MT 17:1-9 Lord, In Your Light May We See Light

Feast of the Transfiguration
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By JENNIFER BURGIN

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

A few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, an unexpected thunderstorm passed through the neighborhood. I slept in my nice comfy bed, dreaming sweet dreams, with my dachshund snuggled beside me. Suddenly, the ceiling fan light turned on! The air conditioner kicked off and the alarm system beeped. Yikes! What on earth just happened? The bright light scared me straight out of bed.
My poor dog freaked out, whining and crying . She leaped off the bed hiding underneath it. Groggy-eyed with my heart pumping out of my chest, I realized we just experienced a jolting power surge. Not at all uncommon in my neighborhood, especially in bad weather....

The piercing bright light from the ceiling fan brought Jesus and his transfiguration to mind. The thunderstorm electrified the air which made me think of Jesus on top of Mt. Tabor, appearing in front of his disciples with his face lit up like the sun. I imagined him hovering over my bed in dazzling white clothes with a glow of light surrounding him. What a surreal experience.....

I calmed down my pooch. After hugging and petting her, I walked around the house checking that everything was okay. I poured a drink of water and as I gulped it down I prayed to Our Lord:

Please protect me and my precious dog during this thunderstorm. When the light came on in the middle of my bedroom, I was instantly reminded of your shining light always present in my life and the life of so many others! It's so brilliant and never goes out. I don't have to worry about losing electricity when I receive spiritual illumination from you, Dear Jesus!

We may be jolted by a scare or a fright every now and then. Sometimes we purposely scare ourselves by watching a horror movie or visiting a haunted house. However, other times the unexpected happens that we just aren't prepared for: a job loss, a cancer diagnosis, divorce papers or the loss of a loved one. We become scared and frightened. The scare is no longer "fun" but very serious. We are worried and anxious. We become like the disciples tempted to run away and hide, lying prostrate on the ground staring at the raw earth instead of the bright, healing light of Christ shining from heaven above. We simply can't understand why God would allow something so terrifying to happen to us. Christ's light seems to have burned itself out. We don't feel that unconditional love. We shake and tremble anxious of the unknown.

Why Lord, have you abandoned me? Why do I feel so anxious? Why aren't you here to help me? Please, Lord, I need your shining light to lift me away from this darkness. I need your guidance to help me tackle my problems with strength and resilience. I know you are here, Jesus! I'm just struggling to connect with you.

It takes incredible faith to pull ourselves off the filthy ground, ready to handle the burdens and bad circumstances that life presents us. We must remember we are not meant to fight our battles alone. God is with us every step of the "lighted" way. There's no darkness with Christ illuminating us with his love, grace, and wisdom. We just need to keep our eyes open and focused on above, not what is below. Lift up our fears and hand them over to the Lord. "O Christ, you gave light to the world when the glory of the Creator arose over you, – we pray for men of good will that they may walk in your light. Lord, in your light may we see light." (Divine Office Evening Prayer Intercessions)

This meditation was written by Jennifer Burgin. Please visit her blog: Jennifer's Spectrum of Spirituality