Aug 6 – Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Today we celebrate the occasion on which Christ revealed Himself in shining splendour to Peter, James, and John. Moses and Elijah were present, and are taken to signify the Law and the Prophets. They testify to Jesus as the promised Messiah. God the Father also proclaimed him as such, saying, “This is my Beloved Son. Listen to him.” For a moment, the veil is drawn aside, and men still on earth are permitted a glimpse of the heavenly reality, the glory of the Eternal Triune God.
– http://satucket.com/lectionary/Transfiguration.htm
Dan 7:9-10,13-14
Lk 9:28-36
Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory…
In the Old Testament, sleep is occasionally implied as a sweet blessing from God (Ps 4:8;127:2; Ecc 5:12). In these instances and more, as when both Joseph the son of Jacob, as well as St Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, slept, God spoke to them in their dreams and imparted important messages and commands. Biblically though, there is a flipside to sleep. The word ‘sleep’ is also used metaphorically to reference spiritual dullness, sloth, or a lack of watchfulness.
Peter, James and John’s doziness in the luminous Transfiguration mystery of our Lord on Mount Tabor certainly resonates with me. Most of us can relate to feeling like our spirit is willing. whilst our flesh is weak — when we try to stay awake and pray, do a Scripture reflection on a quiet afternoon, or keep our eyes open and ourselves from yawning during Mass at dawn, when all our brains and bodies seem to desire is to lie down, close our eyes and drift gently off to dreamland. Often too, we may give in easily to the temptation of a nap over Rosary devotion, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, or doing our daily Lectio Divina, making the excuse (half-jokingly) that we instead ‘rested in the Lord’.
As much as Jesus understands our weaknesses and human condition, he never stops calling us to stay awake and spend time with him. At Mount Tabor, as at the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord pointedly asked his closest companions to stay awake with him and pray. But to what end? Shouldn’t we sleep when we’re tired? Wasn’t he asleep too on the boat, when the storm arose because he was exhausted? The latter encounter was a lesson and a teaching moment on trust and faith, but Jesus’ constant call for us to stay awake is his invitation to us to adopt a posture of holy indifference in our lives, to learn to detach from creature comforts, to decrease (so he and his grace can increase in us), and to mortify ourselves. Discipline and sacrifice are necessary for the purpose of growing in holiness, aligning our desires and plans fully with the Lord’s, which is always perfectly intended for our greatest good and eternal salvation. The Lord knows we can grow through self-denial, cross-carrying and suffering. But we can only do so with God’s help. The more we ask him to help us stay awake and remain in him, the more we can stay awake and give him glory. And the better we will be able to collaborate with him for an outpouring of graces on our fractured world. Yes, we can, and do, play a part in making the world better. Jesus demands it of all his disciples.
Being watchful, vigilant, and prepared also enables us to develop the virtues we need to be fruitful, to multiply the charisms with which we have been showered (yes, everyone has them), for we never know the time, day or hour when he calls us to eternal life, when we will have to account for a life well lived, or one sorely squandered. So, while rest is a necessary gift from God to heal and refresh our bodies and minds, let’s remember not to sleepwalk through our faith life. At the next vigil, when nodding off in the cold and dark seems like paradise, I shall recall the words of Scripture: “Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory…”
(Today’s OXYGEN by Susanah Cheok)
Prayer: My Lord and my God, give me the strength to deny the pleasure of sleep when spending time with you is essential to my salvation. Teach me, O Lord, to bear these small daily crosses, so that – like Sts. Peter, James and John – I may experience your glory and greatness just by availing myself to you. Amen.
Thanksgiving: I thank you, Jesus, for being that still, soft voice, gently encouraging me to overcome my weaknesses. Thank you for cheering me on through the struggles of spiritual apathy and never giving up on me. Thank you for receiving me as I am, but continuously moulding me, and calling me your joy and delight. Amen.
OXYGEN 
Leave a comment