses and Elijah, Peter impulsively tries to normalize the experience, even suggesting that he should build three tents or shelters to house the vision. Then, overwhelmed by both the bright cloud and the voice from the heavens, the disciples fall to the ground, flat on their faces.
In Matthew's gospel, this epiphany represents a pivotal moment in Jesus' ministry. Coming six days after Jesus' first prediction of the Passion and his rebuke of Peter (Mt 16:21-23), the Transfiguration offers the reassurance that Jesus' journey to the Cross is indeed part of God's plan and that it aligns with both the Law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). In fact, we could go one step further and say that Jesus himself manifests the fulfillment of the Law and of all the prophecies. The revelation the disciples receive, then, is not a random event; rather, it not only confirms their beliefs about Jesus but also encourages them to keep the faith as they accompany him to the Cross. At the same time, it foreshadows the Resurrection, providing a lightning flash of the glory yet to come. Seen in this way, the Transfiguration is clearly not for Jesus' benefit but for that of his disciples.
There is another dimension of the Transfiguration, however, that is seldom addressed: Is Jesus actually transfigured, or is it more accurate to say that his disciples' ability to see beyond externals is transfigured? Does Jesus become any more than he already is, or does his divinity unmask itself so fully that Peter, James, and John cannot bear to gaze upon him? This mountaintop experience strips away the scales that blind the disciples to the presence of the Spiritual Universe above them, beneath them, below them, to the side of them. At this moment out of time, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus coexist; there is neither separation between the living and the dead, nor between past, present, and future. All is One and the All -- the Alpha and Omega--is present in everything.
The glory that the disciples behold mirrors what they themselves can become. Perhaps they grasp this initially, but this knowledge is fleeting at best. A few verses later, we learn that the disciples are unable to cast out demons on account of their lack of faith (Mt 17:14-21); then, after Jesus' third prediction of his Passion, the mother of James and John petitions on their behalf for places of honor in the Kingdom
(Mt 20.:2-28). Far from letting their best selves shine, the ambitious disciples squabble among themselves, thereby earning Jesus' rebuke.
Most Christians today would have difficulty seeing that the Transfiguration is about our spiritual potential as much as it is about Jesus. Because we are distracted by everyday problems, fears, anxiety, and desires, we cannot see our own Light, let alone the Light within others. Our faith becomes "conventional" -- that is, rote and devoid of passion. We observe the liturgical seasons, keep the fasts, dispense alms, but our spirits tend to be weighed down by habit. "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience," asserted Teilhard de Chardin; rather, "we are spiritual beings having a human experience." On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John are reminded of who they truly are. As for us, we can look to Jesus' own words for further insight:
"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" ( Jn 14:12).
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QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
* In what ways are you called to live a transfigured life?
* How do Abram and Sara model what it means to be transfigured?
* What does it mean to be called to a holy life?
* In what ways might you welcome more Light into your life?
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