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Gospel: Matthew 17: 1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
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 others to do the same.
Estimates are that Harriet 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, everyone had to remain by Harriet’s side, because only Harriet knew the way.
At the end of her travels, she said, “I never lost a single passenger.” Everyone who followed her made it safely to the North.
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A similar journey is happening with Jesus and his disciples.
Just as Harriet promised to lead others to freedom, so Jesus promises to lead us to eternal life. And only he knows the way. As God the Father says to us in today’s Gospel, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Peter, James, and John will need this experience of the Transfiguration as they journey back down the mountain. What is about to happen will test their faith …
When Jesus enters Jerusalem and is arrested, beaten, and crucified, the disciples will become terribly discouraged. Their Master turned miracle worker will seem powerless.
But Jesus assures them, this is the way.
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Often in our own lives, our faith can be tested. We can question whether or not we are journeying on the right path. But so long as we remain close to the Lord, we are on the way.
As the LORD says through the prophet Isaiah, “I will lead the blind on their journey, by paths unknown I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them and make crooked ways straight.”
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So, if our path is leading to eternal life, then have you ever wondered what heaven is like?
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Today’s Gospel offers some precious clues.
Consider what Peter sees.
He not only sees Jesus. He also sees Moses and Elijah, prophets from the Old Testament who lived hundreds of years before him. Yet, somehow, they’re alive again, standing right in front of him, conversing with Jesus!
Peter can distinguish Moses from Elijah; each has a face, a body, and a name.
This vision reveals a marvelous truth: somehow, Moses and Elijah’s earthly identities remain intact in heaven. And by extension, so shall ours.
In heaven, we’ll have a name. A body. Memories from our earthly life. We’ll be recognizable by family and friends.
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Imagine that day when we’ll say with Saint Peter, “Master, it is good that we are here.”
This is the reason for our hope, and what should inspire us on our journey through Lent – the belief that just as every “passenger” who followed Harriet made it safely into the North, every person who follows Jesus will make it safely into heaven.
“This is my beloved Son,” God says to us today, “listen to him.”
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Image credits: (1) Transfiguration, Carl Bloch (2) Transfiguration, Raphael (3) Christianity Today