“he was transfigured before them”
Sin disfigures. Grace transfigures. Jesus, the head of the Church, gives us a glimpse of the transfiguration that can take place in our life through Grace. The members of the Body (the faithful) will be transfigured as the head of the Body (Christ) was transfigured. This glimpse of the Transfiguration was not meant to be permanent.
“This transfiguration of the Son of Man, this manifestation of His glory, lasted but a few moments: His mission was not on Tabor; it was humiliation and suffering in Jerusalem. He therefore withdrew into Himself the brightness He had allowed to transpire; and when He came to the three apostles, who, on hearing the voice from the cloud, had fallen on their faces with fear, they could see no one save only Jesus. The bright cloud was gone; Moses and Elijah had disappeared. What a favor they have had bestowed upon them! Will they remember what they have seen and heard?” [1]
What are the differences between the events on the two mountains-- Tabor and Olivet? At Mount Tabor, Jesus is full of glory; at Mount Olivet, He is full of agony. At Mount Tabor His “face shone like the sun”, and at Mount Olivet, He sweats blood, which stains His face. At Mount Tabor, “His clothes became white as light,” at Mount Olivet, they are soaked with blood. At Mount Tabor, the three Apostles, Peter, James and John are favored witnesses, and at Mount Olivet they are cowardly deserters. The Apostles go from one extreme to the other. Our lives are many times like a rollercoaster in which we rejoice, laugh and scream with joy at the top of the roller coaster, but then a few moments later clutch the seat in fear.
What are times in our life when we see God in glory (good times) but then shortly after see Him in sorrow (bad times)? In the Rite of Marriage, the husband declares, in the vows, “I do,” when asked, “Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?” [2] The bride then says the same vow in front of her groom. This vow will be tested, it will be easy to say “I do” in the good times, but the vow will be put to the test often in the bad times. The Church is the Bride of Christ. We must say, “yes” to her daily by living out our baptismal vows. God, in His goodness, gives us both good and bad; in the good we readily say, “yes,” but this “yes” becomes difficult in the bad times. Pope John Paul II said that in order to be on the path of perfection two things are necessary: our “yes” and God’s “grace”. It is this grace that Saint Peter and the other Apostles turn to when they lack courage and say “no”.
Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to Mount Tabor to witness the Transfiguration, and then a short while later to Mount Olivet to witness the Agony in the Garden. “When the supper [Last Supper] was over, He [Jesus] took them to another mount, Mount Olivet, which lies to the east of Jerusalem. Leaving the rest at the entrance of the garden, He advances with Peter, James and John and then says to them: ‘My soul is sorrowful even unto death; stay you here and watch with me.’ (Matthew 26:38) He then retires some little distance from them, and prays to His Eternal Father. The Heart of our Redeemer is weighed down with anguish. When He returns to His three disciples, he is enfeebled by the agony He has suffered, and His garments are saturated with Blood. The apostles are aware that He is sad even unto death, and that the hour is close at hand when He is to be attacked. Are they keeping watch? Are they ready to defend Him? No, they seem to have forgotten Him; they are fast asleep, for their eyes are heavy. Yet a few moments later, and all will have fled from Him; and Peter, the bravest of them all, will be taking his oath that he “never knew the Man.” [3]
In our relationship with Christ, we are given glimpses of the glory of God. Many times these glimpses last but a few moments. Jesus does not allow us to stay in the glory continually, just as He did not stay in the glory, but instead, we must remember to keep the faith. Since we are unable to perpetually experience these moments, we must remember what we saw and heard. “It is good counsel that, when you have conceived the spirit of fervor, you should meditate how it will be when the light shall be withdrawn.” [4] We have all experienced what Peter, James and John experienced. We go from glory to sorrow, and in the midst of sorrow are tempted to sin. Sin does not have to be the end though, as it was for Judas. We see in the life of Saint Peter an example of moving from glory to sorrow, sorrow to sin, and sin to grace. “Sin has increased but grace has far surpassed it. [5] Although Peter falls into sin and denies Christ, he does not remain a victim of sin. In his humility we see the power of Grace over sin. “Grace transfigures, sin, on the other hand, darkens and disfigures whoever becomes its victim…grace will transform us “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18), until one day it will bring us to the Beatific Vision of God in heaven.” [6] In the vision, we will not see a mere glimpse of the glory of God, as the Apostles witnessed in the Transfiguration but will indeed see God face to face, and the glory of the Transfiguration will be perpetual, unending.
Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader. Both father and son have this internal struggle between good and evil; between the force and the dark side of the force. Are we fighting for our souls? What things have I struggled but was able to overcome? What sins and temptations do I need to overcome? The goodness surpasses the dark side. The will to do good is in all of us. We must be willing to tap into it.
Peter confessed with his whole heart, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [7] Jesus confirmed this statement by saying, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” [8] This profession would soon be tested as Jesus underwent His passion and death. Peter’s profession of faith crumbles under the test. Peter, James and John “were exposed to a terrible temptation, when they beheld their divine Master robbed of all His majesty; but how easy for them to resist the temptation, thinking of what they had seen [Transfiguration], but a few days before! Instead of that, they lost their courage, and forgot prayer, which would have brought their courage back.” [9]
Why did he want to build three tents? Peter didn't want to walk down. This makes the words of God "listen to Him" more profound. Jesus would tell him that they must go down the mountain and go to Calvary; both are great sacrifices. Peter was not ready for the physical path down the mountain, and he was also not ready for the spiritual path down the mountain, which would end with Peter denying Christ three times.
When are Christ and His Church robbed of their glory? How does that affect our Faith?
Peter, who was the first to boldly step out of the crowd to profess Jesus as Lord, now under temptation and test is the first to deny him saying, “I do not know the man.” [10] Under the scandal of the Passion, the glory of the Transfiguration fades. Peter is like the prodigal son, who was given the sight of the glory of the Transfiguration but then squanders it. But, also, like the prodigal son, Peter is quick to throw himself at the feet of the Master and depend on His mercy. It is this trust in the mercy of Jesus, who once again confirms the faith of Peter, a faith in which Peter rightly regains his name, Rock. It is only faith that can sustain us through the weakness of our humanity; that which professes Christ, is confirmed by Christ, and who witnesses His glory but then denies Him in our thoughts, words and actions. It is only faith that humbles us to receive his mercy and trust in Him, knowing that we are “not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” [11] It is Jesus’ desire that we run to Him and fall into His loving arms, for He said, “I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only – and that is – trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is my desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts.” [12]
Activity – Big Gulp; Small Size
Place a bucket of water in the middle of the meeting area or outside. Form a few teams and give each team a bucket. Then distribute different size cups, bowls, bottles caps, etc, to each team. One team should have the large containers, one team the medium containers, and the last one the small containers. See which group can empty the water from the center water bucket to their own team’s bucket, only using the vessels they are given. The teams with the smaller vessels will (of course) feel that they have been cheated and that it is not fair. We cheat ourselves out of the mercy of Christ when we do not have great trust. The size of our vessel (bowl, cup, bottle cap) is the size of our trust.
[1] Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.; The Liturgical Year; Book 5 – Lent; page 188
[2] Rite of Marriage in the Roman Catholic Rite
[3] Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.; The Liturgical Year; Book 5 – Lent; page 189
[4] Saint Louis Marie de Montfort; Preparation for Total Consecration; Day 4
[5] Romans 5:20
[6] Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D; Divine Intimacy; page 310
[7] Matthew 16:16
[8] Matthew 16:17
[9] Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.; The Liturgical Year; Book 5 – Lent; page 195
[10] Matthew 26:69-75
[11] The Order of the Mass I
[12] Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska; Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul; page 1578