A
Glimpse of God
The
desert fathers have a story about a young monk who asked an older
one, "How come that so many people set out to be good, and so
many people come here to join the monastery, but after some time they
leave again or give up the effort?" The old monk thought for
a while and then answered. "Sometimes as you stand here in front
of the monastery you will see a rabbit pass by pursued by the village
dogs, barking and howling. After some time the rabbit comes back but
there are only one or two dogs in pursuit. These are the dogs who
actually saw the rabbit - the others were only following the barking.
Likewise, if we are to persevere in our pursuit we must have had a
glimpse of the rabbit - the Lord - and not just be following the barking."
The Transfiguration is one of those moments of seeing the rabbit for
Jesus, for the disciples and for us.
St.
Luke tells the story of the life of Jesus as a journey towards Jerusalem
where he was to be rejected, crucified, to die and rise again. The
story of the transfiguration on Mount Tabor comes at a time when the
tables have turned on Jesus. His popularity with the masses is waning
and the opposition of the authorities is growing. The Human Jesus
is full of fear and apprehension and the transfiguration is a time
of needed reassurance. Elijah, the prophet, and Moses, the liberator,
appear to him and from the cloud came this word, "This is my
Son, the beloved; listen to him." In this story the writer is
telling us of some kind of mystical deep experience of the Father
that Jesus had at this time to sustain and encourage him as he continued
on his fearful mission.
The
disciples also need a glimpse of God to sustain them. They were going
to be disappointed in Jesus as he would be in them. We must never
forget that the disciples had a very limited understanding of what
Jesus was about. They had some idea of the Messiah but the only way
in which they could imagine his role was that he should drive out
the Romans and deliver the people from political oppression. However,
Jesus' kingdom was not of this world and instead of being lifted up
on a throne as a king, becoming a political leader, he was lifted
up on a cross to die as a criminal. While all of this was happening
the disciples proved themselves to be disloyal and cowardly. So they
needed a memory, a glimpse of glory, which they got in the Transfiguration,
to sustain them when their hopes about Jesus were shattered and they
had to face their own failure.
They
got a glimpse of God, a glimpse of glory, at the transfiguration and
that was to sustain them through the disgrace of Jesus and through
their own failure. Sometimes early on in prayer the Lord can give
us a glimpse of himself - a moment of closeness, a feeling of certainty
about his presence, a call to commitment to the work of prayer and
of greater openness in our relationship with him. Then that becomes
a memory which will later sustain us in the bustle of everyday life
and in the dryness of distracted prayer periods.
The
big temptation is that of Peter to want to build a tent, a monument
- to freeze the moment of presence. The poet William Blake said, "He
who binds himself to a joy, does the winged life destroy, but he who
kisses the joy as it flies, lives in eternity's sunrise."
Moses
had an experience of God in the burning bush which had to sustain
him for the 40 frustrating years in the desert. We tend to want to
stay for ever around the bush and never venture out into the true
experience of God in the desert.
The
genuine presence of God is like something glimpsed in a rear view
mirror. It has gone when you notice it. And that is as God wants it
to be. We do not seek his consolation but only to be for him. This
is what we do each time we meditate. But if we have had some transfiguration
experience, some glimpse of the rabbit, it will do much to give us
courage on our weary, yet, joy-full journey.
