Blessed John of Fiesole
Faith Leads to God's Glory
It is easy to see why faith is the main theme of today's reading in the first reading, though it is more difficult to discover this theme in the gospel. The Letter to the Hebrews is praising the faith or the faithfulness of the ancestors of Israel, our fathers in faith. It was by faith that Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain and though he is dead he still speaks to us by faith (in mass prayers and songs). It was by faith in God that Enoch was never tasted death and was taken up by God. It was by faith that Noah felt holy fear when warned by God of the flood and built the ark to save his family and thus humanity; he was saved by his faith. These and more ancestors of our faith like Abraham, achieved righteousness by acting purely on God's promises and putting their whole trust in God; they saw the glory of the Lord in their lives by their faith. Can we be able to imitate them?
Obviously, it was by faith that the three Apostles, Peter, James and John beheld the glory of God by having its glimpse through the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor. They had developed faith and trust in Jesus and decided to follow him and were able to see Jesus transfigured on the mountain. Jesus' face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white (Mark 9:2,3). Seeing Jesus dazzling white was just a glimpse of the glory they were to behold in the kingdom of heaven, and this encourages us to long for this glory always. If we have done all things well according to the will of God and have full faith and trust in God, we will surely behold God's glory here on earth but fully in heaven, what St Thomas calls the Beatific Vision.
Moses and Elijah are seen there because they also had experienced the vison of God on the Holy Mountain. For Moses, this was the giving of the law. When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God (see Exodus 34:29). Paul says that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face because of its brightness (2 Corinthians 3:7). For Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, it was in the cave of Mount Horeb. When we climb with faith, ascend with prayer and driven by humility to the mountain of the Lord, we will behold God's glory. We must climb the mountain and go up. Is our prayer a climb to reach God, or does it forever circle the base of the mountain, fearful of the effort and stuck in mediocre thoughts? Are we making deep acts of faith, hope, and love to reach for the heights of union with him? Are we moving away from self-centeredness and earthly attachments towards a pure heart ready to receive the glory of God?
Mount Tabor calls us to trust in the glory that awaits us. It teaches us how to cultivate a living experience of Christ with faith and to know what the fruits of deep faith are. The first effect of fruitful faith is the revelation of God’s glory, his true beauty. This is the beauty that we would never want to let go. Peter in his words, "It is good to be here, let us build three tents..." was overcome by this awesome experience beauty that he wanted to prolong it as long as he lives by building the three tents. With deep faith, we will always have Peter's experience and always we will be saying, 'It is good to trust and be in the Lord.' But when our faith fades and is choked by earthly desires, pleasures and enticing things, we will not behold this beatific vison. May we ask the Holy Spirit to increase oud faith always so that we may be worthy to behold God's glory.
The second effect of faith is a revelation of God’s plan for us. God’s plan for humanity is so beautiful; our vocation in life is also eminently beautiful. But it may have its unexpected twists as we live it. After having a glimpse of the heavenly glory, Jesus immediately shows the Apostles that to behold this glory, there must be ups and downs, suffering and even sacrifices. He himself was to undergo the same, as he clearly told them that the Son of Man will rise from the dead after suffering and dying in the hands of the chief priests. Are we ready to tread this path that leads to God's glory. The good news is that in as much as it is his plan and not our own, it is always beautiful.
Third, fruitful faith delivers a revelation of our destiny. Christ’s mission is only completely fulfilled in heaven. Our true home is in heaven, and under heaven’s power our heart’s desire is changed. This change transforms the present into a different type of faith experience. Our ultimate victory must be set for heaven alone where we shall fully behold God's glory, what we see here is just a glimpse of it.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus, You shone in radiance before the eyes of Your Apostles so that they could testify to the beauty of the life to which we are all called. Help us always to be long to behold that glory in all that we do. Amen
Be blessed.
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