Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus : Mediation

 Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus

         The mountain in the bible represents a place close to God, a place of prayer. It is a place where one stands in the presence of the lord. It is in such a mountain that glory of Jesus is unveiled to the disciples. This revelation is approved by the voice from heaven where the father in heaven reveals the identity of Jesus in the words “This is my beloved son and with him I am well pleased listen to him”.

          The expression ‘listen to him’ is important in the Mathean gospel. There are scholars who see the entire gospel of Mathew as five discourses. Mathean gospel emphasizes on the teaching of Jesus, manifested in the mission command of Jesus. In the mission command we read thus ‘teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you’. For mathean community this divine exhortation undoubtedly emphasizes the authority of Jesus. Old Testament revelation is symbolized in transfiguration by the presence of Mosses and Elijah. The culmination and perfection of the law and prophesy is manifested in the teachings of Jesus. The whole history of Christian ethics could be seen as commentary of the transfiguration. The teachings of Jesus have a final and incomparable authority in the gospel of Mathew. In Mathew 24:35 we read “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”.    

We the disciples of Jesus are called to be people who are supposed to listen to his voice and take his words seriously. Pope Francis says “in order to listen to Jesus, we must be close to him, and we must follow him like crowd in the gospel”, that is we have to chase after him.

        

  The modern world has become so noisy, by the presence of social media. Whenever people are faced with number of struggles they fail to take right discernment as they are a number of suggestions and opinions due to the influence of media, by influence of their friends etc.

          The transfiguration of Jesus and testimony of his father in heaven makes it clear that we should not be tempted or influenced by the thousands of voice that we hear in our life from different sources. But we are asked to listen to the teachings of Jesus, which should be the ultimate norm of in our life to move forward. So that we may be able to fulfill the words of god, which says “your word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path”.

          The proper listening to word of God can be hindered because we fail to be silent in our life. It is not simply the external silence that demanded from us. But we are called to preserve the internal silence so that we may be able to heed to the teachings of Jesus.

 Let us rise our minds and heart towards heaven which is opened before us and pray. Lord our god let your word be my light when my ways are darkened by the temptations of this world. Amen