Scripture:
“While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.”Luke 9:29
Reflection:
Today we read the Gospel story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Taking his disciples off alone, Jesus is “changed in appearance.” It is as if, at the beginning of his turn toward Calvary, there is a moment in which his closest followers are allowed to glimpse his divinity. It’s a ‘tell’ so to speak. It’s a sign for them of the reality of who Jesus is, lest they lose hope as they watch him endure the events of his passion.
What has always struck me in this account is the description of his clothing. When Jesus’s divinity transfigures his humanity, the disciples do not see him dressed in priestly vestment, nor do they see him draped in the robes of royalty. Though he is truly high priest and king, he remains clothed in a simple tunic. In this moment of theophany, Jesus continues to wear the ordinary garment worn by every woman or man in his culture from the richest to the poorest.
I take great solace in this depiction. It reminds me that God meets us in the ordinary places in our lives. We don’t have to go off to some faraway place to find God, or become someone extraordinary to find holiness. God is not restrained in relationship; God does not only engage the priests and the powerful of our world. Rather, God seeks relationship with every person, regardless of one’s station or standing.
Practice:
This week, as we ponder the Gospel of the Transfiguration, let’s resolve to experience God once more in the ordinary spaces that make up our lives. Because if we have the eyes of faith, we just may catch a glimpse of divinity lurking beneath the surface of our everyday human encounters.