The Teacher calls an inner circle of His disciples into the depth of Himself. To do this, He takes them up a high mountain, a favourite place for a meeting with God. Here, He is transfigured into light. The ‘three’ are given an astonishing gift – to see Jesus, the Beloved Son, in communion with His Abba. The gift is given so that they might grow in their desire to follow Jesus. It hasn’t been easy for them. What they are seeing is for their benefit.
But then more is given. Elijah and Moses arrive. They too like high mountains. In their own day they went there to talk with God and to find the wisdom to make God’s plan work with people who were highly resistant to them. Speaking on behalf of the ‘three’, Peter exclaims that it is great to be part of this event. But these are the words of someone who feels he is in over his head. The One they were shadowing is now even more attractive and, at the same time, a little bit scary! Then even more is given. A cloud descends and now God is shadowing them. This is probably as close as you’re going to get to God. And then God speaks. He reveals the true name of this Jesus. It is the same name that was given at His Baptism in the Jordan, ‘My Son, the Beloved’. For disciples, this is a call to listen more attentively to what the Beloved Son is saying. This is the revelation. And then, the moment of Grace ends, as they must. Now all they have is Jesus and the truth about Him. The vision has strengthened their understanding of Jesus as God’s Beloved Son and the inheritor of the law and the prophets. They know that Jesus has God’s seal of approval, but they have yet to understand the divine plan. Somehow, this is tied to the rather mysterious question of the Son of Man “rising from the dead”. And so, until they understand both the identity of Jesus and the divine plan, they are charged to be silent. They are, and yet they try to solve the puzzle amongst themselves. As do we! I wonder if we might come closer to understanding in this way. Those who turn away from God are left in communities of loneliness. Loneliness brings panic, and, in their panic, people will try anything to fill the void they have made in their own lives. Grace reverses this process. People grounded in God do not know what it is like to be separated. Their communion fills them and propels them outwards. Instead of trying to grab and hold, they find joy in giving themselves. And here they discover one of life’s strangest truths, that the source of life is always available to those who walk with generous hearts before God. These are the ones who bring strength and healing to a broken and troubled world. In the Transfiguration narrative Jesus radiates outwards. This is the sign of His communion with God. Neither God nor Jesus abandon this troubled world or her troubled people. They move in sync to restore what was lost. This is what disciples are meant to understand. That feeling grounded and at home and flowing into the world with compassion and blessing, they find a deeper compassion and more abundant blessing. Thus, the are transfigured with Christ. Cyprian Smith states the case beautifully: “It is possible for human beings, living, thinking and acting in God, to think, see and do as God does. Instead of standing within the created world, looking in it for signs of a God who is outside it, we stand within God and it is the world that now appears outside, we are greater than it. It appears as a pale and imperfect reflection of the dazzling and brilliant truth in which we are living and making our home”. (The Way of Paradox: Spiritual Life as Taught by Meister Eckhart.)
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![]() If you made it to mass on Ash Wednesday, you will have received the traditional sign that Lent or Springtime has begun. The minster will have anointed your forehead with ashes and with words of invitation, "Change your heart, and believe the Good News!" It would be a mistake, of course, to think that this activity is confined to the six weeks of Lent! Changing hearts and believing in Jesus takes, at least, a lifetime. Notice what unfolds as Jesus enters the waters of the river Jordan. He sinks. Then, He emerges in an act of human reaching and ascending openness. As He does so, he finds the heavens torn open, not for a second or two, but permanently. This opening allows the Spirit of Love to reach for Him. It does not land on him like a bird, it falls into Him. And then, from the inside, the Spirit drives Him into the wilderness. For Jesus, the moment of Baptism becomes the foundation for a struggle. The certainty of being loved unfolds into the desire to be faithful. This wilderness will be a place of testing and of conflict. But not with God. It is Satan who holds sway here. Notice how quickly he makes his move on Jesus. He is associated with the 'wild beasts' - symbols of the violence Jesus will face if He is faithful to His mission. The Gospel of Mark isn't just 'Good News', it is good news in a bad world. Satan isn't a character in a novel and shouldn't be imagined this way. Rather, he is the inner, invisible energy of people, groups and nations who inflict suffering on others. This adversary of God manifests itself through individuals, groups and nations by turning them into wild beasts who devour God's good creation. At this moment, the Adversary is working through the wild beast Herod who has arrested John. But Jesus is not intimidated by this. In fact, he moves into the heart of Herod’s territory. Jesus not only preaches the Kingdom of God, He is the Kingdom of God! His Baptism structures his identity in the world. He is sustained by divine love. His life in time is permeated by eternity. Now this must happen to others. Jesus’ mission is to offer those He calls, the same gifts that are in Himself. This is why He tells them that the 'Kingdom of God is very near to you'. Disciples must turn away from lives that alienate others and cause them suffering and turn toward lives that embrace the new humanity. Creation is being restored and they have a part to play in this work but the Adversary is