When Happiness Fades
Gospel (3/5/2023)
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."
In the Gospel this weekend, we hear about the Transfiguration. I have always found Peter’s words to be fruitful to reflect on because of his desire to remain in the presence of the Transfigured Christ, Moses, and Elijah.
The Transfiguration was likely the most joyful and heavenly experience that they had had at that moment and it seems like they wanted to never leave that experience and feeling. It reminds me of the very human desire to pause time when things are going well in our lives.
We all probably have moments when things are peaceful, we are happy, and we feel like we are being flooded with God’s grace. When I have those moments, I wish that I could remain in them forever!
However, the Fall has guaranteed that we will not be on this side of Heaven. To try and preserve these moments will ultimately fail and we will be disappointed. There will be good times and bad times, and that is perfectly OK. It is important to remember that if the moment has passed, it does not mean that God does not love you anymore or that you are necessarily doing something wrong.
I think it can be tempting to think that because we do not feel good that something must be wrong or amiss in our relationship with Christ. Sometimes we feel bad because we have sinned in some way, but this is not always the case. Sometimes it is simply the result of our fallen world.
This week consider praying with St. Peter and what it was like for him to be in that moment with Christ and then return to daily life.