How ironic that on this feast, celebrating the mystical experience of Peter, James and John with Jesus on a mountain when in deep prayer, that the very first destructive weapon was unleashed.
On this day 74 years ago, the relationship between the earth and humans changed forever. Men and women have lived on our planet for about 200,000 years. While our ancestors have been around for about six million years, the modern form of humans only evolved about 200,000 years ago. (Civilization as we know it is only about 6,000 years old, and industrialization started in the earnest only in the 1800s.) During these 8,000 generations, with the exceptions of the last three, the forces of nature had directed and determined our relationship to our world. With the development and deployment of the atom bomb, everything was irrevocably altered. We showed our full physical power to destroy, permanently, ourselves.
The Transfiguration recognizes the dignity of humans in our relationship with God and the unique role of Christ in this relationship. It was the turning point in Jesus’ life, setting him on the path to Jerusalem where he was to confront the deadly powers of evil. We are called to unity, to love for one another, to build a just world, to confront the powers of evil…all in imitation of Christ.
God is a God of life, not death. As God’s sons and daughters, we are to be God’s presence on earth, fostering life. As I meditate on this Feast Day today, I ask: Am I life-promoting? A Peacemaker? Merciful?
Taking time to reflect on the dramatic feast of the Transfiguration is more than remembering an event in the lives of the three apostles and Jesus. It is a time to reflect on our God-created dignity and the amazing love of our Creator for each of us. It is an occasion for my own mystical experience of God Almighty.
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