Gospel of Luke 9:28-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

– Luke 9:28-36

March 13, 2022, Sunday Gospel Reflection

In the Gospel this weekend, we hear about the Transfiguration.  I have always found Peter’s words to be fruitful to reflect on because of his desire to remain in the presence of the Transfigured Christ, Moses, and Elijah.  It reminds me of the very human desire to pause time when things are going well in our lives.  We all probably have moments when things are peaceful, we are happy, and we feel like we are being flooded with God’s grace.  When I have those moments, I wish that I could remain in them forever! 

However, the Fall has guaranteed that we will not on this side of Heaven.  To try and preserve these moments will ultimately fail and we will be disappointed.  There will be good times and bad times, and that is perfectly OK.  It is important to remember that if the moment has passed, it does not mean that God does not love you anymore or that you are necessarily doing something wrong. 

I think it can be tempting to think that because we do not feel good that something must be wrong or amiss in our relationship with Christ.  Sometimes we feel bad because we have sinned in some way, but this is not always the case.  Sometimes it is simply the result of our fallen world.  This week consider praying with St. Peter and what it was like for him to be in that moment with Christ and then return to daily life.

Questions To Reflect On

1. Think about a moment that you wanted to stay in forever. What was it you loved about that time in your life? How was God present to you?
2. Think about a moment that you wanted to escape as soon as possible. What was it that made that time in your life so difficult? How was God present to you?
3. What do you think it was like for St. Peter to be in that moment of the Transfiguration with Christ and then return to daily life?
   

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