8/6/2013 – Transfiguration of Jesus – Luke 9:28B-36

        On this feast of the transfiguration of our Lord, we honor an event that gives the apostles and us a glimpse into what Jesus and his ministry are all about.  In today’s Gospel, we hear about Jesus’ face changing in appearance, his clothing becoming dazzling white, and the two greatest prophets of ancient Israel appearing with him on the mountaintop– Moses & Elijah.  Peter was so enthralled by this event, he wants it to last for ever.  Yet, the transfiguration has its greatest importance in what it anticipates and foreshadows.  Like many events in Jesus' ministry, it is not meant to last for ever, but it is a part of his overall ministry & his journey to the cross.

         We may experience or witness great events in our lives that have a profound affect on our faith and that change our spiritual outlook forever, like the way the transfiguration changed the apostles' view of Jesus.  Yet, more often than not, it will be in the little, quiet moments of life that we will have epiphanies and spiritual insight.  Just as the light was shining on Jesus in the transfiguration, the light of our faith will shine in our lives in different ways as well.

         Teachers and students are going back to school throughout the state of Mississippi this week.  I remember when I was teaching Spanish at Greenville High School in the Delta for four years, yes I would have some profound events like the transfiguration come up from time to time during the school year, what was most important was the way I lived out my daily faith as a witness to my students, how I was able to handle those quiet or frustrating or challenging everyday moments that were going to makeup the bulk of my days as a teacher.  May we all be open to all those moments, big & small, in which we see God present to us in our lives.