Hello kind readers! For a second time, fellow parishioner Brent Smith is providing the reflection. May his words inspire your dialogue with the Word of the Lord! ~ John C
Put on Your Boots and Follow Him!
In a pair of jeans already worn on the previous day’s hike, I exited my tent and moved toward the center of the camp. The comforting smell of steaming coffee and hot oatmeal helped quicken my pace toward the growing gathering of fellow hikers. In the midst of the young adults having breakfast and conversation stood a few gray habited religious brothers and sisters, members of a Roman Catholic order* which focuses its collective apostolate – aka characteristic ministry or charism – on forming the next generation of Catholic leaders. On this camping trip, participants agreed to a shared life of meals, liturgical prayer and adventurous hiking.
We ascended upon the heights and descended into valleys; traversed plains and sought passage across waterways. While Theodore Roosevelt National Park is home to a variety of terrain that make the American Badlands so famous, the mountaintop moments hold the greatest meaning for me. During mid-day prayers and meals, we would find a suitable bluff or hill to rest from the strain of hiking.
Celebration of the Mass as we overlooked a vast, breath-taking valley certainly tops all other moments. As the priest raised a consecrated host for all to adore, our gaze met with Christ the King, however veiled by the Sacrament. The grandeur of nature magnified the beauty of the experience!
What a privilege for the prophet Daniel to behold Jesus Christ in His glory! While Daniel lacked knowledge of that sacred name, his supernatural vision revealed the supreme dignity of the Christ. Several years still remained before the Triune God would present to the world the beloved Son. While the full revelation of the Christ was yet to come, his audience understood the Son of Man as a title synonymous with Christ, the Anointed One who would rule humanity on behalf of the Ancient One.
Naysayers may protest the God-connection between the Son of Man and a king with the world as his dominion, yet the weight of the New Testament is too much to ignore! In other words, the further revelation highlighted in the Scripture readings for today point us to Jesus as the answer. He’s the one who will give everlasting security to the children of Israel… and to all humanity!
The testimony of St. Peter points to the mountaintop moment of the Transfiguration, “that unique declaration came to him [Jesus] from the majestic glory [of the Father], ‘This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from Heaven” (2 Pt 1:17). Although the Gospel passage for today is from Luke, Peter’s wording almost perfectly repeats the words found in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 17:1-13).
Unlike Peter, John and James who “fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen” (Lk 9:36), we are charged with sharing the good news of Jesus as the Christ! Once anyone decides to accept that Jesus is more than a wise guy or prophet, he or she better look forward to mountaintop moments, those times when the glory of God is made known! Whether you imagine Jesus challenging you to sacrificial love, or you recognize the beauty of Creation as a showing forth of the Heavenly Father’s care, be glad for those moments! By welcoming Divine Mercy into your life, wonder, awe and joy are soon to follow! Just be patient during those in-between moments, and holiness will flower within your life.
*the Community of Saint John, which has priories in both the US and abroad.
