From his miraculous birth
to his baptism in the waters of the Jordan—
from the feeding of the five thousand
to the empty tomb on Easter morning,
the life of Jesus was filled with signs
of his mystery and his majesty. (1)
Everything—
his words and his actions,
his prayers,
his temptations,
his stories,
his suffering,
his friends and disciples,
the miracles he worked--
were road maps showing us the way to God. (2)
Jesus points to the Father
and in turn,
the Father commands us
to keep our eyes focused on Jesus.
Before he entered public life,
Jesus plunged into the waters of the Jordan.
He had nothing to repent,
no sins to wash away,
no emptiness to be filled,
no brokenness to be made whole.
But Jesus came to the water, anyway,
to stand with us,
to open our eyes,
to show us that heaven
has been torn apart for us.
At the moment of his baptism,
Jesus illuminated our path to the Father.
Later, in the midst of his public ministry,
with his eyes already turned toward Jerusalem,
his heart open to the pain of Calvary,
Jesus took three disciples on a trip up a mountain.
He had nothing to prove,
no riches to gain,
no agenda to fill.
But he ascended the mountain, anyway,
to open their eyes
to the vision of the Resurrection yet to come. (3)
His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.
And at the moment of his Transfiguration,
Jesus illuminated the path to the Father.
His transfiguration was a preview—
a foretaste
of the transformation that awaits his disciples,
both then and now.
This experience was so overwhelming,
so unexpected,
so filled with the presence of God,
that Peter didn’t want to leave.
He offered to pitch tents for Jesus and the prophets
and stay on that mountaintop,
basking in the warmth of God’s light.
He didn’t see, just yet,
that the path to freedom,
the path to the Father,
the path to the glory he just witnessed,
will always lead to the cross.
He didn’t see, just yet,
that on this earth,
the cross is never behind us,
but always lies somewhere before us.
For Jesus,
and for Peter,
the road to Jerusalem was waiting.
Like the disciples,
we are invited to open our eyes
and see the Risen Lord.
Like Mary,
we are invited to live
with our eyes fixed on Christ
and our hearts open to mystery.
Like Peter,
we will stumble,
fall,
perhaps even deny or betray Jesus.
Like Thomas,
we may question what we see and hear,
hoping for proof.
Like the Magdalene,
we will be invited to journey to the tomb
and preach the astounding news that
it is empty!
He is risen!
The transfiguration invites us
to keep our eyes fixed on Christ
and our hearts open to mystery.
We know from hard experience this is not easy—
our desire for safety and comfort is hard to overcome.
But if we persist—
if we continue to join Christ
both on the mountaintop
and on the road to Jerusalem,
our peripheral vision will sharpen.
Our hearts will grow more tender.
Our faith will strengthen.
We will start to see those people,
beloved of Christ,
who are hidden by the crowd;
The people who must journey along the edges of the path
among the brambles and the weeds.
We will start to hear those voices
the world likes to silence and talk over--
Voices of immigrants and strangers.
Voices of the hungry,
the female,
the young.
Those without power or wealth.
Keeping our eyes fixed on Christ
and our hearts open to mystery
means that we will become more,
not less,
immersed in the world.
Discipleship means that the sorrows of a mother
trying to mend the tattered edges of her life
in a detention camp
will become our sorrows, too.
The pain of someone struggling with
addiction,
or grief,
or loneliness,
will become our pain, too.
Discipleship means
that our hearts will break open and enlarge.
We will find new strength
as we take on our share of hardship
for the sake of the Gospel.
This experience can be almost overwhelming.
Like Peter, we long to say,
“Lord, it is good that we are here!
Let’s just stay here for awhile,
safe up on the mountaintop—
with our friends.”
Like Peter,
we are never quite ready
to turn our faces toward Jerusalem
and our feet towards the cross.
But the One who plunged into the waters of the Jordan
and offered us a glimpse of resurrection
is the One who saves us
and calls us to a holy life.
He calls us,
not because we are brave,
or strong,
or even very wise,
but because we are beloved.
This grace,
given to us before time began
is enough.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken,
Jesus was found alone.
And that is enough.
© Susan Fleming McGurgan
(1) CCC 515
(2) CCC 516
(3) CCC 568