Coffee With God

Reflection: Luke 9:28b-36

Today, 13 March 2022, is the ninth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as 266th Pope. Nine years of his Papacy has been a constant accompaniment of the elderly, the poor and migrants: people who are marginalized, victims of the “disposable” mentality of the world. On this day, let us pray for the Pope and his intentions. On the second Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to reflect on the transfiguration of Jesus. St. Luke’s version of transfiguration specifies the reason why Jesus went up the mountain: he goes there to pray. While he is in prayer, Luke speaks of a change in the face of Jesus. His face radiates the splendour of the glory of God. Bible gives other examples of people whose face changed when they also spent time in prayer. The face of Moses became brilliant when he entered into dialogue with the Lord. It could be our own experience too. After a time of Eucharistic adoration or celebration of the Word, have we not experienced becoming joyful, serene, smiling, tolerant and generous? Our faces are relaxed and emit light. Moses and Elijah, appear in the scene. They are symbols of the two divisions of the Old Testament – the Torah and the Books of the Prophets. Jesus, without the Old Testament, remains a mystery. On Easter day, on the road to Emmaus, we find Jesus explaining the Scriptures to the disciples: “Then starting with Moses, and going through the prophets, he explained to them everything in the Scriptures concerning himself” (Lk 24:27). The scene of transfiguration suggests to the readers an important message: The disciples are able to experience the beatific vision when they encounter three people – Moses, Elijah and Jesus. These three represent the whole Bible. Moses and Elijah represent the Old Testament, while Jesus represent New Testament. Climb the high mountain of the Bible – the Word of God to experience the Glory of God. Luke alone records the content of the dialogue with Jesus: they spoke of his exodus, his passage from this world to the Father. The three disciples: Peter, James, and John, understand nothing of what was happening. Instead, these three disciples are found sleepy. In the garden of Olives, we will find them sleeping again. They are our true representatives – who would feel drowsy and exhausted in crucial moments of faith. The three tents perhaps indicate the desire of Peter to stay put in the joy he experienced in a moment of being with the Master. We can relate to this experience too: We prefer to remain in our comfort zones and do not want to face problems of life that cause us fear. But the voice of the Father asks us to do only one thing: “Listen to him.”