All three of the readings for mass today are very powerful. We really can’t imagine what it was like for the prophet Daniel to see the visions of the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, being presented before the throne of the Ancient One. What an overpowering experience that must have been. He describes the Ancient One on His throne, as having clothing as bright as snow, and His hair was as white as wool. He used fire to describe the throne of the Ancient One. His throne was made up of wheels of burning fire, and a surge of fire flowed from where He sat. Very powerful images, the magnitude of which is difficult for us to comprehend.
There is a puzzling statement in the first reading though. It says that, “The court was convened and the books were opened.” It is a shame that the prophet Daniel did not elaborate on this further.
Many people have been puzzled by this reading in modern times. Some people wildly speculate that the prophet Elijah is actually describing an encounter with an alien race in a spaceship. The burning wheels and surging stream of fire under the throne sounds a whole lot like a spaceship, and the prophet Daniel never actually calls the Ancient One ‘God’. When he describes the “one like a Son of man”, he uses the word like, indicating that he resembles man but is not a human. This would of course be an accurate description of Jesus Christ though, because he is part man and part divine.
Christians take this reading to be a vision of God seated on His throne, and His son Jesus Christ being presented to Him, and given an everlasting dominion over all people, nations and tongues. But, it is worth mentioning that the Catholic church accepts the fact, that it is possible that God created other forms of life on other planets in the universe, besides the earth. If He made us, it’s possible that He could have created other life forms on distant planets as well.
However, the account in today’s gospel of the transfiguration of Jesus was not a vision. Peter testifies in the second reading that, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty … We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.” This was not a vision in the night, but a genuine occurrence that three men witnessed in person. They witnessed Jesus talking in person with Moses and Elijah.
Moses represented the law and Elijah the prophets. Why was Jesus speaking with them? Could it be because Jesus was preparing for his death and wanted to make sure that all that was written of him was fulfilled when he was crucified? Perhaps they were discussing this, or preparing Jesus for what lay ahead. God the Father also appeared in a bright cloud and spoke audibly, confirming that Jesus was his beloved Son and for them to listen to him. The disciples were not afraid of seeing Elijah and Moses, but they were terrified when they heard God’s voice. They fell to the ground and were very much afraid.
The beautiful thing about the end of the gospel reading is how Jesus approached his disciples and touched them, saying, “Rise and do not be afraid.” He gently reassured them, by physically touching them and telling them not to be afraid. Who does this remind you of? Saint, Pope John Paul II also told all of us many times, “Be not afraid.”
This might be a good thing to remember from the readings for Mass today, that we are to trust in the Lord Jesus, no matter what kind of overwhelming experiences we may have during our life. There are soldiers on the battlefield that are sometimes overwhelmed by the scenes of war, people are affected by widespread natural disasters, car accidents, crime, or a sudden diagnosis of terminal cancer for an example. But, we are to trust in the Lord Jesus, both in life and in death. Jesus physically talked with Moses and Elijah who had been dead a long time. Peter, James and John personally witnessed this. Jesus also rose from the dead and many people witnessed his resurrected body too.
We can face what lies ahead if we do not doubt Jesus, or who he is. Jesus cares for us just as much as he did his three disciples in today’s gospel. He does not want us to be afraid of anything in life and most certainly in death. The Lord Jesus is with us through thick and thin, through every single experience we have in life and he will never leave us alone. When things happen that seem overwhelming, Christ’s words in today’s gospel can be of great comfort, if we make a point to remember them:
“Rise and do not be afraid.”
Daily Mass Readings:
Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14 / Psalm 97 / 2 Peter 1: 16-19 / Matthew 17: 1-9
