SECOND SUNDAY
Deacon Jeremy Freehill Sem. C ‘13

Can You Take Me Higher?

"It is well that we are here.” Luke 9: 33

Peter, James, and John saw our Lord’s glory. The glory of Jesus' divinity manifested through the sacred humanity he had assumed, and the disciples desired to stay with Jesus on the mountain. However, neither Jesus, nor the disciples, could stay. This is because Jesus had to suffer, die, and then rise. He had to accomplish the Father's will and so redeem fallen mankind. The disciples, for their part, had to suffer too. They would have to witness their master being brutally killed, but also become witnesses of his resurrection and so proclaim Christ's victory over sin and death to all the world, even amidst persecution. This suffering thus meant that they would have to accept and carry their own crosses, as they not only watch him suffer, but also endure persecution and trials for proclaiming the truth. And so he gave them this graced moment of his Transfiguration. He gave them this mountaintop experience of his divinity and love to strengthen their faith, so that they would ultimately remain faithful to him.
In our lives, we too have moments where it seems we are on the mountain with Jesus. We can sense his presence and experience his holiness and love. This may have been while offering ourselves to Him at Holy Mass, after receiving him in Holy Communion, in our personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, or personal prayer in our room. A moment of grace given by our Lord to bolster our faith in him, so that we too may ultimately remain faithful in carrying the particular crosses we posses. Yes, there are trials, temptations, and even persecutions that come our way, but Jesus will always help us to be faithful. He offers us the graces necessary to be his saints and one day behold his glory for all eternity in Heaven.

Dear Jesus, please draw me ever closer to you and grant me a greater faith in your divinity as my Lord and my God. I desire a stronger faith that will not waver in the face of suffering. So take me up on the mountain with you, so that after I come down, I can endure with you any suffering that will come my way. Amen.

Gn 15: 5-12, 17-18, Ps 27: 1, 7-9, 13-14, Phil 3: 17-4:1, Lk 9: 28b-36