Feast of the Transfiguration

Good morning. Jesus in the Gospel this morning takes the Apostles up on Mount Tabor and while there He reveals to them what is to become. But the Apostles miss the point of the Transfiguration and have their focus on what is. How true that is for all of us. We often forget that life is but a journey. How often as married couples we get caught up in wanting to erect our own tents and we lose track of the bigger picture, of where the journey is to take us. We can easily get caught up in what is instead of what we are to become, and too we often forget the Glory of God is found in the ordinary events of our day. One of the constant challenges we all have living in a culture that measures life by the amount of stuff we accumulate is maintaining a balanced relationship with that stuff. 

It is often the case that couples lose track of each other when the focus is upon stuff and when circumstances change and their capacity to maintain their accustomed relationship with stuff falters so too their marriage. I’m reminded here recently of how we can become detracted by the glamour of stuff in our lives in looking at the various athletes and their relationship with winning or not, and with how they deal with the paparazzi. Two athletes in particular jump out at me as I consider this, one is the young Gabby Douglas and the other is Oscar Pistorius. The young Gabby in the midst of being swept-up by the lights and excitement of winning two gold medals never lost track of who is ultimately responsible for her giftedness, "Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” Likewise Oscar seems never to forget who is behind his being able to run the race despite being born without two complete legs. “You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.” 

Like the Apostles in today’s Gospel we so often seem to lose sight of God’s role in our lives and we lack an appreciation for those things which are truly important. When a couple’s commitment becomes disordered and they allow themselves to become focused more upon the things of this life instead of what awaits us, things can quickly crumble, especially when the circumstances change. We could all likely benefit from making adjustments in the importance we place upon stuff. We all need to remind ourselves that the stuff of this life is entrusted to us and that everything in our lives, including our marriage, is a gift to be given back to the One who provides it. As young Gabby reminded us a few days ago: "The glory goes up to Him, and the blessings fall down on me." True wealth comes in the accumulation and perfection of love and not stuff. We need to remind ourselves that life is a marathon, not a sprint. Eternal life awaits us at the finish line. A truly happy marriage comes from caring about each other and realizing that whatever stuff we have means little if we don’t have each other to share it with, and if we lose track of our goal. Make a great day! 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration.