25 February 2024 Mark 9:2-10
Peter reacted to the Transfiguration like a pious Jew.
In a sense, Peter understood it all entirely – this was a Theophany, an appearance of God, to him and James and John, right here in this remote place. This was something to remember and celebrate, something to capture and commemorate in a feast. It made him think about the Feast of Booths (Sukkoth), one of the High Holidays when the Jews remembered (and remember still) the wilderness wandering with Moses, their time alone with God while he was forming them into the Chosen People. They still built (and still build) little booths, temporary shelters that they live in during the Feast of Sukkoth to remind them of that cherished time. Like a pious Jew, Peter wanted to make a festival: “Let us make three tents – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5).
The problem with festivals, of course, is the stuff they leave out.
The time with Moses in the wilderness was the Israelites’ time alone with God. But it was also the time of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:1-6), and Miriam’s and Aaron’s Rebellion (Numbers 12:1-16), Korah’s Rebellion (Numbers 16:1-40), and the whole generation that came out of Egypt had to die in the wilderness before anyone was ready to enter the Promised Land.
Every festival leaves stuff out.
Which is why God crashes the party so that we remember the bits we are trying not to think about: “Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice – ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him’” (9:7).
Jesus had been talking to the disciples about His Passion and Resurrection, and they didn’t understand: “So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant” (Mark 9:10, cf. also 8:31-33). Of all the teachings of the gospel, this is the one most of all that the disciples, and all Christians have to get right. If Jesus is not risen from the dead, then our faith is in vain and we are still in our sins (I Corinthians 15:17). If the resurrection isn’t true, then Jesus is a liar, Christianity is false, and the Church has to be stopped because it is promoting lies, raising money to promote lies, encouraging people to risk their lives for the sake of lies.
If the resurrection is false, it is the greatest humbuggery in the world. But if it is true, it is far and away the world’s most important fact: Death is finished. All life is forever. You spend forever where you choose.
The disciples, and all Christians, have to get this one right: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”
There is a reason why the most obvious features of a Catholic Church are the Crucifix and the Tabernacle. They say loud and clear, “Christ Crucified, Christ Risen, Christ Here.” The Gravity of Sin, the Miracle of Mercy, Heaven touching Earth, Heaven touching You, in your hands, right now, right here. None of these things are metaphors. All of them are concrete facts, and it is these facts that make prayer possible, that make prayer powerful, that make the Bible reliable, that make lives fixable.
Many Catholics, many Christians everywhere are intimidated by the call to evangelize, to make disciples of all nations (cf. Matthew 28:16-20). They wonder what the content of their witness should be, what they should say. Here it is:
“Christ Crucified, Christ Risen, Christ Here.”
The Gravity of Sin, the Miracle of Mercy, Heaven touching Earth, Heaven touching You, in your hands, right now, right here.
Death is finished. All life is forever. You spend forever where you choose.
The world’s most important facts. Get this right most of all.
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”
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