This Sunday we hear Mark’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus...right before the eyes of three of the disciples, Jesus’ true identity bursts forth and in one brief luminous moment, Peter, James and John are themselves forever changed...”transfigured”, with a growing awareness of the true identity of Jesus! I believe that each one of us have our own “moments of transfiguration”, moments in which we see or feel the very presence of God. They are moments when, “deep inside” we come to know with certainty that God is present...that God is real. These moments of awareness hold the potential to transfigure our lives into something new... something wonderful. The challenge is to learn “to live out of these moments”, keeping these moments alive in our hearts and minds allowing them to continually transfigure us more and more into the image and likeness of God. Each one of us carries within us experiences of the tenderness, mercy and love of God. So often it is the chaos of our lives that “dim” the luminous moments of encounters with our God -- we forget we ever had them in the midst of the rush and busyness of our daily lives.
Not all of these “transfiguration” moments are happy or joyful. Some of them come in the midst of great sadness, even in the midst of tragedy and death. I have had such “transfiguration moments” with people as they were dying -- luminous in-breakings of Grace that transfigured the dying person’s last moments...and, me as well!
Surely these “transfiguration moments” are happening right now in the lives of our sisters and brothers of Ukraine as they fight for their lives and their freedom. These transfiguration moments are happening in the refugee camps as our Ukrainian sisters and brothers are being welcomed and even taken into peoples homes in the midst of their suffering, anguish and lossness.
These transfiguration moments exist all around us in encounters with the poor and the marginalized, with the immigrant and refugee, with the one whom we see as “other”, there is God, waiting, wanting us to reach out and take “the other’s” hand and be transfigured.
Lent is a wonderful opportunity to look for transfiguration moments as well as to step back and recall those moments of grace when the fullness of God burst into our lives...when we realized that we were not alone...that there was something more to life, more than what we can see or touch...more than we can imagine... “God moments”! When was my last “God moment”? How was I transfigured by that moment? What does that “God moment” call me to do, to be? Whose hand am I being called to reach out and grasp?
Pope Frances is quoted as saying, "Rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine. It is not merely a military operation, but a war, which sows death, destruction and misery." And has asked us all to hold the people of Ukraine in prayer as part of our Lenten journey.
Fr. Tim
Not all of these “transfiguration” moments are happy or joyful. Some of them come in the midst of great sadness, even in the midst of tragedy and death. I have had such “transfiguration moments” with people as they were dying -- luminous in-breakings of Grace that transfigured the dying person’s last moments...and, me as well!
Surely these “transfiguration moments” are happening right now in the lives of our sisters and brothers of Ukraine as they fight for their lives and their freedom. These transfiguration moments are happening in the refugee camps as our Ukrainian sisters and brothers are being welcomed and even taken into peoples homes in the midst of their suffering, anguish and lossness.
These transfiguration moments exist all around us in encounters with the poor and the marginalized, with the immigrant and refugee, with the one whom we see as “other”, there is God, waiting, wanting us to reach out and take “the other’s” hand and be transfigured.
Lent is a wonderful opportunity to look for transfiguration moments as well as to step back and recall those moments of grace when the fullness of God burst into our lives...when we realized that we were not alone...that there was something more to life, more than what we can see or touch...more than we can imagine... “God moments”! When was my last “God moment”? How was I transfigured by that moment? What does that “God moment” call me to do, to be? Whose hand am I being called to reach out and grasp?
Pope Frances is quoted as saying, "Rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine. It is not merely a military operation, but a war, which sows death, destruction and misery." And has asked us all to hold the people of Ukraine in prayer as part of our Lenten journey.
Fr. Tim
RSS Feed
