Encountering Heavenly Light

2^nd Sunday of Lent

Encountering Heavenly Light

                In the Gospel of the 2^nd Sunday of Lent ((Luke 9:28b-36), Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. He speaks with Moses and Elijah, and “a voice” establishes Him as the Beloved Son.  In the Presence of God, (and I don’t just mean in referring to the title of this blog), a sense of something far more remarkable than any thing, any person on earth, comes through. Visionaries throughout church history have glimpsed heavenly persons and their lives are forever changed. St. Bernadette, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Juan Diego, to name a few.

                But after an all-too brief time, each were called to continue their work on earth.  Their chores, their caring for family members, and to whatever they were obligated to do. It is the same with us.  After every retreat, every Mass, every prayer, and every time spent with a good friend, we must leave our own “Mount Tabors.”  But the ecstasy does not need to end there.  We can carry it with us to bring that same peace and Light of God to others.

                These beautiful, grace-charged moments may not always come as vividly to our hearts as it did more recently since the “celestial vision.”  After all, did not Jesus feel forsaken in Gethsemane, and more so, on the Cross?  This is why we are called to have Faith, and what a gift it is!  To hope against all discouragement, and to know that God is not just a feeling of consolation, but a Presence that promises that He will stand by us.

                So let us not hold back from these moments of Transfiguration, already dreading their conclusion.  Let us allow ourselves to be nourished and given the grace to give others this constant reminder that we never walk through life alone.  The resurrected Jesus (I’m getting ahead to Easter) guides us.