OUR TRANSFIGURATION

Recently I had a serious fall on the stairs in the monastery. (I survived with minimal injury, thank God.) However, I've been reflecting a lot on the experience of lying there on the floor unable to stand up, helpless and humbled. One of the many lessons I've drawn from this experience is that I'm a very vulnerable creature who depends on God for everything, including my next breath. Imagine my surprise, then, when I came upon this ten year-old reflection on the story of Christ's Transfiguration. I'm presenting it here with no changes except today's date.

A SECOND LOOK AT THE TRANSFIGURATION

This Sunday, March 1, the gospel is the Matthew's account of the Transfiguration.

I’ve always thought of this as simply Jesus’ revealing his divine nature to his apostles, giving them a glimpse of his glory to strengthen their faith in him before they witnessed  his passion and death. And that’s certainly true, as I’ve written on a previous post in this blog; and many of the story’s details point us to that interpretation.

ITS ABOUT YOU!

But this morning I came across a couple of readings that suggested a second application as well. It goes something like this: In their glimpse of Jesus’ glory, we see where we are all heading as well. As members of Christ’s body, we are each destined to be glorified with him, to be “deified,” as many of the Church's early theologians early liked to put it.   

In this interpretation, the Transfiguration is not just about Jesus and who Jesus is, but it’s also about you and me, about the Church, and about every human being, destined to be saved through the merits of Jesus Christ. We have been created to share one day in the fullness of God’s glory, and here Jesus is offering us a glimpse of our own glory.

So the Transfiguration has now become more of a personal thing: both an encouragement and a challenge to live my life as someone who has a divine destiny.

I had minor surgery on my left hand yesterday, so I’m typing with a bulky Ace bandage on my hand, which is proving to be quite a challenge. So, let me leave you with the thought that I’ve been reflecting on: If the Transfiguration reveals something about me and the belief that I am destined for glory, then what effect does that have on how I act?  

Happy Lent!

FINDING THE TRANSFIGURED CHRIST

 

Our computer network had some issues over the weekend, so I could not share my post. I now have the time to share a previous post that reflects on this past Sunday's reading. Some years ago I posted a different perspective on the Transfiguration, in which I suggested that it is oriented toward the future. Today I'll present another way of looking at the event: It's Jesus' letting his disciples catch a glimpse of the present truth that in the person of Jesus heaven is touching earth. It's not just about the future, but about Jesus' identity as the divine Son of God right now. The scene is filled with Old Testament imagery of divine apparitions: the cloud, the dazzling light, the white garment, the voice from heaven.

The three disciples on the the mountain get a glimpse not of the future but of who Christ presently is: In him heaven is touching earth, the Divine has taken on human form and become one of us.

We are offered such glimpses of glory too, but only on rare occasions. In order to catch one of those glimpses we first have to believe that Jesus is indeed present in our lives all the time as the Divine Son of the Almighty. Then, we have to make some sort of effort. (That's why divine apparitions usually take place of the tops of mountains: It takes some effort on our part to get there). Maybe the effort on our part is simply trying to be awake and aware, on the watch for God's self-revelations all around us. Often they come in the form of Love.

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE TRANSFIGURED ONE?

Think of how God's love shows itself in your life. I think of the faces of our kindergarten children, and a certain close long-time friend, or the young monks in our monastery. God is touching earth all over the place!

This past week we were informed that our school has been connected with a service that monitors the likelihood of lightning strikes in our area. If the likelihood of a strike reaches a certain level, the school is informed and we sound a warning to clear our playing fields until the threat passes. Too bad I don't get any advance notice that heaven is about to reveal itself in a powerful way in my life. I'm kind of on my own, and so I have to be constantly on the watch. But I do know that God has some favorite spots in which to appear: In the midst of troubled situations, in the midst of an interaction with someone I love, or in the person of someone who needs me to wash his or her feet.

Jesus' transfiguration, then is a reminder to look for the Love all around us. The experience of this love can sustain us through pain and struggle as it did the apostles in the dark days of Calvary and of persecution.

SAILING WITH JESUS

 

 
A HUNGARIAN GIFT

A couple of weeks ago, I remarked to a Hungarian friend that Hungarian paintings were always so dark and dreary. So she introduced me to the work of  József Egry (1883-1951), an impresionist/expressionist painter, known for his scenes of Lake Balaton in Hungary. As I scrolled through his bright, colorful pictures I came across one that really caught my attention and seemed to be worth sitting with for a while. Entitled ¨Golden Gate,¨ it was inspired by a scene at dawn on the lake, and depicts two figures in a sailboat sailing into some undefined archway of light. I’ve been reflecting on this picture for some days now. Here it is:

       József Egry ¨Golden Gate¨ 1943 

At age 80, I immediately thought that the boat was sailing into the sunset. But I soon realized that the scene is full of light, so the two sailors are heading, not into darkness, but into this bright golden gateway made up of several vaguely defined arches. It seems that the boat is, at least to some extent, already inside the gate, which led me to reflect on the idea that all of us are already living every day in the Golden Gate of eternal light.

