The story of the Lord’s transfiguration happens eight days after Peter’s profession of faith and Jesus’ first prediction of his suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus follows up his prediction with his teaching on discipleship as taking up one’s own cross. The disciples do not listen to Jesus. They, in fact, do not want to hear him talk about his passion and death. They have followed him in the hope of getting a share of the power in the kingdom he is about to establish.
Such is the disposition of Peter, John and James, as Jesus takes them to the mountain to pray. While Jesus is praying, his face changes in appearance and his clothes become dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear beside him, and the three talk about the exodus that Jesus is to accomplish in Jerusalem. What is the meaning of this scene?
The exodus Jesus talks about with Moses and Elijah refers to his own passing (exit) from this earthly life to his heavenly home. And just as the exodus of Israel from the land of slavery to the land of promise had to pass through the deadly desert, Jesus’ passage from this world to his glory will have to pass through the cross and his death in Jerusalem.
On the mountain, Jesus removes the veil of his humanity and reveals his divine identity to the three disciples. This unveiling is meant to strengthen their faith in Jesus whose human weakness and helplessness they will soon witness in Jerusalem. The experience of the transfiguration will help them overcome the scandal of the cross and affirm that they have not erred in following him. For his exodus had long been planned from above and prophesied in the Old Testament: the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). And now, no less than the Father himself gives his confirmation by proclaiming from the cloud, “This is my Son, my chosen One; listen to him.”
Luke makes an interesting note that the transfiguration occurs while Jesus is praying. Lent is a special time for prayer. Let us take this time to find our own mountain or sacred space to be with Jesus. In prayer, we will be surprised to experience our own transfiguration and to see ourselves as we truly are – that beneath my frail and sinful humanity is hidden the luminous face (image) of God, and that I too am a child God claims as his own, his chosen one.
As with the three disciples on the mountain, our own experience of the transfiguration is sealed with the Father’s message, “Listen to him.”
Pope Francis once lamented how much time we spend on our cell phone and the internet. Recent data reveal that average people spend 4 hours and 37 minutes each day on their phone. Filipinos spend the highest amount of average time on their phone daily – 5 hours and 20 minutes. If only we could spend even just half or a quarter of that time to communicate with God through prayer and the reading of the Word!
Prayer is not only talking to God or baring our soul to him. More importantly prayer is listening to God. True, it is hard to hear God. At times, we feel as if God does not respond and may even be asleep.
I’m sure many of you have heard of the story of the man who wanted to test his wife’s hearing. Standing behind her at some distance, he shouted, “Honey, can you hear me?” Receiving no answer, he moved closer and again asked, “Honey, can you hear me?” Still hearing no response, he went straight behind her and whispered, “Honey can you hear me?” She replied, “For the third time, yes!”
St. John of the Cross speaks of God as an inflowing God who always communicates. “God who never sleeps nor slumbers… will enter the empty soul and fill her with divine blessings. God is like the sun, shining over souls, ready to communicate himself to them.”
God is neither deaf nor is he asleep. He hears and he communicates. He speaks for he is the living Word, the Word made flesh. But, do we listen?