Today’s Gospel Story is the Transfiguration, the Old Testament is Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, the Psalm is, “I believed even when I said I am greatly afflicted”, and Paul reminds us of the trust of being with Jesus.
This past week in our community another soldier died. Any time a soldier dies it is a tragedy. When there is so much pain among us that our own are ending their lives by choice, the tragedy is unspeakable. It touches every one of us, often dredging up a confusion of feelings. Our leaders are calling us to stand down and refocus our concern for each other, to do what we do best – leave no one behind, take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. An increasing number of our leaders are taking the personally courageous step of sharing with us their own pain and their own reaching out for help. Our Army is pulling together as we try to take care of our own. It might be that we are hearing God’s call to trust him in our own lives and be alert to reach out in ways that might be costly for us. We do not know. We might echo the Psalm: “I believed even when I said I am greatly afflicted”.
Jesus led his friends up a mountain where they saw him as he truly is. It might be that he is leading us up a mountain to see him. Climbing up a mountain is not easy. Following Jesus is not easy. Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son was not easy. Believing when we are greatly afflicted is not easy. Being a soldier is not easy.
There would seem to be any number of reasons why a soldier might choose to end his or her life. A common one might be a sense of overwhelming aloneness. What Jesus would teach us in these readings, even show us in our own life, is that in no way are we ever alone. We might have to learn this ourselves before we can live it with others; otherwise if we were to try to share this with others, we would only be speaking pious platitudes and empty words.
Jesus walked with his friends up the mountain. Paul reminds us we are Jesus’ friends, and our faith teaches us he is walking with us up our mountain – this mountain we are living right here every day. When we are aware of this in our own everyday experience, it is a marvelous gift that we can share with each other, if only by enriching our attitude.
We encounter Jesus in the unexpected persons and places. Each of us is a mystery, a reflection of the Great Mystery which is God. Who we are is known only to God who loves us, and asks us to be open to his loving us. Our hurting soldiers do not know God loving them – their pain is too great. Love is not something we talk about, but anyone who has been in combat knows love among us is real. Our relationship with Jesus is something personal, but it is not private. We let Jesus lead us up the mountain with whomever is in our life. How we do this comes out of our prayer – our prayer by ourselves and our prayer with others, especially our prayer together at Mass. We don’t learn new “techniques”; we bring (often without even being aware of it) to what we do everyday a new depth and richness that arises out of our deepening relationship with Jesus.
Our situation, difficult and disturbing as it may be, is not beyond grace. Everyone in our life has the need and the right to be in our life. Each of us, every single one of us, is right where we need to be, and we are not alone. Where we go with this is up to us.
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