It Is You, Not God!

(It is worth the second look!)

Jesus had just revealed to His apostles His death. The apostles were taken aback by the revelation. Peter, in fact, was willing to offer his life against anyone who would harm the Lord. But it would not be. God's plan was for His only begotten Son to die for the salvation of all. The apostles, no doubt were devastated by the truth about Jesus' passion and death. They left their families, land, properties and all to follow Jesus. They believed He was the Messiah they were looking and waiting for. And now He was saying that He would die? They felt low. Doubt crept in them. Did they commit a mistake in following Jesus? Will they abandon Him now? What about the things He said and did that attracted them to Him? Who was really this man they are following?

Jesus knew what they were thinking and feeling. So, He invited the leaders of the apostle to accompany Him to the mountain. There the transfiguration happened. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in His divine self. They felt so good that they had suggested to stay there. They had forgotten everything. It was bliss and blessedness. They experienced a foretaste of the Kingdom. They were given the opportunity to know more Jesus, the Son of Man, the Son of God! Jesus gave them a shot in the arm. The transfiguration experience boosted the confidence of the apostles. It was a confidence they would need in the future. It was the experience they would need to cope with the challenges of Jesus' suffering and death in the hands of the Romans.

We can hear ourselves asking for the same experience. In this season of Lent, we need a boost in order to pursue our faith, our relationship with God which had been challenged time and again by the temptations we encounter and the sins we commit. Are all our sufferings and sacrifices worth it? The truth is, transfiguration experiences are everywhere. It happens all the time. In the Eucharist, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in all the sacraments, in every gathering in prayer and sharing, in every good act, in creation; the sun, the air, the mountains, the rivers, the human bodies etc. If we will pause and reflect on the things we see and experience, we can recognize God transfiguring Himself before us. Everyday He reveals His divinity to us. Unfortunately, we take them for granted. Unfortunately we see them as common events or things. Unfortunately, we fail to appreciate them as God's presence. Therefore, instead of asking for God's transfiguration, it is we who needs to be transfigured. Let us look again at things God had given us. Let us evaluate again the things we have experienced. Let us see, hear, and feel God's presence in everything. And then we can have the "mountain top" experience of the apostles where we will have a foretaste of the bliss of being with God. If the experience of the divinity of the Lord Jesus had given the apostles the conviction to follow Him all the way, we will also do the same. The experience of Jesus' divinity indeed gives us the best reason to go with Him all the way. The devil will be there too to confuse and distract us, but the devil can not offer what the Lord can offer. And therefore, we should be able to scorn and mock the devil.

Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 3, 1968, talked about his own mountaintop experience in what was supposed to be his last speech before he died. The speech paved the way for giving the black population the necessary confidence to pursue their goal of gaining equality with the white people in America. He said;

"Well, I do not know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it does not matter with me now. Because I have been to the mountain top. And I do not mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I am not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's Will. And He has allowed me to go up the mountain. And I have looked over. And I have seen the promised land!"

God had shown us the Promised Land. All we have to do is enter it by following Him.