Another Egry: Sunset (Golden Bridge)

I noticed too that I am not alone on the boat. This image assured me that I am not alone on my journey, but that Jesus is keeping his promise of staying close beside me always. Another curious feature is that the boat seems to be barely touching the water, and seems rather to be skimming across the surface as if on some ethereal journey.

TRANSFIGURATION

Tomorrow, Sunday, August 6, the church celebrates the solemnity of the transfiguration of Christ. You may remember that in this event Jesus invites Peter James and John to accompany him to the top of the mountain, and is transformed in their sight so that they catch a glimpse of his divine glory.

It occurs to me that there are a couple of interesting similarities with Egry’s “Golden Gate.”

The first is that the transfiguration is not about the future, but it is a revelation of who Jesus is in the present, just as the the sailboat is not so much heading into the future, but is already in the Golden gate.

Second, the transfiguration scene is, like the painting, full of bright light. Jesus is inviting you and me to live in the present in the light of his divine presence.

After the transfiguration, Jesus comes back down the mountain with the three disciples, which assures them that he will be with them through whatever happens in the future, especially his passion and death. And in the painting, that reassuring second figure is with me on the sailboat, like Jesus standing faithfully with Peter James and John.

May the Divine Christ of the Transfiguration transform all of us one day into the brightness of his Glorified Person!

WATCHING FOR GLORY

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This Sunday’s Gospel passage is Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration, the vision in which Jesus appears in his double nature as a human and the Son of God. The passage is worth quoting in its entirety:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,

and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them;

his face shone like the sun

and his clothes became white as light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,

conversing with him.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,

"Lord, it is good that we are here.

If you wish, I will make three tents here,

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

While he was still speaking, behold,

a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,

then from the cloud came a voice that said,

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;

listen to him."

When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate

and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying,

"Rise, and do not be afraid."

And when the disciples raised their eyes,

they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

(Mt 17:1-8)

Since, in Matthew, Mark and Luke, this vision follows immediately after a prediction of Jesus’ passion and death, one obvious purpose of the vision is to give the three apostles a glimpse of Jesus’ glory, in order to strengthen their faith in advance of Christ’s suffering and death.

A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESENT

Three years ago I posted a different perspective on the Transfiguration, in which I suggested that it is oriented toward the future. Today I'll present another way of looking at the event: It's Jesus' letting his disciples catch a glimpse of the present truth that in the person of Jesus heaven is touching earth. It's not just about the future, but about Jesus' identity as the divine Son of God right now. The scene is filled with Old Testament imagery of divine apparitions: the cloud, the dazzling light, the white garment, the voice from heaven.

The three disciples on the the mountain get a glimpse not of the future but of who Christ presently is: In him heaven is touching earth, the Divine has taken on human form and become one of us.

We are offered such glimpses of glory too, but only on rare occasions. In order to catch one of those glimpses we first have to believe that Jesus is indeed present in our lives all the time as the Divine Son of the Almighty. Then, we have to make some sort of effort. (That's why divine apparitions usually take place of the tops of mountains: It takes some effort on our part to get there). Maybe the effort on our part is simply trying to be awake and aware, on the watch for God's self-revelations all around us. Often they come in the form of Love.

WHERE DO YOU SEE THE TRANSFIGURED ONE?

Think of how God's love shows itself in your life. I think of the faces of our kindergarten children, and a certain close long-time friend, or the young monks in our monastery. God is touching earth all over the place!

This past week we were informed that our school has been connected with a service that monitors the likelihood of lightning strikes in our area. If the likelihood of a strike reaches a certain level, the school is informed and we sound a warning to clear our playing fields until the threat passes. Too bad I don't get any advance notice that heaven is about to reveal itself in a powerful way in my life. I'm kind of on my own, and so I have to be constantly on the watch. But I do know that God has some favorite spots in which to appear: In the midst of troubled situations, in the midst of an interaction with someone I love, or in the person of someone who needs me to wash his or her feet.

Jesus' transfiguration, then is a reminder to look for the Love all around us. The experience of this love can sustain us through pain and struggle as it did the apostles in the dark days of Calvary and of persecution.

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This Sunday’s Gospel passage is Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration, the vision in which Jesus appears in his double nature as a human and the Son of God. The passage is worth quoting in its entirety:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,

and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them;

his face shone like the sun

and his clothes became white as light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,

conversing with him.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,

"Lord, it is good that we are here.

