What the Church Sees that the World Doesn't

Tomorrow is Transfiguration Sunday in the liturgical year.  The gospel lesson consists of Matthew's account of the transfiguration.  In the story, Christ is revealed to be God's Son.  It represents a climactic moment in Matthew's gospel

The significance of the transfiguration lies in its juxtaposition with the stories that precede it concerning who witnesses the event.  The transfiguration is not only not witnessed by all 12 of the closest followers of Jesus; it is only witnessed by the inner circle of the closest followers.  This exclusion was intentional on Jesus' part.

Transfiguration Sunday ends the season of Epiphany; the season of the year when we acknowledge that God's light is present in the world.  The story of the transfiguration reveals that God's true light is not visible to the causal observer, even the casual follower of Jesus.  God's true light only becomes visible when we truly commit ourselves to following the way of the cross, traveling up the mountain where few would choose to go.

God's light is present to the invisible community of the true faithful in moments where others would only see the mundane realities of the God.  God's presence is hidden from the casual observer, who would only see an empty field where treasure is hidden.  God's presence is hidden like a gold coin is hidden and only found through passionate and perpetual search.

The transfiguration story is an important metaphor for the Church.  The Church, if it is faithful, will see God's light through cultivating holiness and seeking to live according to the example of Christ.  The Church will even see God's presence in the crucifixion, where the world saw only an absence of power and glory

Rethinking the Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount contains admonitions that appear to be impossible to comply with.  Jesus tells his listeners that unlike the Mosaic covenant, where Israel was commanded not to kill, Jesus commanded that we not be angry with another or chastise others who we perceive to be foolish.  Jesus indicates that if we fail to fulfill these commandments, we will be punished.

God, ultimately, just wants us to live lives of peace, fulfillment, and happiness.  God doesn't want us to be angry or disparaging to our neighbor because it prevents us from living in these states of mind.  Being angry and critical prevents us from being peaceful, fulfilled, and happy.  When we live in these states of mind, we punish ourselves.  Jesus alluded to the valley in Jerusalem that was used as a garbage dump where fires constantly burned.  It was a place of ugliness.  The last place in Jerusalem that you wanted to be.  Jesus says that if we live our lives in anger and are obsessively critical of others, this is where we will live.  God doesn't need to punish us.  We have already punished ourselves.  And God wants nothing more for us to walk out of the garbage dump.  Through God's grace, we can walk out at any time and live in places of beauty, peace, and serenity.  This is all God wants