Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up a mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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God the Father only speaks twice in the Gospels.
The first moment comes at Christ’s baptism.
Jesus is plunged into the Jordan River by John. Upon being drawn out of that watery tomb, the heavens are opened as the Spirit descends upon Jesus in the form of a dove.
Suddenly, the Father proclaims from the heavens, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
No other word is spoken from heaven until the Transfiguration, which we hear in today’s Gospel.
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Jesus leads his inner circle – Peter, James, and John – up a high mountain, where his clothes become dazzling white. The disciples stare in wonder as Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah, two prophets from the Old Testament.
Suddenly, the Father appears again in a cloud, repeating the words he spoke at Christ’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Then the Father disappears, never to speak again, leaving Jesus alone with his disciples.
Why does the Father say nothing else? And why does he only appear at these two events in Christ’s earthly life?
To affirm two truths: Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore, he speaks on his Father’s behalf. Whatever truths God wants to share with creation come from the mouth of the Lord.
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“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
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To “listen” to Jesus not only means to hear his voice, but also to obey what he says. Doing so assures us a share in his divine life, which we receive a glimpse of today.
How do we make time to listen to the voice of the Lord? In what ways do we act on it?
May the words of the prophet Samuel become a daily mantra for us: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”
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Image credits: (1) Ron Lach, Pexels (2) Transfiguration of the Lord, Carl Bloch (3) Jesus Rocks Ministry
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Peter is understandably afraid. Until now, he’s only walked on land. Never would he have imagined walking on water, which could swallow him whole.
Still, the Lord dares Peter to step out of his comfort zone; to trust that Peter can do something new – something radical – with the Lord’s blessing.
We don’t know how far Peter walked, whether it was one foot or a thousand before the wind screamed loud enough and the waves reached high enough that he lost his newfound freedom and began to sink.
But while he trusted Jesus, Peter was as light as a feather. When he reached his limit and fear filled his heart, he sank like lead.
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I wonder if any of the other disciples would’ve been inspired to follow Peter’s example, stepping out of the boat, had he stayed out on the water.
Would they have surprised Jesus by their courage? Or could each of the disciples have walked on water with enough trust?
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We’ve all stood on the edge of that proverbial boat before, knowing that Jesus is calling us to take a leap of faith.
Whether it’s an addict being invited to stand on the waters of sobriety.
A newly married couple being inspired to bring life into the world.
Or an otherwise ordinary day when, suddenly, we have an impulse to do something kind, beautiful, even BIG for God.
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Walking on land is boring in that sense. We all do it.
But those who put their trust in Christ can do so much more, for our God is the One, “whom even the winds and the sea obey.”
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Image credits: (1) Christ Walking on Water, Julius Sergius von Klever (2) Christ Walking on the Sea, Amédeé Verint (3) iStock
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Arthur Brooks is a Catholic professor at Harvard, who teaches an elective on happiness. This is currently the most popular class on campus with a waiting list of over 400 students!
Brooks claims that all of his students are right-brained, intelligent, high-achievers who have a world of possibilities before them, yet many struggle with feeling unhappy or depressed… and they want to better understand why.
While there can be many factors underlying these feelings, Brooks says that one trap any human being can fall into – not just students at Harvard – is what he calls the “arrival fallacy.”
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The “arrival fallacy” is the belief that achieving a long-term goal will make us happy. Yet when we do, the feeling is short-lived.
Consider Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler is currently the best golfer in the world. (I’m jealous). But after winning his last major golf tournament, Scheffler admitted that the happiness he felt from all of his worldly success was short lived.
Sometimes the euphoria of winning only lasted a matter of minutes.
“You get there,” he said to reporters after raising his trophy and receiving a seven-figure payout, “you get to No. 1 in the world, and you’re like, ‘What’s the point?’ … Does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart?”
“Absolutely not.”
Standing on top of the world, Scheffler speaks prophetically: we need more than worldly success or “larger barns” to be happy.
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In today’s Gospel, a man feels miffed by his older brother. Their father has died and now the man wants his share of the family wealth.
“Teacher,” he says to Jesus, “tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” According to the Book of Deuteronomy, the eldest son was poised to receive double the inheritance of any younger brother, leaving this man feeling cheated.
Doesn’t he sound a lot like Martha, whom we encountered in the Gospel a few weeks ago?
Martha and her sister, Mary, hosted the Lord for a meal. But after working in the kitchen for some time by herself, Martha stormed into the living room, interrupted Jesus, accused her sister of causing all of her anxiety, then commanded Jesus, “Tell her to help me!”
Both Martha and this disgruntled younger brother believe they have the solution to their unhappiness – either more wealth or a helping hand from their sibling. They just need Jesus to issue the verdict.
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Peering into this disgruntled brother’s heart, Jesus offers him a parable, instead. A rich man’s land produced a bountiful harvest. So, he asked himself, “What shall I do, for I do not have enough space to store my harvest?”
“And he said, ‘This is what I shall do. I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.’ There I shall store all my grain and other goods, and I shall say to myself, ‘Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”
But I’m left wondering, be merry with whom?
This man never considers anyone other than himself. Foolishly, he believes he’ll be content, not with people, but with things. Then God demands his life that very night.
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If the disgruntled younger brother is not careful, then he can become the man in the parable – selfish, greedy, entirely alone.
The fact that he’s arguing with his older brother over a family inheritance implies that he already has enough to survive; if they were poor, then there would’ve been nothing to argue about!
But money is always about more than money. In this case, money aggravates an already fragile relationship between brothers.
Thus, what both men should be concerned about more than their father’s estate is reconciliation. If they cannot learn the art of forgiveness, then neither will live in peace; the anger and resentment will simmer, slowly burning away any peace in their hearts.
Secondly, they – and we – should be weary of the “arrival fallacy.”
While there is an undeniable sense of satisfaction that comes from achieving our worldly goals – even our share of an inheritance – lasting happiness is not the fruit of raising a trophy or building larger barns.
According to Arthur Brooks, the path to happiness is a bit more complex. In fact, he identifies six different behaviors that happy people practice, which the man in the parable does not:
Happy people ask deep questions. They fall in love. They look upward. They’re spiritual or philosophical. They find a calling in their work. They seek beauty in nature, art, and music. And they’re not afraid of suffering.
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Do these ideas of happiness resonate with me?
Like Scottie Scheffler, have I come to see there’s more to life than winning?
Or, do I find myself building larger barns in an effort to make myself happy?
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“Be rich in what matters to God,” Jesus says.
Ask the bigger questions.
Share life’s blessings with others.
Fall in love.
Then we’ll be happy.
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Image credits: (1) Maria Moor, Medium (2) Parsippany United Methodist Church (3) Medium
