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This
Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, where Jesus’ glory was
made manifest to the apostles Peter, James and John. What a tremendous privilege
for those three disciples — to witness Christ’s glory and hear the voice
of God speaking to them! This incident comes just after Jesus tells his
followers of the fate that is in store for the Son of Man: that he must suffer
and be killed and then would be raised from the dead. The apostles did not yet
understand all that was to happen and one can imagine what the questions that
the foretelling of these events brought to them.
The
response of the apostles when they experience Jesus transfigured is that they
seem to want only to focus on the glory and want to remain there with him.
“Let us build
three
tents,” they say. Their response is understandable; to want to stay near Jesus
is indeed a good thing. But Jesus knew what awaited him in Jerusalem and that he
and his followers could not remain there in that safe place, but must continue
on toward the cross.
As
disciples of Jesus, we also cannot avoid the cross. In our prayer life, when we
gain new insight to the Lord and grow closer to Jesus, it is tempting to want to
remain in that safe place with him rather than to move forward. To step away
from the uncertain and trying events of the world to find peace with Jesus is
necessary to keep one’s mind focused and dedicated to our faith. Those times
of prayerful reflection are the tools that enable us to continue on
our journey.
The
witness of God’s glory that Peter, James and John experienced was not simply a
wonderful event. Rather, it helped to prepare them for what was to come in
Jerusalem. And the same is true for us as disciples two thousand years later. We
are called to grow closer to Christ in our daily lives and when we achieve a new
level of intimacy with the Lord, we must use the grace and strength that comes
from that encounter to lead us closer to the cross. It is good to be with Jesus,
even if being with him means carrying our cross. And carry our cross, we must.
We gain vigor for the Gospel by continually allowing Jesus to transfigure us and
we find strength to do so through a life of consistent prayer, striving always
to witness the glory of Jesus in new and powerful ways. May the glory that was
made manifest at the transfiguration set our hearts ablaze with love and
continually renew in us our dedication to Christ.
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