A "seeing through" experience

 

"Look toward heaven and count the stars," a line from the Book of Genesis, reminds me of the immensity of the universe [Genesis 15:5-18].  It makes me recall some of the campouts I went on when I was in the Boy Scouts.  There were so many stars out that we could actually see all of the constellations at once without having to look very hard. Those of us who were going for our Astronomy merit badges would make sure we had a brand-new battery in our flashlights so we could aim the beams at the different stars that made up the constellations and amaze the younger guys with our knowledge.

We could even see some of the nebulae, or "clouds" around clusters of stars.  And, once in a while, even a planet was visible to the naked eye.  On particularly warm, clear nights we would beg the scoutmasters to let us "sleep under the stars", rather than in tents.  Shooting stars would occur about every 10 minutes and almost invariably someone would let out a sigh, or a gasp, or even a shout of "Oh, my God!" without realizing they were in fact praising the Creator for the view.

This reaction is natural. Anyone who has experienced a night sky like this knows what I'm talking about. Even the most scientific-minded individual must know instinctively that the universe didn't create itself. One can't look at this sight and not feel God's hand in all of it.

To this day, whenever I’m in a situation like this where the wonders of the world of the Creator are displayed for me, I’m invited to notice God's goodness in a more special way.  Lent offers the opportunity to us all to begin to open our eyes to those wonders and our ears to hear of the awesome goodness of God.  What an incredible opportunity that is!

In all three synoptic gospels, the three special disciples of Jesus—Peter, James and John—are given such an invitation to see God's glory as it shines through Jesus.  The Transfiguration scene is one of the rare times in the gospels where God's glory shines through Jesus.  It’s the very presence of God able to be seen vividly in its dazzling display [Matthew 17:1-3; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36].

The Transfiguration of Jesus is a "seeing through" experience.  Peter, James and John were privileged to have such an experience of "seeing through" to the reality of Jesus and His intimate relationship with God.  Can I be attentive to those kinds of "seeing through" experiences in my life?    My prayer is that I be open to them in every corner of my life, and, with God's grace, to see the depths of God's glory as it shines towards me.