In the Gospel
Jesus took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. What mountain??? St. Luke doesn’t tell us. The mountain kind of appears out of nowhere
in his Gospel.
But that is OK
because this is not a
specific physical mountain. It is as
much a spiritual mountain as it is a geographical one. This is about a mountain top experience, an
elevated, peak experience. It could take
place on an actual physical peak, or in your own bedroom. The Transfiguration is an example or a “paradigm,”
to use a 25 cent word, of what is true for all of us.
Anyway, Peter,
John and James had been “overcome by
sleep.” The NAB puts it, they “were weighed down by sleep.” It is not just that they were tired, needed a
few winks, and began to snore. Don’t
think of this only as physical sleep, but rather as a condition of being
spiritually asleep.
Several times
in the Gospels Jesus tells us, “Stay
awake!” Jesus is not urging us to
insomnia. Jesus is talking about staying
awake spiritually. It is all too easy to
become spiritually dull and spiritually fall asleep and not be aware of what is
happening in your own life spiritually.
However, up on
this mountain, in this peak experience with Jesus, they became “fully awake.” The eyes of their hearts were opened, and
they became aware of what was going on spiritually. The Gospel states: “they saw his glory and the two men (Moses and Elijah) standing with
Jesus,” The glory that Peter, John
and James saw was not like strobe lights and glittering disco balls and
cinematic special effects. Rather the
glory they saw was a spiritual reality: the glory, as St. John tells us, “of an only Son coming from the Father full
of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14)
The
Transfiguration was first and foremost a spiritual
event. Peter, prone to speaking before
thinking, babbles a bit, and the situation changes. A cloud came and cast a shadow over
them. They became frightened when they
entered the cloud. You see, they are
not in charge. They don’t control how
this encounter goes. The same is true
for us. When we approach mystery, we are
no longer in control. It can be confusing,
disorienting, uncomfortable.
“Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.”
LISTEN!
Several years
ago I took a trip on the Amazon River in Peru.
And they took us around to see all sorts of animals and villages and
sights. One of the most memorable was
the evening we went out in the boat to a lonely stretch of the river. They turned off the motor, and invited us to
close our eyes and just LISTEN. We did
that for five minutes. Five minutes is a
very long time to listen. But it was
amazing what we heard. The lapping of
the water against the sides of the boat.
The occasional cough of one of the fellow travelers. Various types of birds. The breeze in the trees. A fish jumping in the river. And far, far off the howler monkeys. It was really amazing.
Do you ever go
to some park or secluded spot and just sit and listen? It is wonderful, but not easy.
We have so
many distractions. So much noise. And we become addicted to it, turning on the
TV as soon as we enter a room even though we aren’t watching it. It is hard to turn off the noise, to still
ourselves, and just listen. And that is
simply to listen to what is going on around us in the physical world.
To really
still ourselves and listen to what is going on inside us is even more
difficult, but more revealing. To still
ourselves and listen for the Lord is even more difficult still, and more
rewarding still.
But the
command God gives Peter, John and James in the Gospel today, and through them
to us, is to “listen to him.” Listen.
We are still
early in Lent. Lent is a great time to
LISTEN. I think that is why we have this Gospel today.
I urge you to try to listen to Jesus
this Lent. Set aside time to read
Scripture, to pray, and most importantly to quiet yourself and listen for God’s
message to you. It may come in words,
but probably won’t. It may come as a
feeling, or a sense, or an emotion.
Maybe as an idea about something you need to address, like a
relationship with another person. Maybe
it will be a challenge. Maybe it will be
a consolation and a comfort. Maybe it
will just be quiet. “Be still and know that I am God” says Psalm 46.
God the Father
in the Gospel today tells us: “This is my
chosen Son; listen to him.”
We could do
much worse for Lent. God bless!
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