Our lives are like one giant puzzle. Little and big moments fit together to determine the people we truly are. Each and every one of those moments is important. You get better from the bad ones, and thrive with the good ones. Some are much bigger than others, which obviously have the biggest effect on our makeup.
In mass at Muller Chapel on Sunday, minister Lee Imbriano said these times are our "Transfiguration" moments. The Gospel this week speaks of Jesus being Transfigured on the mountain while accompanied by apostles Peter, James and John.
It's hard to leave when your internal happiness in a moment like that is at a maximum. It might be something as small as getting an A in the hardest course. Or simply meeting a friend or family member for dinner. Or receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Or talking to a long lost acquaintance. Or meeting someone new. Or falling in love and getting married just like Lee mentioned.
He also spoke about his family reunion this past weekend, and the feeling of possibly saying goodbye to one of his 88 year old relatives for the last time. Think about that. What would you say? What would you be thinking? That moment was a big puzzle piece in his life, and hers. With all of the emotion involved, their eye contact in that last moment may have been a glimpse of heaven.
Why can't we take something like that into our own lives? If you walked around for one full day, knowing it would be your last, knowing that you would never see anyone again, how would you act? We need to live this way. Appreciate that brief moment of conversation between yourself and a friend. Who knows, not to be negative, but it really might be your last. Living that way, it would make everyone appreciate everything a lot more.
Something that strikes me as important about all of this is that everyone takes their different "Transfiguration" moments for granted. If you put a value on everything that you do, it makes life mean something. Those life changing moments are nothing to just dismiss, even Jesus hung out with Moses and Elijah for a little while.
That brings us back to the question I addressed earlier of not wanting to leave. Peter didn't want to walk away from all those great people. But remember, those moments are just glimpses of heaven. We are still on earth, our feet brought to the ground by good old gravity. Heaven is the dream and the hope we have, earth is the reality. By seeing those glimpses throughout our life, we have something to strive towards, and to make those good moments a big piece of who we are, while cherishing them at the same time.
Another aspect of the Transfiguration is God's actual voice saying "This is my chosen Son; listen to Him." His voice is actually heard twice in the readings this week. He speaks to Abram about their covenant in the first reading.
This actual sound of God is tough for a lot of people. They ask, "Why can't I hear the sound of God's voice like they did back then?" Honestly, I ask the same thing sometimes, but God is creative. He shows us what is best through nature, through conversations, through our own thoughts, and through those "Transfiguration" moments. Often, the good feeling that swells inside of us is God saying that being in that place and time is right.
Other times, we are making too much noise to let Him say anything at all. That's why, especially during Lent, we need to spend a couple minutes of quiet time everyday. No TV, no Ipod, no constant texting. Maybe then we'll be able to hear God's voice in our hearts.
It's not easy to appreciate every aspect of life, or live our days like it's our last, or shut off a cell phone, but we are still on earth. Let those moments of pure happiness and those glimpses of heaven transform our thoughts, so that we can move towards eternal happiness. That will only happen if we listen to God's voice in those different ways, and let him put the puzzle of our life together. Don't run away from it, embrace it. He knows what is best. From what I hear, He is quite the expert.
Any questions or comments feel free to send me an email...teschen1@ithaca.edu.
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This homily was particularly powerful to me, as this time of year signifies a anniversary of a death in my family. It was quiet emotional for me to hear the story of Lee's realization of a moment between his elderly relative and his family may be the last. Unfortunately for me, I was not given this opportunity, and maybe I was too naive to appreciate the last moment I did see this person. However, oddly enough, I do remember our last embrace as it was an unexpected visit, but wish I was able to go back to fully appreciate the moment.
ReplyDeleteThough it is always hard to look back on a death--this being my first heart felt loss--I had gained a lot from that experience. I would even say transfiguration type moments came from it. I felt God's love through my family and friends as they were there to support me when I was lost. Like Lee said, when we go through hard times, these transfiguration moments are what helps guide us, and become confident in God's plan. Sometimes, as Tom pointed out, we make too much noise to appreciate the words of God. Even in darkness, His light shines through; we just need to open our proverbial curtains, if you would, and let it in.