Reflection for the second Sunday of Lent 2021
There are those moments, when I feel frozen. Not able to move. My mouth half open and my eyes big as the moon. Moments when time seems to stop, but that go away way too fast. Some may think I write about bad things happening, that it is fear or shock. But, no. These stunning moments, overwhelming my whole self are wonderful, beautiful, stunning. They appear from time to time and let me realize the deeper beauty of this life, our creation and the love of God. Personally in so many moments: during a youth gathering for my teens, where I felt a deep sensation of community and the presence of the Lord; during holidays, when I discovered the inherent beauty of foreign cultures and people; and also in some small everyday moments, when gratitude and thankfulness overcome me.
For me those moments are linked to the transfiguration of the Lord. The moment when Jesus, Peter, James and John were on that hill, shows the close relation between Jesus and his father. HIS presence here on earth transcended, so that the glory of the Lord became perceptible. For the disciples this must have been a moment of standing there with wide eyes and open mouth. It would have been for me.
They also reacted as many of us might have: the just didn’t know what to say and started to say what came to their mind. Building a place to keep this moment. Creating a holy place, so that this divine presence can stay. I can absolutely understand them, even though I know it is no clever idea. We can neither hold this moment, nor make it last forever. It is temporary and with the blink of an eye it will go away.
When God transcends our lives, we also have to be aware of the transience of this experience. It is a presence that will show us the stunning beauty of life and the creator of all, but it will be gone as fast as it came. Sometime we might just realize that God is revealing an aspect of himself to us … but then it’s gone.
What can we do? Try to repeat the same patterns of acting that led to this moment? Try to reproduce the same experience? Of course not. God can’t be forced to grant us anything. We just can go on, live our lives. But with a changed mindset. We should be more mindful, so we don’t miss these moments of God’s presence in our lives.
I pray for you all, dear brothers and sisters:
May the Lord grant you an open heart,
May Christ show you his glorious presence,
May the Holy Spirit give you the wisdom to be touched but not bound.
Photo by Pete Wright on Unsplash.
