Bad Times
How do you deal with bad times? How do you deal with the loss of a loved one? How do you deal with times where you seem to lose your faith; times when your prayers just seem to be words, when you attend mass but feel you are just going through the motions? What revives you when you feel abandoned and alone? What sustains you when your fervent pleas echo through the canyons, but just return unanswered? Where do you turn when the one on whom you put your trust is taken away?
In the chapter preceding today's gospel, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And, Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 1
And turning to all of them He said, “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” 2 “From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised … Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” 3
Then, only six days later, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. These are the same disciples that Jesus would later take aside during His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane – the same disciples whose faith would be shaken when Jesus is arrested, condemned, and put to death. They would be lost, in shock, as the One in Whom they put their trust is taken from them and crucified.
When the three disciples arrive at the summit, they are astonished at what they see. Jesus is transfigured - filled with light - before their eyes. Then Moses and Elijah appear at Jesus' side. They are all enveloped in a cloud. It is the Cloud that led the Israelites out of slavery, the Cloud that filled the ancient meeting tent, the Cloud that signaled the Presence of God. And from the Cloud comes a voice, “This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” 4
The three disciples fall to their knees. Peter recognizes this as the beginning of the Messiah's reign, a time mentioned in Malachi and Hosea, when all would return to living in tents. In his eagerness to establish the Kingdom of God, but not understanding the prophesy of the Cross, Peter says, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 Though Peter was often impetuous and had to learn the patience and discipline required of a leader, I'm sure Jesus was very fond of him. Were that all God's children had such enthusiasm.
We are very similar to Peter, James, and John. We want the Messiah to come. We want Christ declared as King, and to rule our world. We want to live in the peace, comfort, and protection of the kingdom. However, it is all too easy for us to fall into a safe routine. It is all too easy for us stay in familiar places. It is all too easy for us to keep the gospel to ourselves and never venture outside the parish gates. But, Jesus does not leave us on the mountaintop. No, He takes us back to the world below.
What lies in this world below the mountaintop? We only have to read on in the Gospel of Luke to see what awaits Jesus. First, He encounters a man possessed by a demon, and we encounter a world possessed by sin. Then His disciples argue about 'who is the greatest', and we encounter an ego-centrist, self-serving humanity. Jesus goes to Samaria, but they will not receive Him. We venture into the world with the 'Good News', the tenets of our faith, but are rejected in ridicule and scorn. He calls one of His own to follow Him, but he refuses. Finally Jesus is put to death, and His followers flee.
Jesus knew His Apostles well. He knew their courage and fears. He knew their strengths and weaknesses. He knew that all of His disciples would face similar hostility - that they would feel confused, lost, and alone.
So, Jesus took them to the mountain top, but their mission, as disciples, is not on the mountaintop. It is in the valley below. To be a disciple means to be like Him, to follow Him, to share in the labors of His field. So, just as Moses and Elijah were sent by the Father to strengthen Jesus, the revelation of Jesus' Divinity strengthened the faith of Peter, James, and John, and they, in turn, gave birth to our Faith.
Jesus took them to the mountaintop. He took them to the Light. But we must not mistakenly think that Jesus was transfigured by the light. No, He was not transfigured by the light, Jesus is the Light. For an brief instant, the veil cloaking His Divinity was lifted, and the Apostles saw Him as He truly is, in all His glory as the Word Incarnate, the Promised Messiah, the Son of God, and the Glory of God the Father. And, on the mountain top, on the Cross, and in His Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus' promise that some would not taste death before seeing His Glory was fulfilled.
In the First letter of John, we are told, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is.” 6
It may be hard for us to image being like Jesus, but that is what we are - that is what we are called to be. Through our baptism, through our Christianity, we are not only Children of God, we are with Him and like Him, for through these holy witnesses we know Him as He is. When the veil cloaking His Divinity was lifted, the disciples saw Jesus in all His Glory. They not only saw His Glory, but they became like Him. They, too, were enveloped in the Cloud. They too, heard the Father's voice. And, that same glory that was revealed to His disciples, has been revealed to us.
Jesus took the Apostles to the mountain top so they would be strengthen to fulfill their mission in His vineyard. For the same reason, He brings us to this mountaintop, to this Sacred Mass, to the Holy Eucharist, where angels descend, the Heavens are opened, and the infinite love and grace of our Lord falls upon us.
Here we are enveloped and join the Apostles, and all the saints, in the Cloud of the Holy Spirit where we are fortified in love, renewed in courage, and restored in our Faith. Jesus knew His disciples well, and He knows us. Certainly, that vision of Jesus enthroned in Light sustained them through many trials. Jesus knows us. He knows that we need encouragement, and mountaintop experiences, in order to persevere in our darkest moments. He knows that we need to be renewed in His Light and Grace, and to be energized by the Fire of His Love.
So, even in our darkest moments, though it may seem that we are alone, that our prayers are just words, and that we are just going through the motions, Our Good Lord is with us - more real than we could ever imagine. St. Augustine told us, “Believe what you see, see what you believe, and become what you are: the Body of Christ.” 7 If Jesus revealed His divinity to strengthen the Apostles, how much more should actually receiving His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity strengthen us in our despair and in our trials. In receiving Him, we become one with Him, we become like Him. The One in whom we put our trust will never, never, abandoned us.
Let us pray:
My Dear and Loving Lord,
I want to be with You always. I want to stay on the mountaintop and forever contemplate Your glory. But, You led me down into the valley of Your people. How much rejection, envy, and betrayal You suffered! And You did it to teach me what love really is. You love me with an intimate and determined love. Teach me to love like You, and be like You. Teach me to be faithful in tough times, no matter what the costs. Oh, my Jesus, heal my poor faith. And when the veil of my humanity is lifted, may I stand before You, face to face, Forever, forever Jesus, I trust in You!
Amen.
Baruch HaShem!
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