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Gospel: Mark 9: 2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
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Have you heard the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad?
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Harriet was born into slavery in 19th century America. After years of forced labor, she ran away from her captors, finding freedom in the North.
What makes her story so incredible is the fact that, after finding her own way to freedom, she turned around and spent the next 10 years of her life helping other slaves to do the same.
Estimates are she led hundreds of people to freedom.
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By all accounts, the Underground Railroad was a dangerous journey. It took weeks to complete, because Harriet and her “passengers” as she called them, could only move at night, under the cover of darkness, out of fear of being caught – or worse, killed.
Throughout the perilous journey, every “passenger” chose to remain close by her side, because only Harriet knew the way.
Amazingly, in all of her travels, she never lost a single passenger. Anyone who stuck by her side made it safely into the North.
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A similar journey is happening with Jesus and his disciples.
Just as Harriet promised to lead others into freedom, so Jesus promises to lead his disciples into the kingdom of God.
And only Jesus knows the way.
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So, what is heaven like?
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Today’s Gospel offers us a clue.
Consider what Peter sees.
Peter not only sees Jesus. He also sees Moses and Elijah, prophets from the Old Testament who lived hundreds of years before him.
Somehow, they’re alive again.
They’re standing right in front of Peter, speaking with Jesus.
Peter sees their bodies and their faces; he knows Moses and Elijah by name; he can distinguish between the two of them; and he recognizes each of them by the good works they did in life – they were prophets.
Meaning, Moses’ and Elijah’s earthly identities remain intact in heaven.
The same will be true for us.
When we pass from this life and enter the presence of God, we will keep our names, our faces, and even the memories we make in life.
All of the good we do in this world carries over into heaven.
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I celebrated a funeral for an eighty-three-year-old woman this week named Marie. At the wake, I spoke to her nine grandchildren about the Transfiguration, using an analogy that may be helpful for some gathered here today.
So, how many of you have an iPhone?
If I take your phones and throw them into the lake, you don’t have to worry. You can go to the Apple store and buy a new one.
Then you simply upload all of your photos and contacts onto that new phone using the iCloud. Although you’ve exchanged one phone for another, your memories were never lost.
The same is true for us.
We’ve all been given earthly bodies. When we pass over into heaven, we’re given heavenly bodies, much like an upgraded iPhone. God then “uploads” all of our memories onto that heavenly body, because God is the original iCloud.
He stores up our memories for us.
This is why Peter recognizes Moses and Elijah. God has taken their earthly bodies, exchanged them for heavenly ones, and “uploaded” their histories, keeping images that Peter would recognize.
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Who is my Moses? My Elijah? Who do I long to see again in heaven?
Perhaps it’s a parent, a grandparent, a spouse, a friend, or even a child.
Personally, I long to see my mother again. This Gospel assures me that I’ll know her when I see her; she’ll still have her beautiful face, her bright smile, and her curly auburn hair.
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“Master, it is good that we are here.”
The Transfiguration is a moment of divine revelation for Peter. He has a glimpse of heaven.
Jesus allows him to see Moses and Elijah, and to hear God’s voice, to console him. Peter will need this memory as he journeys back down the mountain, because there is still great sorrow ahead.
Before he enters the kingdom of God, Peter must watch Jesus suffer and die on Calvary. He himself will be nailed to a cross. But when that ends, he’ll enter the kingdom of God, where his parents, his friends, and his family live with God, Moses, and Elijah.
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Similarly, today’s feast is meant to remind us that good things are ahead. Although we may suffer in this life – take COVID as an example – this is not the end. There are beautiful days ahead.
Like Harriet Tubman leading her passengers into freedom, Jesus is leading all of us into the kingdom of God, where heavenly bodies await us.
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