Gospel Mark 9:2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
Homily
Many years ago there was an old woman who came every morning to the college to make the morning coffee for the Fathers. When I knew her she was already old and was retired from her job as cook for the Fathers. She came to Mass every morning and one day as I was distributing Holy Communion she appeared to me to be the most beautiful person in the world. There was an inner glow which totally transformed her. As I continued distributing Holy Communion, I suddenly realized that I had been allowed to see and recognize a truly holy person.
In the gospel passage given to us for our meditation, the three disciples Peter, James and John are going through the same experience. They have been with Jesus now for a while; they know him as the son of Mary; they have eaten with Him; they have seen him working and having need of rest; they have seen him tired and falling asleep. They know Jesus in his humanity, the humanity he shared with all human beings. Something is missing however. Jesus is not only human, Jesus is also divine and the disciples need to know this, not only intellectually but experientially. Jesus therefore leads them up to a high mountain and there allows them to experience him in his divinity. “He was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.” And then if this was not enough to convince them the voice from heaven, the voice of the Father declares to them; “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
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What does this say to us who aspire to be authentic disciples in the 21st century?
First of all, discipleship means developing the ability to listen to Jesus Christ, true man and true God. To do this it is important to be persons who read the Holy Scriptures. The Second Vatican council in the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation “Verbum Dei” tells us that we speak to God when we pray and that we listen to God when we read the Sacred Scriptures. How important it is therefore for us to be people of the Bible! It is in the sacred writings that we learn what Jesus did and said. It is in the Sacred Scriptures that Christ speaks to us and calls us to his following. Many saints tell us that it was on hearing the scriptures that they understood that Christ was speaking to them and calling them to a particular course of action. When Christ calls us however, He always calls us to move out of our comfortable “now” to a very uncertain future, a future which often fills us with fear. We often refuse to answer the call because of the uncertainty which it brings. It is at this moment that we must remember the many times that the Christ of power has brought us through the difficulties of life, and enabled us to do things which we thought impossible for us. It is at these moments that the memory of Christ’s goodness to us must strengthen our faith, as the memory of the transfiguration strengthened the faith of the first disciples. I think that it was the memory of Christ’s goodness which strengthened the faith of the 21 Coptic Christians as they were being beheaded by ISIS. They knew and believed that their God who was both human and divine would bring them to glory. This has been the story of all Christian martyrs done through the ages. This must be our story also. We have not yet found ourselves in the situation of having our lives threatened for the faith, but often enough we are called to give up certain things or to do certain things because of fidelity to the Gospel. Often enough our actions because of fidelity to the Gospel can bring us ridicule or contempt and we are afraid or loathe to act. It is at those moments that we call on the Christ of power and glory to strengthen us in the difficult moments of life.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, your disciples Peter James and John experienced you as divine on the mountain of the transfiguration. They also taught by YOU, the Father, that true discipleship entails “listening” to Jesus the Beloved Son. Help us who now seek to be your son’s disciples to listen to HIM, and to fulfil what he asks of us. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and Jesus your Son. Amen
