The Transfiguration

Jesus took Peter, James, and John 

and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them, 

and his clothes became dazzling white, 

such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.

Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, 

and they were conversing with Jesus.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 

"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!

Let us make three tents: 

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 

from the cloud came a voice, 

"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but

Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,

he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,

e xcept when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

So they kept the matter to themselves, 

questioning what rising from the dead meant.

Ask any realtor and they will tell you it's all about location, location, location.  Once again, Jesus proves without a doubt that He could have planned things better.  This moment when He was transfigured before the eyes of His three most favorite apostles could have been put to much better use if it had been staged at a better location, for example, perhaps let's say, in the outer courts of the temple.  Had the Transfiguration happened there, well, there would have been no stopping the Jesus Thing from that moment on!  Instead of this, we have Jesus doing this more or less in private and whats more, He tells the three apostles to not say a word about it until "The Son of Man had risen from the dead."  This saying "risen from the dead" also causes no little bit of confusion to the favored three. 

Okay, so if you are not going to transfigure in public, why do this at all. what is the point?  Why transfigure at all?  First of all the location is very important.  Like all of the important moments in the story of salvation, a mountain is involved.  A mountain is where Man goes to meet with God for example as Moses did when God provided the ten commandments or when Jesus went up the mountain to deliver the Beatitudes. God speaks and teaches from the mountaintops so it is fitting that Jesus would reveal His true self to His apostles from this spot. 

In the Book of Malachi, it is prophesized that in the day of the Messiah that the prophet Elijah would return and in this Transfiguration he does return with Moses himself and they speak to Jesus, who is shown as the connection between Heaven and Earth.  To emphasize and legitimize this point the voice of God is heard saying "This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him."  So, the prophecy is fulfilled in the sight of the apostles and they are given the incentive to believe in Jesus because they see His glory revealed to them at the same time they see Jesus speaking to the "who's who" men of the Old Testament.  This is a very important moment because Moses and Elijah represented The Law.  The fact that Jesus speaks to them and they are shown as listening testifies to the fact that the old law is dismissed in favor of the new law that is being taught by Jesus.  To emphasize the point the voice of God is heard instructing us to listen to Jesus. 

So we can look at this moment of wonder as being the time of the legitimizing sign of Jesus.  The story of the Transfiguration is given to us so that we might believe and understand that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the true light of the world.   What amazes me is that at least one of the apostles, Peter, would fail Jesus and deny Him three times in spite of being a witness to the Transfiguration.  Faith, no matter how deep it is carried in our soul, can be a fragile thing, can't it?

A HEARTFELT PLEA...PLEASE READ AND RESPOND

So I know you probably are tired of reading about Purgatory in each of my posts, but, I find compelled to do everything that I can to help promoting prayer for our dead.  Purgatory DOES exist and many, many souls are there RIGHT NOW!  and they are hoping that they are not forgotten by those that they have had to leave behind.  Can you bear the thought that Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Grandfather, Grandmother, Cousin, or a friend might be there waiting for your prayers and are not receiving them?  Pray for them by name today.  

Remember also the millions upon millions of souls that have no one to pray for them, for example, Protestants in Purgatory have no one to pray for them because their belief structure does not include a Purgatory or prayers for the dead.  Disbelief in Purgatory will not make it go away. 

Leave A Name in the Comment Section and I will 

Do the Praying For You ! ! ! 

If you leave the name of someone who may be in Purgatory (just their first name is all I need, God will know who I pray for) in the comment section I will pray a rosary for them today. Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or Jew. I will pray for them all.   Please do not let your love end at the grave.  Your help is needed and longed for.   Thank you!        Michael the Lesser..