Lenten Reflections

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By Fr. Mathias Durette, O.S.B., Campus Ministry

Peter, James, and John were allowed to see what God is promising those who strive to live by faith, not only in God, but also in each other, in the fundamental goodness of life; a faith that tells us that we are important, that life is not just a jumble of unrelated and meaningless events; a faith that makes us come to the realization that life holds together a context of related events that have some kind of ultimate meaning and are leading us somewhere – and to someone.

For a brief time that day, Peter, James, and John moved away from all of the domestic, social, political, and religious problems of the time and ascended to the top of the mountain with Jesus. In the presence of his friends, Jesus spoke to Moses and Elijah, showing that Jesus is the fulfillment of what the prophets foretold. And then they heard the voice of God…

All three apostles, especially Peter, were totally caught up in the moment but the moment passed, and they had to accompany Jesus back down the mountain to the ordinariness of daily living – to a life filled with the joys and heartaches known to all of us.

What happened to those apostles can happen to us. If we are willing to give a little of our time to persevere in our seeking God by entering into private prayer, liturgical celebrations, and service to others, there is a very good possibility that we too will experience moments of transfiguration – moments when the hidden presence of the Risen Lord will be made known to us.

Like the three apostles, we too are forced to descend the mountain – those places and moments of great spiritual experiences. Like those three apostles, we have to live in the valleys of ordinariness. Instead of seeing great visions of Jesus, we have to listen for Jesus’ voice amid the problems and uncertainties of everyday life.

And Jesus speaks to us in many different ways: in Sacred Scripture, in the Sacraments, through the circumstances of daily life – which he made holy when he became human. We hear the voice of Jesus in those around us. We hear Jesus in the promptings of conscience and in the needs of those we encounter along our paths in life.

Perhaps if we look at Lent as a time of listening for the voice of God, we will hear the words heard by Jesus’ three friends on the mountaintop over two-thousand years ago: “This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him,” because Jesus will lead you to Heaven.