Over the years, I have traveled to many holy sites, including the Holy Land, Rome, Assisi, and various historic Marian shrines. Of all the places I have visited, the one that stands out the most is the Marian shrine at Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a place I have visited five times. Why? Because of a deep, all-pervading sense of peace that reigns in the whole town. When I am there, I wish that I would never have to leave.
My desire to stay in Medjugorje is perhaps similar to Peter's desire to stay on the mountain with Jesus. He experiences an intimation of Heaven -- of the glory, the beauty, the joy, and the peace that await us in eternity. But much like I have always had to return from Medjugorje to the day-to-day vicissitudes of life, Peter too must come down from the mountain and face what is to come next.
But Peter is not just returning to ordinary life. The Transfiguration, as the narrative in this Sunday's Gospel passage is known, is a transitional moment. Jesus is God Himself, who became incarnate, taking on our humanity to be among us and offer himself up as a sacrifice for all of us. At the beginning of each new phase of his earthly mission, Christ shows forth his divinity in a special way through what is called a theophany.
The Transfiguration is the theophany before Christ begins his journey toward Jerusalem for the final time in order to be crucified. We see Christ's divine glory on the mountain top. But Christ cannot stay in that glory for now, not until after he has undergone the crucifixion. The disciples too must experience the fullness of the suffering that awaits them. The message of the Gospel is the same for us. We too must bear the full weight of our cross before we can receive heavenly glory.
The Second Reading warns us against seeking a sense of fulfillment in earthly things. Nothing in this life can truly satisfy us, because we are made for eternal union with God. We are born with a fundamental inner hunger, an existential yearning for something greater than ourselves. We go through life searching for something or someone to fill that gap. But only God can fill it. While earthly realities can give us some measure of fulfillment, only God can satisfy us completely.
Sometimes God sends suffering into our lives in order to jolt us out of our complacency. He gives us suffering so as to smash our idols to bits and to free us to focus on what is truly important for us. Suffering helps to reshape our priorities and to let go of the unwholesome attachments that bind us. Through suffering, we can learn to love more deeply.
But what we do with our suffering is our choice. Suffering can make someone a saint or a sociopath. As Sr. Miriam James Heidland has put it, suffering that is not transformed is transferred. Do we want to be a healing force in the world or a cancerous growth that spreads destruction among the people in our lives?
The key to being a healing presence in life is accepting our own suffering. Here I should say that some suffering is preventable and we should do what we reasonably can to prevent it. Also, some suffering can be alleviated with various remedies and, again, we should take reasonable measures to free ourselves from the pain.
But all of our lives will be visited by some suffering that we cannot escape no matter how hard we try. If we accept that Cross and unite it with the Cross of Christ, we will grow through our suffering, becoming deeply loving, channeling the love of God to all the people in our lives. But if we do not accept our Cross, if we bitterly struggle against it, we will become evil, a destructive force. The choice is ours.
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The readings for the Second Suday of Lent, Cycle C, are:
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
Philippians 3:17—4:1
Luke 9:28b-36
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: Mosaic in the Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor in the Holy Land By Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.