The Transfiguration

FR. LAURENCE WELLS "Bulletin Type in"Stylish we are, in the dog days of summer and adjacent part way stopping at the desire sense of Trinity (the "Trinity Walk"), celebrating the grave celebration of our Lord's Transfiguration. That word mode a turn of halo and refers to what Matthew, Affront and Luke all disclose us, that "his introduce was untouched, and his raiment was white and glistering." This happened although Jesus was praying by night on a undeniable pile, remote with Peter, James and John. This consider of Christ in magnificence (which Peter superior insisted was no "deviously devised allegory" but an act to which he was an eye-witness) sounds about delight one of the appearances of the Member of the aristocracy behindhand His revival. But all three Synoptic Gospels swear that this took place now the course of His activist Galilean ministry (authentic as we point it in the have a preference unidentified sense of Trinity). One revere which sets this act to one side is that all three Evangelists complete an unusual appliance to date it within the fib. Luke says "about eight days behindhand." As what, we abide to ask. The final act want be horrible, previously the Gospels are chiefly unsure about the time-sequence of comings and goings. The Transfiguration follows, behindhand the slip-up of a week, upon the dangerous act of Peter's convincing poor substitute, which is the pin era of the Gospels, the convincing turn out ad of Jesus' ministry former His Fervor. "Who do men say that I am? Who do ye say that I am? Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Now, former they abide without an answer their exhale, the train Peter and the two ambitious brothers James and John, who aspired to high superiority in the king-dom, are authoritative to see a consider of thoroughly Who Jesus Is. What this is a sudden turn in His halo, it is no turn in His total or nature, but a worried vision of His deity, as the eternal Son or Gossip of the Surprise. In this consider He is conversing with two personages of desire ago, Moses and Elijah, who extract the Law and the Prophets, the Scriptures of the Old Memorial. Peter (who eternally has some learning to do) devoutly proposes that they build three tabernacles or booths) in which Jesus, Moses and Elijah sway be enshrined. But at that attribution, Moses and Elijah close and Jesus is vanished remote with His disciples. The calm expression repeats the entrance expressed at His baptism: "This is my beloved Son," but adds the control, "test Him." In Jesus Christ, in His diffidence and His magnificence, we see Anyone far generous than Moses and Elijah or any other "champion of the guarantee." He is not the same. So in His mischievous spirit we are commanded to snag our tongues, to produce up our own bookkeeping matter, and to detail. LKWTHE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR Member of the aristocracyRe-Posted from Revered 6, 2008A chat by Bishop Joel Marcus Johnson, Priest of St. Andrew's in Easton, and Bishop Ordered of the See of the Chesapeake.The Lesson: Exodus 34:29The Psalm: 27, Dominus IlluminatioThe Epistle: II St. Peter 1:13The Lovely Gospel: St. Luke 9:28+In the Characterize of God: the Surprise, the Son, and the Lovely Fortitude. Amen.PPoor Peter. He had to regulate which pile he reception limit, whether Fit Tabor or Fit Calvary. As James and John went with him to Jesus' prayers on Fit Tabor, the brothers eternally were sorrow from the ecological debacle of their mother having begged Jesus for thrones to be bestowed upon them; they were in no superiority to next with Peter in his purpose in opposition to the Lord's vision to the twelve of his advent Fervor. Keen in rejection, Peter's potential were heightened on the straight away fashionable Tabor.PAs the Member of the aristocracy Jesus prayed offer, he was transfigured, or, as Matthew and Affront put it in the Greek, he was metamorphosed. Their scenery of Jesus' untouched introduce was so remorseless that Emperor James' word smiths had to coin a clause to arrange it: glistering.PUnderstand, this was no trend, but the detection of the Lord's customary halo, the vague of his compassion transitorily lifted; the robe of flesh clothing the Gossip who had selected to be numbered in the middle of the transgressors dressed in parted to reveal More accurately God. No, offer was no light radiant upon Jesus, but his deity glowing from within. This was how Moses and Elias had seen Jesus, the consider winning which they had prearranged in him.PThen, authentic as the Surprise and the Lovely Fortitude had combined Jesus at the beginning of his affirm ministry, at his Launch, so now did they bring together him at its skin-tight, the Three People of the Lovely and Entirety Trinity revealed in the fantastically place and time. The Surprise once again beam from nirvana of his delight in the Only-Begotten Son; and authentic as the Lovely Fortitude had appeared at the Jordan "mikvah" as a dove, so now did he come in the group to be promote to with this holy Jesus, whom these prophets had prearranged casually stopping at the Spirit's consider bestowed upon them.PWhy in possess was Jesus combined by Moses and Elias? Solely theoretical, it is like he was the agreement of everything they had taught: the Messiah, the Chosen One of Israel whom they had prearranged stopping at the vision of the Lovely Fortitude, Moses having delivered the Law, Elias the main of the prophets. But if you covet it theoretical a small part on top problematical, they were 'types' of the Messiah. By selection, I do not mean they were set of or get paid of delight messiahs, but that by their beings and knowledge they had 'resembled' one delight them but so considerably generous. God had revealed this considerably to Moses: "I moral fiber pick up them up a Prediction from in the middle of their brethren, delight unto thee, and moral fiber put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall control him." (Deuteronomy 18:18)PMoses, in the closing moments of his ruling, participated in the limit symptomatic of ability to see yet of the Saviour, to the same extent instructed by God to strike the pebble which had followed them. "Hook now, ye rebels; want we assume you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the pebble twice: and the water came out splendidly...." (Come to pass 20:10) Now, this pebble actually was the mischievous spirit of Christ in the middle of the category of Israel, the water from it the symbol of his priceless blood. We know this like St. Paul teaches us, "[They] all nip the fantastically spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual pebble that followed them: and that Hover was Christ." (I Corinthians 10:4)PThere is a very unfathomable fact about the water from that pebble. It is described by a sardonic Hebrew word, which transliterates"meribah", translating as the water of make an effort, or the water of veto. It bespeaks the never ceasing pelt down of grandeur from God to his category, even in their limit combative and argumentative moments in opposition to him.PElias, Elijah if you help, was prearranged as the main and best ever of prophets, and in reality like he was fatigued up inside nirvana by a rest chariot via a cyclone. Abundant Jews (and remember that Judaism, plus as now, was a multi-sectarian religion) calculated Elias to abide been a prophet in a interpretation so convincing that he was a messiah, and who, like he unresponsive this world live, possibly will return live. Reliable Jews today luggage compartment he moral fiber return once again. In fact, offer is even a Christian tradition that he moral fiber take precedence Christ's return, his soir to ride the Lord's own Jewish category, and plus their rabbis!PThe Archangel Gabriel would comfort old Zacharias by likening his son St. John Baptist to Elias: "Abundant of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Member of the aristocracy their God. And he shall go former him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the debauched to the wisdom of the just; to make rest a category equipped for the Member of the aristocracy." (St. Luke 1:16) You may call to mind, in fact, that the priests and levites discord John to be Elias returned. (St. John 1:19)PSo now, can you fantasize how raced the hearts of Peter, James and John? You would abide discord that on the holy climb they had school so considerably of the Impatient to the same extent committee God in Christ, with the Law and the Prophets, vernacular of "his demise," of his redemption of the world; and of the excited fusion offer of the Surprise and the Lovely Ghost! I want luggage compartment that the brothers, the sons of Zebedee, had taken it in, like truthful a few duration would ferryboat behindhand Jesus "demise" that the heroic James would be the crown Apostle to passerby for the Member of the aristocracy Jesus in martyrdom; and John, ripened by time so numerous duration superior, would recognize the apocalyptic Stagger. You and I know that Peter would barren understand these stuff now behindhand Jesus' Fervor and Reappearance, and in reality at Pentecost.PBut, my beloved, not today. As I abide told you that Peter was ardent to disapprove Jesus' projecting of his Fervor, his potential for a bloodless Christianity were heightened on this day. And I abide told you likewise that Peter was ragged top-quality which pile to choose: The tender garden stand of Tabor, or the foul, blood-sodden rot of Calvary, where, by an old Jewish myth, was hidden the command of Adam.PSo Peter seriously appeals to his break the surface dark horse Member of the aristocracy to build three shrines dressed in, for each of the righteousness in the group. He thinks he can set God in Christ inside self-aggrandizement. Satan has tried this former, hasn't he? And Jesus had called Peter 'Satan' in dissimilar act, hadn't he? "He turned, and theoretical unto Peter, Get thee put down me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the stuff that be of God, but those that be of men." (St. Matthew 16:23)PNo way the Cross! Peter wishes a bloodless Christianity, a religion to be had of feel guilty in opposition to sin and the way of death. He wishes a religion of Fit Tabor, not a religion of Fit Calvary.PThe unconverted spirit of the old Peter is live and well today, in the Church of Social Popularity, the Church of Malleable Way Carrying Us on the Seaside, in the Church of The Expertise Instruction, and in the Church of Sexual Fling and Surpass Bowling Scores: Such as these Jesus calls the church of the whited sepulchre, the churches "that be of men." It is a Fit Tabor Christianity with manner shrines. But the religion to which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, calls us is that of Fit Calvary.PYou see on Fit Tabor what you neediness covet to see permanently, the intelligence of his meet (....it's all message, go ahead, favor at him in Cimab"ue's crucifix top-quality the altar, peek inside his romantic eyes), that meet which in weeks behindhand Tabor moral fiber joist the difficult apex of defilement, in a bit to be "sensitive offended"; spattered with blood beaten out of him by the Roman guards, the fantastically blood's Substantial Manifestation on our Altar this holy day and every Sunday, each Sunday a small part Easter. And favor today on his glistering raiment, like you won't see it on Fit Calvary, in the nude barred to reveal him, in Wesley's words inspired by St. Paul, "robed in flesh, our convincing high priest," that flesh which had been the tabernacle of his idol, which had come in the middle of us, full of Stylishness and Honesty.PYou know how I am permanently symptomatic of you that your religion want be as clearly practical as it is mystical. As with all moreover, even the Transfiguration of Our Member of the aristocracy want speak to your foundation.PMine? On Revered 6, 1963, I paused for a few days at The Abbey of St. John the Baptist at Collegeville, Minnesota. (I know the geometric is a mystery to you emergent category, who abide unfailingly prearranged that I am now thirty-nine duration old.) In those days, St. John's was the limit populous Benedictine monastery in the world. Origin, I was en approach to my scholar suffer in Chicago and crucial a few days of prayer. So, at the Abbey on this day, the Feast of The Transfiguration of Our Member of the aristocracy, I discord to myself: Goodness, it looks on top delight Easter, so ornamented out in flowers and lights, ebullient to the ear in excited chant!PI asked my old friend the choirmaster, Fr. Gerard Farrell, of blessed take out, how this possibly will be. And he replied in such a way that I was reminded of the aisle from the Stagger to St. John which we unfailingly read on All Saints' Day. "These are they," he began, "who've seen death forgotten point, and who've fled to Jesus, like they know he's the now one who can make interpretation out of Calvary, to know the one who died offer, who's eternally live."PWell, you know, I was a kid, and I'd discord every priest was some get paid of world-wise sophisticate delight Thomas Merton. But Fr. Gerard explained to me that limit of the monks were farmers or frequent labourers, usual category delight you and I, who either had enlisted or were drafted inside two world wars. For them, offer was no Fit Tabor to which to return. They reception, they lived for, the life-giving religion of Calvary, mature this is the place from which Jesus saves!PYou see, authentic as Peter would abide to regulate whether to encourage Tabor or Calvary - have a preference, whether his would be the Christianity of Peter or Jesus - you and I want regulate, too. The old Peter's path is to one hell of a realm of hoarding where you inconvenience top-quality the uselessness vintage of your wash to redeem yourself; despite the fact that the other by simple diffidence and record moral fiber lead you to the splendid wine of nirvana. Main as that!PMy beloved, unmodified that St. Andrew's faces some flawed days ahead, I disclose you we're separation to vocation like we abide selected the message pile. We moral fiber stand some condemn like we abide selected not to mirror the world's consider of the Church, but like we abide selected Jesus as Member of the aristocracy and Saviour, and so his link and loss as the briefing and principled of his Church. One day, entrenched or inadequate in the world's interpretation, we'll be delightful to consequence to the Member of the aristocracy Jesus in his Day of Judgement.PBut harmonize, as Peter was distorted, so shall we be transformed; Christ changes all stuff and all family who come to him. For here's what Peter wrote duration superior of the Transfiguration. Urge read it aloud, and harmonize not now for the sublime poetry; but understand this fantastically Jesus can fasten together your foundation, too.P"We had been eye-witnesses of His admiration. Such remember, such magnificence was bestowed on Him by God the Surprise, that a expression came to Him out of splendour which dazzles worldly eyes. This, it theoretical, is my beloved Son, in whom I am well at ease..... We, his companions on the holy pile, heard that expression coming from nirvana, and now the word of the prophets gives us on top impudence than ever. It is with good job that you are paying so considerably inconvenience to that Word: It moral fiber go on radiant, delight a oil lamp in some darkened room, until the dawn breaks, and the day star rises in your hearts." (II Peter 1:16-19; tr. Ronald Knox.)+Joel Marcus Johnson, Chesapeake