Fr. Michael Williams

I am sure we can all recall events in our lives that have made a deep impression on us, events that will remain with us forever, events that manifest God’s glorious gifts. The glory of God, as witnessed by Peter on Mount Tabor, made a deep impression on him. It was an event that he recalls in his second new testament letter. He writes: ‘We had seen His majesty with our own eyes…when we were with Him on the holy mountain’. Profoundly affected by his experience on the mountain, Peter basked in God’s light proclaiming, ‘Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here’. But as well as making him awestruck with wonder, the experience also made Peter and the other two Apostles fearful. At the end of the grace filled experience, Jesus has to say to the Peter, James and John, ‘Stand up, and do not be afraid’.

It is appropriate to hold God in wonder and awe and fear. This is because of who God is and who we are. God is the Transcendent Being, who always has been and always will be. In comparison with the eternal God, we are flecks of dust. Most of the time we probably take God for granted. But the first three commandments, which the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, all demand that we honour and respect God and don’t take Him for granted. Firstly, by not creating false gods in our lives; secondly by not taking the Lord’s Holy Name in vain, and thirdly by keeping the Lord’s Day holy. Lent can be a time when we renew our efforts to acknowledge who God is and what He has done for us. A time to renew our reverence and respect for Him. We all need to work on increasing our respect and reverence for God, especially in a world that so easily disregards Him today.

The three Apostles were given a vision of the glory of the Trinitarian God- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And whenever we attend the celebration of Mass, we enter into the life of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Franciscan friar, Fr Benedict Groeschel has said, ‘however limited the spiritual insights of the participants when we are at Mass- Christ is there with us’. And Scott Hahn, the great biblical scholar and convert to Catholicism said, ‘we go to Heaven when we go to Mass’. The holy Mass is an encounter with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit every bit as much as the Transfiguration was for the three Apostles on Mount Tabor.

So let us make this Lent a time when we allow our spiritual eyes to see God’s Presence, and our spiritual ears to listen to God’s Word. God offers us glimpses of His glory during the celebration of the Mass. So let us be attentive, so that we do not miss the chance to ‘Listen to Him’, who manifests Himself to us.

Then with Peter we will then be able to say to the Lord, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here’. And we will want to share our experience of the Risen Christ with others, just like Peter did.