Forging faith

During the liturgical season of Lent, we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Easter.  During this first week, the Lord invites us to come close to him, to open our hearts to him and to enter into a conversation with him.  Like any other relationship, there is a part of us that hears the Lord’s invitation but might be a bit hesitant, so it might help us to remember others who have also received such a proposal.

In the first reading, we hear about the invitation that God offered to Abram.  As it is in all other cases, God was extremely gentle with Abram, inviting him first to look toward heaven and count the stars ... (Gn 15:5). Then God surprised Abram.  Prior to this encounter, Abram and Sarah had never had children, yet the Lord said to him: So shall your descendants be – as numerous as the stars.

The human heart is sometimes slow to believe what God has in store for us, but God never stops believing in us.  God knew the plan that he had in mind for Abram.  He also knew what was in store for the disciples.  At a certain point, when the disciples were finding it difficult to understand all that Jesus was trying to teach them, he took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray (Lk 9:28).  Most probably, by this point in their relationship, the disciples had seen Jesus at prayer, but they were not prepared for the scene they witnessed that day.  While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white (Lk 9:29).  As if that wasn’t enough, suddenly, they saw two men – Moses and Elijah – talking to Jesus (Lk 9:10).

An Irish Bishop once explained that Jesus invited the disciples Peter, James and John to witness the transfiguration so that later on, when they experienced the shock and trauma of His passion and death, these three could help them to understand that the passion and death of Jesus were meant to be, but that he would indeed rise again.

Like the disciples, we too need to experience the transfiguration so that we can better understand that suffering and death will always lead to resurrection and new life.  Those of us who have experienced moments of prayer where we are made profoundly aware of Jesus’ presence can understand that there truly is something beyond this world that we can see, feel and touch.  At times when we encounter difficulties or challenges in this life, at times when we must face the questions that truly make us aware of our own mortality, it helps to have a spiritual dimension to our lives.

As Saint Paul reminded the early Christians at Philippi, our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20).  Only someone who has encountered the risen Jesus can truly speak such words with conviction, yet this is exactly what we are all called to do.  As we continue our journey through Lent, let us fix our eyes firmly on Jesus.  Let us ask him to help us deepen our faith and our belief that the suffering of Good Friday is never in vain, but rather that it prepares the way for the greatest miracle, the reason for our faith.  As we become more and more aware of this truth, we too will be better able to see the truth that suffering and death ultimately leads to resurrection and the fullness of life.