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Gospel: Matthew 18: 21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Have you ever wondered what heaven is like?
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We might imagine it to be a joyful, but distant, place somewhere over the rainbow way up high. While we hope to join our loved ones there some day, often thoughts of it don’t blend with our daily lives. Heaven is out there, not down here.
The Book of Revelation describes it as a city – radiant, clear as crystal, with twelve gates, high walls, and angels protecting it.
A place where every tear is wiped away; where there is no more wailing, pain or death. A place where the poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers, and the clean of heart will participate in a divine banquet with God as the host.
As magnificent as it must be, Jesus simply refers to it as his, “Father’s house.” The place where the Lord now hangs his hat.
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In today’s Gospel, God the Father literally rips the heavens open, allowing the disciples a glimpse of the place where everything began, and where everything will end.
This vision reveals that, among its residents, are two historical figures from the Old Testament who shepherded God’s people – Moses and Elijah. They speak with Jesus as he is transfigured before his inner circle of friends – Peter, James, and John.
These guys have seen nothing like it before. Who has? So much could be said about what they see, but there’s one detail, in particular, that captures my attention.
Yes, Peter sees the Lord in his unfiltered glory. “His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them,” the Gospel says. But consider what else – or who else – Peter sees.
Moses and Elijah.
Men who lived centuries before Jesus, yet are somehow alive again! They have names, faces, and bodies. Peter can even distinguish between the two. Moses represents the Law of the Old Testament and Elijah the prophets.
These figures reveal that in heaven, our names, our bodies, and our memories go with us. Nothing is lost. Nothing is forgotten.
You’ll be you.
And I’ll be me.
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Peter is so overcome that he doesn’t know what to do but speak. The only thing that comes to mind is this: “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Peter was not wrong in wanting to build something beautiful for Christ, but he was wrong about the building materials.
Peter proposed constructing a physical tent. But Jesus wanted something different; he aimed to fill Peter’s heart with faith, allowing him to better understand what will happen to Jesus as he is crucified, dies, and rises from the dead.
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The fact that Peter offers to build three tents suggests he sees Jesus, Moses, and Elijah as equals; the Lord was just another great prophet.
Peter has yet to fully understand that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament in himself. He is the long-awaited Messiah; the fulfillment of the Law; the one whom all of the prophets foretold; God’s beloved Son.
The Father affirms this as he interrupts Peter, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!”
Although Peter saw marvelous things – the heavens opened, Christ transfigured, Moses and Elijah floating gloriously alongside Jesus – he failed to put all of the pieces together, reminding us just how difficult it can be to believe.
Faith stretches our minds, enlarges our hearts, and challenges us to see the “fourth dimension” of reality – God’s presence in all things. Not just on a mountaintop, but everywhere.
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What might be other things which Jesus longs for us to “see” today?
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Certainly, he desires for us to see him “transfigured” in the Eucharist; to hear him in his Word; to recognize his presence in the face of our family members, our friends, the unwelcome, the outcast, even within ourselves.
As the Lord promises at the end of Matthew’s Gospel before returning to heaven:
“Behold, I am with you always.”
Not only at the end, but always.
Now.
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So, have you ever wondered what heaven is like?
Maybe it literally is a city – radiant, clear as crystal, with twelve gates, high walls, and angels protecting it. A place with one massive dining table with a host of empty seats – one of them having our own name on it. I certainly hope to find out.
Until then, each of us is invited to remain close to the One who will lead us there – Jesus Christ, God’s “beloved Son,” the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
How might we follow him more closely this Lent?
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Image credits: (1) Dreamstime.com (2) The Transfiguration, Raphael (3) Lay Cistercians of South Florida