The Transfiguration In Daily life

                                                                      March 20, 2011

1. The experience of God?

These days, I am sure you all know the earth quake, the Tsunami, the nuclear crisis in Japan. One of the very important things we can not discuss with Japanese people which is “God”. It seems that they are experiencing “a time without God”. In a few minutes people’s lives have been changed for ever. Thousands of people have lost their relatives, their friends and their belongings. Thanks be to God, when I watch TV, I see many Japanese people praying.

Life is very fragile; our faith is also very weak. It is always difficult to experience God during the dark side of our life. But God still loves us. Today’s gospel is the Transfiguration of Jesus. Before his Transfiguration, Jesus had already predicted his Passion to his disciples: he would suffer greatly from the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the scribes. He would be killed and on the third day be raised from the dead. Although Peter confessed that Jesus was “the Messiah, the living Son of God”, Jesus knew their weakness, he took three of them to a mountain to experience the grace of God and to strengthen their faith. The disciples also would have “a time without God”, But the Transfiguration would deeply connect them with God in any difficulties.



2. The Transfiguration of Jesus

On a high mountain, Jesus was transfigured in front of his three disciples. Moses and Elijah appeared with them, and a voice from the clouds said to them: “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him”. Here, the disciples not only experienced that Jesus is the Messiah whom the people of Israel are waiting for years, but also he is the living Son of God, the savior for all human beings. With this experience, even though they would escape after Jesus was crucified, they would come back and listen to Jesus.

Can we experience a transfiguration in our life? Yes, every Sunday, when we come to Church to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we come to a “mountain” which is away from our daily life, we listen to the readings of OT and NT, we “see” the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ ---- from ordinary bread and wine transfigured to the Body of Jesus Christ. The more precious gift we have from here is that we receive the Body of Christ and we become the body of Christ. With this experience of Transfiguration, we experience the “Transfiguration” in our daily time.

3. Maria’s Special Experience

A very devoted Christian shared with me her special experience when I visited Toronto. Maria and her husband Paul, including their children are very good active Christians in their parish. They have many special experiences with our living God. One day, Maria went to Medjugorje on pilgrimage. When she prayed, she asked our Holy Mother Mary to let her experience the love of God. When she came down from the mountain, she saw a disabled beggar on the other side of the street, and the beggar also saw her. Maria told herself, not only would she give the beggar some help she would kiss the beggar’s hand. When she approached the beggar, she said she saw a very familiar face shining in the peaceful light---the face of Jesus Christ.

After she gave some money to the beggar, she kissed his hand with reverence. Suddenly, Maria said, a great joy came upon her like the pouring rain. She was so happy, something that she had never experienced in her life.



Do you have a desire to experience the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ?

We need the Transfiguration experience in our Lentan season; we need the same experience in our entire life journey. Sunday Mass is a best way to experience the Transfiguration of Jesus.