Several parishioners were interested in following up on my reflections for the feast of the Transfiguration last Sunday. I had ended my homily with four suggested ways to make this feast more vital to our spiritual life, individually and as a parish.
1. Prayerfulness leading to inner transformation - the entire scene begins with Jesus' plan to share some time in prayer with Peter, James and John. The transfigured Jesus represents in a dramatic way the inner changes that prayer and meditation can bring about in all of us.
2. A spirit of joy ("It is good for us to be here.") - This is the only sensible thing that Peter says as the transfiguration is taking place. Jesus is basking in the joyful presence of His Father. It is out this joy that God created the world and then sent Jesus to bring the world back to him.
3. A lamp shining in dark places - And I might add, "in dark times." The gospels can answer the longings and ease the confusions of our world. However the path to gospel wisdom is a narrow one which first takes us to the cross. We become a lamp of guidance when we have the courage to learn from the One who is gentle and humble of heart.
4. "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him." - The Transfiguration invites us into the realm of the beloved. God the Father, Son and Spirit want to envelope us in the belovedness of the Trinity. We in turn are to share what we have received into our world.
I ended my thoughts with a short quotation from The Joy of the Gospel: " Jesus wants evangelizers who proclaim the good news not only with words, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence." [par. 259]
Parents who have children in our religious education program: you will be receiving a letter from me reminding you to register all your children in our programs. Although classes won't begin until the end of September, please turn in your registration forms as soon as possible.