Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Who has not been mystified by a magician making something disappear or reappear right before your eyes? Our immediate question is: “How did they do that?” Magic is great entertainment but we can fall into the mindset of always trying to figure out how a surprise happens rather than accepting the fact and meaning of a surprise. The surprise of a setting sun illuminating the landscape with a golden glow after a summer rainstorm is beautiful and fleeting. However, we can waste the full impact of that rare moment by trying to understand how it happened rather than marvel that it happened.
The feast of the Transfiguration and the powerful Scripture readings enfolding it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the mystery itself rather than get distracted by the “how” questions. A basic starting point might be to befriend the mystery. While accepting the essential contribution of science toward our wealth of knowledge, our spiritual life and knowledge are also based on the unfolding relationship with God. From the very beginning, God has been inviting us to appreciate the mystery of God through various people and events. The greatest revelation has come through the person of Jesus. The apostle Philip once asked the burning question of Jesus which all his followers have had at the tip of their tongues: “Lord, how do we know the Father? Show us the Father, and that will be enough for us!” And we know the answer: “Philip, whoever sees me, sees the Father.” That is mystery presented to us with a face.
How well do we read the face of Jesus? The apostles, and perhaps in a special way Peter, James, and John, must have thought that they knew Jesus. After all, walking the hot dusty back roads of Palestine, listening to Jesus teach, witnessing astonishing miracles, and debating with the elite of Jerusalem was an in-depth education. But was it enough?
Could it not be that the Transfiguration event on the mountain provided a glimpse of glory that was meant to fill out the face of Jesus? This was meant to help the apostles see more in the face of Jesus than what they had come to expect. In fact, the Feast of the Transfiguration challenges us to see “the More” in the human face of Jesus and helps us to see glimpses of that mystery in the faces of our brothers and sisters who share our journey.
Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections