The People in the Back Pew

When Jesus ascended Mt. Tabor with Peter, James, and John and was transfigured before them, Peter's first reaction was, "Lord, let me build three tents" (and stay here).  Anyone who has been to a retreat knows exactly what Peter was talking about:  don't make me go back home!  Let me stay here in the glory of God, in the everlasting peace, in my blindness to the suffering of the world!  Let me stay here! 

But Jesus descended the mountain of the Lord --- right into the Devil's chaos, just as Moses had done 2000 years previously, when the Israelites were worshiping the golden calf.  He had to go through mankind's suffering, not around it or above it.  And He had to do it because we have to.

In the first few years after I was baptized in the Holy Spirit (1977), I was ready to be "taken up" into heaven, like Peter.  Just let me stay here in glory, Lord!  But one night during the praise and worship part of the prayer meeting, I saw a vision of Jesus standing in heaven.  At His feet was a ladder reaching to my feet.  When I saw Him, I started to climb the ladder, leaving behind everything on earth.  But He immediately stopped me and showed me in the vision the people in the back pew of church.  He gave me to understand that when people come to church, those who want to be close to Him gravitate toward the front of the church, getting as close as possible to the altar.  Those in the back pew are those who feel unworthy, those who are not sure they deserve to be there, those who are afraid to approach God.

[Caveat:  this is a vision, symbolic.  In reality, the people in the back pew of our church on Sunday may be the lame, those in wheelchairs, or those with illness who need to leave church before the crowd, etc.  Those in the front pew, on the other hand, may have small children who need to be able to see what's going on, etc.]

Anyway, Jesus turned me back away from climbing the ladder:  "I want you to remain on earth.  I want you to go to the back pew and put your arms around these who are there, and I want you to walk with them arm in arm and step by step until they are able to come with you to the front of the church" (figuratively, the ladder of heaven.)  And just as I had seen the ladder in a vision, I saw myself doing what was commanded. 

Pope Francis' meditation on the Transfiguration today reminded me of that vision from the 1970's.  He talked about "ascending" the mountain of the Lord and then "descending" the mountain to those who need the Divine Presence.  Both directions are necessary to our lives.  If we do not spend time with Jesus on the mountain (in prayer and sacramental strength), we do not have what we need to "descend" into the depths of hell and walk with those suffering there until they reach the Promised Land.