Just a word before we go...Second Sunday in Lent...March 5, 2023

Imagine, if you will, being either Peter, James or John, taking a hike up the mountain with this itinerant preacher you have been following. These three had already experienced some travails as they followed Jesus, and had just been promised more hardship in their future because of him. And yet they continued to remain in his company.

Now, they are privileged to witness the presence of God in the human person of Jesus—transfigured in their sight, and conversing with their beloved prophets, Moses and Elijah. These disciples are finally recognizing the fulfillment of their Jewish faith in the person of their teacher. This momentary glimpse of the ultimate future of Jesus, of course, but by extension, of themselves and all humanity, would serve as the fuel for the remainder of their journeys as disciples.  Not that they wouldn’t slip at times into denial and unbelief, but that the mystery of the light and love found in their mountain-top experience would prevail.

We too, are offered mountain-top moments throughout our lives, perhaps not as dramatic as those in this Gospel, but real nonetheless, and meant specifically for each of us, to nourish us as we travel through life. The process of being able to discern these moments can be different for each of us...sometimes they occur in a conversation with a loved one; other times, it could happen in the silence of a prayer, or in the reading of a piece that inspires us.  Many find the peace that suggests the presence of God in the music and silence of Taizé, or in the celebration of the Mass.

These peak experiences, however they are revealed to us, serve the fundamental purpose of illuminating God’s love and the promise of eternal life. Beyond that, they can also show us the path to fulfilling the second great commandment...to love our neighbor as ourselves. By becoming aware that each human person is a beloved child of God, destined to be transfigured as Jesus was, we can expand our world view to embrace the suffering people of the world as our brothers and sisters, for whom we are responsible.

Jesus implicitly showed his disciples, and us by extension, that he did not hold their human failings against them, but that the love of God is more powerful, more forgiving and more inclusive than what we can even imagine.  If we allow ourselves to believe in that love, if we remain in the company of Jesus, we can fulfill what Genesis teaches us in our first reading...you will be a blessing...to your family, to your community, and to the world.