A Transfiguration
On the first Sunday of Lent the devil had his chance to divert the heart of Christ from the scandal of the Cross. The devil failed miserably. From the three temptations holy mother Church draws our Catholic hearts to the moment of the Transfiguration. There is something very mystical about the whole event and we would ask you to reflect with us on these three questions: 1) Why did Christ do it? 2) Why were Moses and Elias present?and 3) Why did Peter wish to construct three tabernacles?
Nothing in the life of our Lord is accidental instead everything is providential. It is under the very plan of the Father that the Son should bring Peter, James and John up this high mount in order to reveal a great mystery. While nine apostles remained at the foot of the mountain the major three climbed this mount to be alone with our Lord. In the quiet of that mountain top Jesus’ true nature began to shine through His human nature. So much so that His Face shone as the sun. Imagine how difficult it is for you or I to gaze upon the sun for more than a few seconds. Yet these apostles witnessed Jesus’ face as bright as the sun and his clothing as white as wind-driven snow. This is called a “theophany”, a manifestation of the divine. Yet this is not a supernatural scene but a preternatural event for if our Lord manifested His pure divinity we would find three dead bodies there on that mount. Why this awesome experience? It is to remove the scandal that the Cross would bring to the apostles. They must realize that Jesus is the divine Son of the Father born from all eternity in the Love of the Holy Ghost. This is the central truth of our faith. “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.”From the brilliant cloud the Father’s statement confirms the reality of Christ’s divinity. Peter,James and John would never forget that moment eternal.
What about the appearance of Moses and Elias? Moses as we know is the great lawgiver who in his humility would lead the holy people of God out of Egypt. Elias called down fire from heaven to bring the Israelites back to true fidelity to Yahweh. Elias represents the prophetic tradition. These two representative figures discuss the “Passage” of our Lord from this earth back to His home with the Father and the Holy Ghost. They are present to show us that our Lord is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. The gospel is the perfection of all that has gone before and empowers us to enter the heart of God. It indicates the progression of God’s activity from Creation to Revelation to the Incarnation.
Finally, why should Peter wish to set up three tabernacles on the mount? Simply to bypass the suffering that Jesus predicted upon their entry to Jerusalem. This special gift of the divine life drew Peter into ecstasy and who would want to leave such a heavenly experience.When one takes the time for a retreat there is a moment in which the experience of the presence of God is reached and you just don’t want to leave. Peter wants to remain in the heaven of the moment while failing to realize that in this world there must be a Crucifixion if there is to be a Resurrection.
While we traverse the time of lent, we are focused upon the movement of our Lord to the Passion and Death which He will accomplish. We realize more and more that all that our Lord did continues. It continues in a special way in His Mystical Body. Holiness is nothing more that making Jesus lovable in us. This is a transfiguration as was described by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand who wrote the significant story, “Tortured for Christ.” In this work he remarks about a man who was a simple farmer who wanted to bring all souls to Jesus.In that cell of 200 men a challenge was posed to the farmer. If you have seen Jesus smile,then show us. The farmer went into a state of prayer and while in it his face became brilliant and a divine smile appeared upon the face of this emaciated man. The doctor who had made the challenge quietly expressed the thoughts of all those men: “You have seen the smile of Jesus.” Through their suffering, those prisoners began to realize that Jesus was with them.
As we make our daily sacrifices we too must realize that it is Jesus Who wishes to be the heart of our spiritual lives. Let us allow Him to work through us to bring His Love to a soul-less world. Through the heart of our Lady let the rosary prayer ring out in our cities and draw the world back to its Redeemer.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Voigt, S.D.B.
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