Radiant Face

Today’s Gospel Text:  Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah" - not knowing what he said. 34 As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. Luke 9:28b-36

Reflection: There are ways to alter one’s countenance with modern cosmetic and surgical methods. There is so much of science in this whole alteration of the face, whether it is through face packs, bleach packs, massage, wrinkle removers, internal diet regimens, or surgical interventions.

When one communicates, much of it is through the mouth yet one looks at the various parts of the face, especially the eyes while communicating with people. 

Even otherwise the face communicates a lot, whether it be the eyes, ears or nose or skin, etc.  The nonverbal content of the communication far exceeds the verbal.

Yet in all this we could be less attuned to the overall other parts of the face and instead focus largely on the words that emanate from the mouth.

In the gospel we see an alteration which takes place at mount Tabor, which did not require any external human intervention, neither by self nor by others. 

Jesus’ face is completely altered, reveals the scripture. They were able to recognize Jesus solely on account of their being with Jesus and the incident happening before them, otherwise they would have had difficulty in doing so. 

What is more the brightness and the shine of that moment, the beauty and grace, did make them want for more, even unto eternity.

The message of the transfiguration is a message of hope for those who are seeking; not the beauty of their faces in this life only, but seeking the real beauty which the heavenly grace can bring about. 

In our service to the Lord we could experience the innumerable forces of disfigurement brought about either by nature or by the slander and gossip of the enemies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

No matter what disfigurement we face our Lord will transfigure our lowly bodies into copies of his heavenly body. (cfr. I Cor. 15: 42-50)

Prayer: “Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.”  (Ps 34:5) I rejoice in your word Lord. 

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Walk in his Steps

Scripture/Bible:  And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, 3 and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Eli'jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah." 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." 8 And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  Mark 9:2-10

Reflection:  What is heaven like? What is the hope to which we are called? What is our ultimate destiny? Why are we here on earth and what is our ultimate mission?

These are questions we have to all come to grasp with but the daily chores of life. There are attitudes of giving up on what we normally consider as childish or the other extreme of considering them as mysteries inaccessible that prevent us to reflect.  Such an attitude has made us lose out on the ultimate knowledge necessary for life.

Transfiguration is a reality which the disciples in similar situations of confusion have experienced. Peter later on in his letter says: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”  2 Peter 1:16

This indicates that this incident made a deep impact on their psyche and left an indelible imprint on their soul. Their dedication and commitment, to the extent of not getting intimidated, in the face of death and yet not succumbing to the false expectation and the pressure to deny the Lord from evil men.

 

We too can experience such power of the transfiguration if we like the apostles are willing to be with Jesus even if the temptations of the heavenly realities sometimes beckons us to go outside the tent of glory, as it happened at Mount Tabor. 

Willingness to walk with him from the height of Mount Tabor’s glory to the daily grind of life or the daily crosses of life is what marks the true and faithful disciple from the false.  Remember, the true and the false are both disciples, both walking with him, while one walks with him to the cross the other with his word in the heart but away from his cross.

Prayer:  Lord, may I seek to walk in your steps even when the going gets difficult. 

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us