If you wish, I will make three tents here,

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

While he was still speaking, behold,

a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,

then from the cloud came a voice that said,

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;

listen to him."

When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate

and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying,

"Rise, and do not be afraid."

And when the disciples raised their eyes,

they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

(Mt 17:1-8)

Since, in Matthew, Mark and Luke, this vision follows immediately after a prediction of Jesus’ passion and death, one obvious purpose of the vision is to give the three apostles a glimpse of Jesus’ glory, in order to strengthen their faith in advance of Christ’s suffering and death.

But I came across an additional insight this morning from the theologian John Macquarrie, which I’ll summarize here. The story of the transfiguration seems to express the transition that must have taken place in the disciples, from acquaintance with the human Jesus, to faith in that same Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

The Transfiguration story begins with the human Jesus who is going to suffer and die; the presence of Moses and Elijah shows Jesus’ continuity with the prophets, human beings who often suffered for delivering God’s message. Suddenly, “Jesus was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” And the divine presence comes in an overshadowing cloud, from which a heavenly voice is heard: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."  

This event may be a distant echo of the experience of the disciples as they came to understand that Jesus was divine. On the one hand he was a weak, suffering human figure, yet in this completely human and suffering figure, God revealed himself and drew near to the disciples.

In the story of the Transfiguration, this realization of Jesus' divine nature seems to come all at once -- notice that the three disciples "fell prostrate and were much afraid" because they knew that no one can see the face of God and live to tell of it. In our own journey to faith, however, the realization comes over time -- maybe over an entire lifetime.

In the transfiguration, “What we see in Christ is the destiny that God has set before humanity; Christ is the first fruits, but the Christian hope is that ‘in Christ’ God will bring all men to God-manhood.” (Macquarrie, Principles of Christian Theology, p. 279, 1966).

From this point of view, the glimpse of Christ’s divinity is intended not only to prepare the disciples for Jesus’ passion and death, but to give them a glimpse of the glory to which God intends to bring every human being one day. It is as if the Lord is saying to us “This is what all of you will look like one day.” (I just re-read a previous post on the Transfiguration from just over a year ago, and found that I offered this perspective there as well, possibly from a different author.)

This divinization of us humans is our story, our destiny. St. Basil once wrote: "A human being is a creature whose whole purpose is to become God." But, clearly, this divinization is God’s gift, God’s work in each of us. During this Lenten season, then, we might try to be more aware of how God-the-Divinizer is already at work in each of us, and we can try to cooperate with that work by our efforts: by opening our hearts through prayer, for example, or by quieting unruly passions through fasting and self denial, or by imitating God's unconditional love for us by performing works of charity.

During this coming week I will try to look at two particular students of mine as people who destined to be transfigured one day into Christ -- and keep in mind that I'm destined to be transformed with them.

WHOSE TRANSFIGURATION?

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A SECOND LOOK AT THE TRANSFIGURATION

This Sunday, Feb. 21, the gospel is the story of the Transfiguration (Lk 9:28-36).

I’ve always thought of this as simply Jesus’ revealing his divine nature to his apostles, giving them a glimpse of his glory to strengthen their faith in him before they witnessed  his passion and death. And that’s certainly true, as I’ve written on a previous post in this blog; and many of the story’s details point us to that interpretation.

ITS ABOUT YOU!

But this morning I came across a couple of readings that suggested a second application as well. It goes something like this: In their glimpse of Jesus’ glory, we see where we are all heading as well. As members of Christ’s body, we are each destined to be glorified with him, to be “deified,” as many of the Church's early theologians early liked to put it.   

In this interpretation, the Transfiguration is not just about Jesus and who Jesus is, but it’s also about you and me, about the Church, and about every human being, destined to be saved through the merits of Jesus Christ. We have been created to share one day in the fullness of God’s glory, and here Jesus is offering us a glimpse of our own glory.

So the Transfiguration has now become more of a personal thing: both an encouragement and a challenge to live my life as someone who has a divine destiny.

I had minor surgery on my left hand yesterday, so I’m typing with a bulky Ace bandage on my hand, which is proving to be quite a challenge. So, let me leave you with the thought that I’ve been reflecting on: If the Transfiguration reveals something about me and the belief that I am destined for glory, then what effect does that have on how I act?  

Happy Lent!

A FEAST FOR TROUBLED TIMES

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The Transfiguration

On August 6 each year the church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It commemorates the event that is recounted in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Here is Luke's version:

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. (Lk 9:28-36)

THE CONTEXT

The center section of Luke's gospel is a single long trip up to Jerusalem (Chapter 9: 51 through Ch 19, Palm Sunday). The Transfiguration occurs just before Jesus announces this journey, and immediately after he has predicted for the first time that he will have to go up to Jerusalem and suffer, die and rise again. Peter wasn’t buying it and had gotten scolded for not understanding the plan. That is the context for the Transfiguration: Jesus takes his three closest disciples (Peter, James and John) up a high mountain to be "transfigured before them."