strong and has many disciples of his own. This is why we speak of our struggle to be faithful. It does not come easily. If we were to ask why it is difficult to change our hearts and believe the Good News, we might consider that it is because we also believe other things which don't sit well with the radical teaching of Jesus. We might prize wealth, beauty or power. We might have decided that no one can be trusted and increase our defence spending. We might believe in revenge or in our right to have power over others. This is why it is important to have a searing honesty with ourselves. Our behaviour will always reveal the beliefs we live by and this can be uncomfortable self-knowledge! And finally, there is the thorny issue of time and death. If we allow Jesus to teach us how to value ourselves in a way that neither time nor death can destroy we will notice that our identity isn't defined by what we have or don't have. It will be found in the celebration of our true identity as daughters and sons of the Most High. If we keep faith with this, our faith in Jesus will gradually change to faith with Jesus. What we treasure and where our hearts live, will become united. The Good News will take us there and we will find that our choices, decisions and behaviour will flow from this treasure in our hearts. This is the adventure of discipleship. It is the lifelong journey of coming to know the infinite love which has chosen to live in the heart of our being. Wow! ![]() The word is out. Jesus is a healer who banishes illness and inner torment. So, the moment the sun has set and strange sabbath rules no longer apply, they come to Him, bringing their sick in droves. It must have been a great evening for everyone. They are witnesses to how healing unbreaks the broken circles of love and restores lives and communities. Yet, in the Gospel, these cures are recorded but they are not embellished in any way. Even the ‘demons’ are not allowed to speak. If they are heard, Jesus will be misunderstood. He silences the ‘demons’ because He knows their half-truth is more dangerous than a lie. The real Mission is unfolding, and Jesus has to stay close to the One who has sent him. He seeks out the desert and prayerful communion with His Abba. Here, he enjoys clarity and sees the right direction He needs to take. Jesus has to choose, and prayer will centre Him for those decisions. He cannot afford to be distracted by ‘popularity’. His cures and exorcisms are magnets that draw large crowds. To His ‘not yet fully trained disciples’, crowds spell success. Fame and reputation are still a big temptation for them. Jesus calls followers but He does not court fans. The message is more important than the miracles. This is why He came. His identity, claimed and reclaimed in prayer, draws Him away from the crowds who seek Him. He must move on. The message, the spiritual revolution must be preached and taught in word and deed. Ram Dass, a spiritual teacher in the Hindu tradition, suffered a severe stroke in 1977. In his wonderful book, ‘Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying’, he wrote, “While cures aim at returning our bodies to what they were in the past, healing uses what is present to move us more deeply into soul awareness, and in some cases, physical improvement. Although I have not been cured of the effects of my stroke, I have certainly undergone profound healings of mind and heart”. (p.67). For Ram, it is in the sickness that the healing begins. And in his poem, ‘Fever’, John Updike speaks about the inner healing that came from his illness. I have brought back a good message from the land of 102 degrees: God exists. I had seriously doubted this before; but the bedposts spoke of it with utmost confidence, the thread of my blanket took it for granted. (Collected Poems 1953-1993) p.28 Again, some patients have reported a greater sense of being alive and closer to others when they were sick. This was the case for Fred who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. After an initial period of distress something amazing happened to him. He just stopped doing everything that didn’t really matter. His terminally ill life had become vital and peaceful. When the doctor called to tell him they had made a mistake he was shattered. “When I heard this over the phone, I cried like a baby – because I was afraid my life would go back to the way it used to be”. (Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future, pp25-26) This is the challenge the Gospel presents. Cures are a sign of the Kingdom of God. Like illness, they should be received as a gift and both should carry us to the new humanity. This is why Simon’s mother-in-law is both cured and healed. The touch of Jesus is a transfusion. His life flows into her life. In loving the person, hidden at the centre of an illness, He lifts her up. The fever leaves and service begins. God’s service to her becomes her service of others. This healing reconnects her to the true meaning of her life. The flow of life and love through her intimate communion with God, herself and her community results in the Dignity of Service. And the Gospels are clear that service is not menial work. It is the hallmark of the new humanity that Jesus, the Beloved Son of God came to establish. After all, He Himself came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10.45) What about us? |
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CATHOLIC PARISH OF ST JOSEPH & ST MARGARET CLITHEROW
St Joseph’s Church. 39 Braccan Walk, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1HA (Directions)
Tel: 01344 425729
Email: stjb@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
South Berkshire Pastoral Area
The parish is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust registered charity 246871
St Joseph’s Church. 39 Braccan Walk, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1HA (Directions)
Tel: 01344 425729
Email: stjb@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
South Berkshire Pastoral Area
The parish is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust registered charity 246871