Devotion 

The Transfiguration 

Frances Taylor 

The feast of the Transfiguration is considered important enough to celebrate it twice a year, once on the second Sunday of Lent and today. In March, I concentrated on how Jesus reveals himself to us; today I would like to think about the apostles and their reaction and to what ours might have been. Peter tells Jesus that it was good for them to be there. The week before, Peter had declared that Jesus was the Christ, but had rejected the idea that he would suffer and die. When they come down from the mountain, Jesus will be approached to heal a boy whom the other disciples had failed to heal. Jesus was giving them a foretaste of the resurrection. They must have been amazed at Jesus as well as the appearance of Moses and Elijah. They wanted to stay there at the top of the mountain. They were enclosed in a cloud and heard the voice of God; of course they wanted to stay there! We can't stay at the top of the mountain any more than the apostles could. The wedding is beautiful, the honeymoon wonderful, but we go home to reality and after a while the glow fades and the work of marriage begins. The new baby is a miracle you have prayed for but the two a.m. feedings can put a strain on the marriage. No one stays on the top of the mountain. Life is a journey that takes us up the mountain, a view from the top, and then the journey back down the mountain. God gives us the top of the mountain experiences so that we will have hope in the valleys of our lives. Let us give him thanks for the view.

Prayer 

Lord, you were kind to Peter, James and John to give them this vision of the future so that they would have hope during the darkness of Good Friday. We thank you for the glorious moments of our lives that give us hope. Amen.