Today, the Gospel reading that of the Transfiguration of Jesus. One of the things that strikes me about the Transfiguration is that Jesus wants us to know Him -- to really know Who He is. Previously, he had asked the disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" So we get the general view, from the outside, so to speak, of how people saw Jesus. I think not much has changed since then. People that I know see Jesus as a kind of exceptional man: a prophet, a great teacher, a super-spiritual human being.
"But you," said Jesus, "who do you say that I am?" And Peter suddenly knew who Jesus really was -- the Son of God. Jesus was pleased at the revelation given to Peter, but it still wasn't enough. Every one of us wants to be known, for one person, at least, to know who we really are. We are made to be inhabited by at least one other person. Genesis tells us that the man and his wife were "naked and unashamed." It feels wonderful to be truly ourselves, without shame, with one other person. No need for fig leaves, masks, or pretense in any area of our lives.
Peter knew that Jesus was the Son of God, but he had still not seen Jesus in His Glory, the radiance of a human being totally united with the Divine Presence. Jesus revealed the totality of His Being to His friends. They needed this vision to offset the one to come -- that of the Son of God nailed to a cross.
In so much of our lives, the vision of God's Presence is veiled to us. We cannot see; it is hard to believe that God is truly present to us. But if we are willing to go up the mountain of prayer on a regular basis, we may catch a glimpse of the Presence. God wants us to know Who He Is. He revealed Himself in Scripture and in the Face of Jesus Christ. But there is more: sometimes in prayer, He will show Himself to His friends, and our reaction will be like Peter's: "Lord, it is good for us to be here!"
No comments:
Post a Comment