The great writers and preachers of the early church loved to meditate on the rich and varied symbolism of this passage. I’d like to lift out just a couple of details that may be of help to us in our “spirituality for troubled times.”

PREPARING THE APOSTLES

Much of the significance of the transfiguration, from the apostles’ point of view, comes from the fact that only a few verses earlier Jesus had predicted that the Son of Man would have to go up to Jerusalem to suffer and die. The experience on the mountain is meant to strengthen them for the day when they will indeed see him arrested and condemned to death. (Whether or not it was successful in Peter's case you can judge for yourself.) A closer look at just a couple of specific words and details will show us how appropriate the Transfiguration event for our own troubled times. Let me lift out two that are unique to Luke’s account.

A GLIMPSE OF GLORY

First, all three gospel accounts tell us that alongside Jesus appear Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the prophets). But in Luke the two “appear in glory,” connecting the Transfiguration to Jesus' prediction concerning the Son of Man in “his” glory. Remember, for instance how when the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds near Bethlehem “the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Lk 2:9), and how the aged Simeon held the infant Jesus in his arms and called him “the glory of your people Israel.” In 7:32 we are told the kernel of the whole Transfiguration incident: "Jesus appeared in glory."Glory is connected with the divinity of our savior.

THE “EXODUS” OF JESUS

Second, only Luke tells us what it was that Moses and Elijah were conversing about with Jesus. They were, he says, speaking about the exodus [Greek exodos] he was about to undergo. This is of course meant to connect Jesus with Moses and thus to show Jesus as a prophet like Moses. But in Jesus’ case the “passing over” includes the entire “paschal mystery:” his death, resurrection and ascension. Moses and Elijah were, then, discussing precisely the same mystery that Jesus had just revealed to his followers.

Interesting, too, is the verb Luke uses with “exodus:” they were speaking about “the exodus which he was about to fulfill [Greek pleroō]” Luke uses this verb in1:20 when the angel tells Zechariah “But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled [pleroō] in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’”) and in 4:21 after Jesus had read the scripture in the synagogue: “The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ ”, pointing us toward the notion of the “fulfillment of prophecy." Luke will use it, too, with reference to Moses and the prophets in that powerful sentence that Jesus speaks to the two travelers on the road to Emmaus on Easter afternoon (24:44): "It was necessary to fulfill everything about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms.”

“GLORY + “FULFILMENT” = ONE MAIN POINT

So in Luke there are two themes: “glory” and "the fulfillment of prophecy." They both point us toward the same idea: that Jesus’ suffering, like our own, somehow makes sense, it’s part of a mystery that is far beyond our feeble intellects, but well within the power of the Almighty. Further, this suffering, both Christ’s and ours, will somehow lead to glory.

The vision was evidently intended to give the three apostles a glimpse of Jesus' glory so that, as we said above, they might understand better when the Son of Man did in fact suffer and die. AS it turned out, though, it was only after the resurrection, when they thought back and reflected on the vision they had seen on the Mountain of Transfiguration, that they finally began to understand. While they were going through the terrible experiences of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the prophecies, the insights into God’s plan, the talk of glory, none of these were of much help to them. I'm sure you've had that experience, too: when you're going through the suffering it's hard to get a pertspective on it.

SOME LESSONS FOR TROUBLED TIMES

What can we take away from the story of Christ’s transfiguration? Here are a couple of thoughts.
1. There’s More Than What You See

The primary lesson of the vision is that Christ gave Peter and the others a glimpse of his divine glory as an encouragement: what you see on the surface is not all there is; the really important things in life are not the ones we can detect with our senses. When things get difficult, remember that there’s more, so much more.

2. At Least It Makes Sense to God

Another comes from that word “to fulfill:” God, who has this whole thing in hand, has a plan for the world which is being fulfilled, carried out; from God’s side it all makes sense, even (and especially) the moments when we are suffering with Christ on the cross.

3. Being Transformed Yourself

This suggests a third idea not directly based on the scripture passage. Remember the “Caroline Conspiracy?" (See my posts for July 1 and July 23.) It’s based on the assumption that we can help and encourage one another in troubled times by giving others occasional glimpses of God’s glory by our deeds of charity, thoughtfulness, sharing and so on. But I wonder if in addition to helping the other person, we ourselves are not transformed and transfigured by our very acts of kindness. Maybe participating in the Caroline Conspiracy changes me as much as it does the other person.

In any case, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord gives us plenty to reflect on during our troubled times. Let us pray for one another that we can profit from the opportunity.
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. ............The Assumption of the Virgin - Francesco Botticini