I believe that one of my favorite liturgical celebrations is commemorating the Transfiguration of Jesus when He reveals His divinity to three of His disciples upon a mountaintop.
The transfiguration pointed to Jesus’ future resurrection and glory.
Many Christian traditions, including the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic Church, Lutheran and Anglican churches, commemorate the event in the Feast of the Transfiguration, a major festival celebrated on Aug. 6. In Christian teachings, the transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place of the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth. Thomas Aquinas considered the transfiguration “the greatest miracle,” in that it complemented baptism and showed the perfection of life in Heaven. This year in particular this feast is speaking volumes to me, to my heart and the biblical words that have taken hold of me are these: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” The voice on the mountain heard by Peter, James and John indicates that Jesus, and He alone, is the One that must be listened to, the second person of the Trinitarian God, the one incarnated to show us the Way, the living Word, the Word of life and truth. I hear it anew, LISTEN TO HIM, listen to our gracious and loving God speaking to you, to me. But the stumbling block for me is that there is so much noise in our world, in our communities and families, in the distractions that pull us away from the spiritual. It is so noisy, what can I do? Answer comes – come away to a quiet place, a place of silence, within and without; give yourself permission to be still, to rest and listen. Listen to the stirrings of the Spirit within. Let your God love you. Easier said than done, right? Recently a prayer found me anew. I would like to share it with you. Composed by Fr. John Veltri, S.J. May it bless your prayer time in the days ahead.
People are also reading…
Teach me to listen
Teach me to listen, O God, to those nearest me, my family, my friends, my co-workers.
Help me to be aware that no matter what words I hear, the message is, “Accept the person I am. Listen to me.”
Teach me to listen, my caring God, to those far from me – the whisper of the hopeless, the plea of the forgotten, the cry of the anguished.
Teach me to listen, O God my Mother, to myself. Help me to be less afraid to trust the voice inside – in the deepest part of me.
Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit, for your voice – in busyness and in boredom, in certainty and doubt, in noise and in silence.
Teach me, Lord, teach me to listen. Amen.
Mary Ann Bigelow is a wife, mother and Spiritual Director with the St. Francis Xavier Parish Ignatian Retreat Ministry. She can be reached at jgbdaboss@aol.com.
