This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
When Jesus was transfigured in front of James, John, and Peter, there is a comic element in the apostles’ reaction. They are stupefied; we can picture them there with open mouths, drooling. Peter talks about pitching some tents and staying there forever. Ultimately, all three fall on their faces in fear (cf. Mt. 17).
Jesus gives the disciples a small window into His glory, and they can barely take it. No wonder this was a one-time event.
In today’s first reading, Paul talks about how he spoon-fed the early Christians because they couldn’t take solid food. The message of the Gospel had to be tailored to them as to infants, because their spirits were worldly and incapable of digesting the full impact of the revolution Christ worked in the world, with all that it means for personal transformation, or “transfiguration,” if you will.
Interestingly, Paul complains that in reaction to this early teaching, this early community cleaved to him and/or his companion Apollo, almost more even than to Christ. This can often be the reaction to evangelization. Focus centers disproportionately on the message-bearer. And this is understandable: When we witness someone truly transformed by grace, it blows us away. Yet, this is the reaction of infants.
The weakness we experience before the Gospel message, due to our worldliness, is part of the weakness and sickness of sin. When you think about it, sin is little more or less than the weakening and sickening of our nature. It is no accident that Jesus goes about healing the sick and casting out demons as He prepares the world for His message, as we see in today’s Gospel. Before we can start truly to assimilate the mind-boggling and category-shattering impact of the Gospel message, we need healing from sin through the sacraments, strengthening through the Eucharist, and good habits of avoiding sin formed through self-denial and ascetic discipline.
In the end, though, Paul’s message about having to start with pureed apricots before moving on to Beef Wellington is an exciting testament to how the Gospel will truly work a radical transformation in our lives. It doesn’t just transform us by making us “better people.” It transforms us by lifting us to a radical new level of being that we never thought possible, in profound union with the Blessed Trinity. So get well, work out your spiritual muscles, and buckle up.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Him to show you what in your life is still mediocre, tasteless, worldly, and to help you in your weakness understand His dreams for you, which infinitely surpass anything you could achieve by your spiritual efforts alone. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you as much as you can bear, and to take you through the process of healing, strengthening, and transformation that He longs for. Commit that you are with Him on this journey, no matter what the cost.
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