He Saved Us and Called Us to a Holy Life

BECOMING TRANSFIGURED

The transfiguration passage in today's Gospel provided plenty for me to think about this morning.  The term transfigured from Merriam Webster's dictionary reads, "transform into something more beautiful or elevated." I would like to focus on the idea of transfiguration from the standpoint of how Jesus can transfigure a sinner like myself. 

In Paul's letter to Timothy, Paul states that "we are saved and called to a holy life."(2 TM 1:8b-10) 
Being holy is not something I find easy let alone living a holy life. My daily struggles to live a life as such bring on despair and frustration.  But it is this passage that I can find the connection with the word transfiguration and Paul's discourse on holy life.  If one reads the rest of the passage, Paul writes, "not according to our works but according to his design and the grace bestowed upon us. 

HANDS OFF THE WHEEL                                                                                                                       

By Grendelkhan (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons

I interpret that as I cannot be transfigured unless I allow God to drive the car. Yes God's design not mine. This is my stumbling block. Taking my hands off the wheel and using God's navigation system.  I like most people like to drive on trips and in every day situations. I find myself applying the brakes from the passenger seat even when others drive. There is just a part of me that doesn't trust someone else at the wheel. Moreover, I prefer my navigation system, as I seem to know how to get to the desired destination. A quick diagnostic reveals that my system has led me down a myriad of dead ends. This is where God takes over. 

TRUST

In the first reading today Abram is instructed by the Lord to leave his surroundings with a promise of greatness and blessings.  The key to this passage is that Abram went as the Lord directed him. ( GN 12:1-4) Here is where the transfiguration begins. Abram went without questioning, without grabbing steering wheel or in his case the reins of the animal that we take him on his journey. He was compliant seeking only to do God's will.  This in itself led him to a more holier life.

ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP

In order to climb a mountain one must not become discouraged as they view the path ahead. Crooked trails, steep inclines, rocky paths all stand in the way of the final goal. As a cyclist who has climbed some moderate inclines I know that is quite easy to become discouraged and want to turn back especially as the legs and mind become fatigued. What pushes one on to the destination? Perseverance and the promise of the glory of achievement once the top is reached. The same can be said for the spiritual journey. 

Faith as demonstrated by Abram requires perseverance and trust that God knows the road best.  Letting God guide us according to his design and taking into consideration that he already has the road mapped out for us long before we came into being is of consolation. Likewise knowing that he also allows for us to take wrong turns and we may fall along the way makes us understand that we are human. 

Ultimately we reach the mountain top, become fully transfigured according to his design, and attain the goal of holiness. It is then that we can see Jesus fully in the light along with Peter, James, John, Moses and Elijah. Thus our quest is complete.