There is more to reality than meets the eye

A Reflection for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Find today’s readings here.

On its surface, the famous account of the Transfiguration is one of the most extraordinary and unbelievable events in the New Testament. In the presence of three of his closest friends, Jesus literally changes form: His face shines like the sun 

and his clothes become like light. Long-dead historical figures Moses and Elijah appear. A bright cloud swoops in, and from it a voice speaks, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Try that on for size when you’re evangelizing a family member who left the church long ago, or a secular friend, or a religiously skeptical young adult.

Let’s be real: This is a complex story with layers of rich theological and literary meaning that aren’t immediately obvious to a literalist reader. It’s a story that could be the subject of a graduate level theology course.

Given that, and the fact that I’m not writing a theological treatise but a personal reflection, I’d like to point out how this story actually hits home for me in a very meaningful way.

By my count, I’ve had three or four deep spiritual experiences in my life. Like, in total. They weren’t extraordinary on the surface; I didn’t hear God speaking to me from a cloud. But they were unquestionably real and they profoundly shaped my life.

On one occasion, I was reading a book while sitting in the shade of a big tree on a college campus. It was the middle of the summer. I don’t remember what book it was, but whatever I read struck me and caused me to pause and look up across the lawn. Suddenly, I was overcome with a deep sense of connectedness, as if everything I perceived fit together. It was as if a fog had lifted from reality and suddenly I was seeing things as they truly are. And seeing things in that way brought an interior sense of peace and tranquility I’ve otherwise never experienced. But just as quickly as it came, it left.

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