February 21, 2016

Reflection: The Transfiguration...

Jesus was preparing  the Apostles for the trauma they would suffer through and the horror of His crucifixion. To give them hope, Jesus brought them to the mountaintop and appeared to them in a vision. On Mount Tabor. He appeared as He really would be in His Risen Glory. 

Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves and He was transfigured before them, and His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.  Mark 9:2-3

Jesus appeared to them as the Light of the World in dazzling white. On either side of Him, Moses and Elijah appeared. The Father’s voice spoke that this was His Beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. The Holy Spirit appeared as a cloud of glory.  The Transfiguration was an experience that did not last very long. Peter wanted to erect tents and stay there, but this was not the purpose. Jesus gave them this experience to build up their hope so that they would be sustained for the sufferings to come. The path called the Via Dolorosa lay before Him and before them, as well.  The Transfiguration was to show them that the Way of the Cross was not a road to death but a road through death to a new life.  

Through the Transfiguration, Jesus gave Peter, James and John a glimpse of eternal life. As we journey through the season of Lent, we prepare for Holy Week and the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Let us ponder the Holy Door of Mercy. Pope Francis has given us the great gift of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Before we pass through the Holy Door of Mercy, we may have a long road of suffering, as Mary did on the Way of the Cross. The hope Jesus gave to the Apostles at the Transfiguration is the hope He gives us. He wants to transform us during this season of Lent. Draw close to Him. Spend time in silent prayer in Eucharistic adoration or before the tabernacle in a chapel. Jesus will speak to you in the silence and He will transform you. Take your sufferings, miseries, worries and pain and place them on the altar. Jesus is waiting to give you hope and healing. Walk through the Holy Door of Mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is there that you will be forgiven, healed and filled with grace. You will be a new creation. This is where Jesus will transform you into the beautiful person He created you to be.  

Jesus, may our hearts remain faithful to You and may You begin Your transforming work in us.  Keep us mindful that with You, Lord, nothing is impossible.  Without You, Lord, we can do nothing. Blessed Mother Mary, help us walk the Way of the Cross by your side, be our refuge and our strength and draw us to the Sacred Heart of Jesus where we will find comfort and rest. 

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