Peter wrote as an eyewitness,
remembering the experience of the transfiguration. I want to begin kind of in
the same way, remembering that we are all to be the face of Christ in the
world.
I remembered my high school football coach reading today’s
gospel.
Butch Stoker commanded attention. He would walk into a room; raise
his hand and say, “Listen up, men!”
He never won a state championship in 32 years coaching at Alexandria
Senior High; but, he accomplished more. He built young people of character. His
character was our example.
I was an eyewitness. One example
he set was he never cussed. He did not allow his assistant coaches to cuss. And
if you played for him, you did not cuss.
Listen up men, be good students! Listen up men; respect each other,
be good friends! Listen up men, become good fathers, good husbands, and good
citizens! Listen up men, do your best, live a good life!
Some found it hard and would leave. Yet, he was a man respected by
the school, the community, and the thousands of lives he touched.
Listen up men!
We read, “A
majestic voice came from the cloud and said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom
I am well pleased; listen to him.’ "
This was the eyewitnesses’ experience. They
saw Elijah and Moses. They saw Jesus change before their eyes, transfigured; His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as
light.
But the words from heaven were: Listen to him. Listen, understand who Jesus is.
I wonder how many still listen to him. Some find it hard and they leave. Saying
we don’t need religion; we don’t need the Catholic Church. These are things
that step on their toes.
Peter points to the truth “We possess the prophetic message that is reliable. Pay attention
to it like a lamp shining in the dark…..”
By that experience on the mountain, Peter,
James, and John, disciples of Jesus, apostles of Christ, were given the truth and
told listen to him. And by listening they
learned that He is the One whose dominion is everlasting.
His kingship shall never end.
Over 2000 years later, His kingdom
still reigns.
But the one who was the leader of the
rebellion against God in heaven continues to rebel against Christ and his Church
on earth. The Devil’s message is do not listen to the word of God.
The devil tempts with an unhealthy
notion of God and God’s church in the lie proclaiming that it is all a myth. It
is a lie some who call themselves Christians may even believe. They argue God.
They argue Jesus.
Peter writes “it
is not a myth; we are eyewitnesses of his majesty. Jesus received honor and
glory from God the Father in that unique declaration of the majestic glory.”
They listen to
him. They didn’t argue God. They didn’t argue Jesus. They did share
their witness.
The problem is we were not eyewitness.
Many do not listen to Him.
People will listen to the King of Lies instead
of the King of Kings. And the devil tells the world that God is a myth. God is
meaningless. God is dead.
It’s what many want to hear.
It’s easy to believe the deceiver because
all our human concepts of an infinite God are inadequate. All the teachings of
the Church are insufficient to explain God’s grace and glory and radiance. People
believe what is easy to believe.
Until
we witness it in our lives like Peter, James, and John, we cannot even come
close to understand the glory of Christ.
We can become eyewitnesses of Christ’s
glory. Listen to him, listen to the words of
Jesus in the gospel; listen to Jesus alive in the writings of the Apostles;
listen to Christ in the traditions and sacraments of the Church; and listen for
him in the world.
Seeing Christ alive in the world make
it easy to believe and even easier to be a witness.
Even those with a heart far from God, if
they listen to him and to his Church, will rise up and not be afraid to leave the lies of
the world. They will proclaim “The Lord is king, the
Most High over all the earth.”
For His Church, the path God is no one else but Jesus.
Those who believe will raise their eyes
and see no one else but Jesus alone.
The eyewitnesses
told the world these things. They
told the truths of the Church as eyewitness of the glory of Jesus’ life, his transfiguration,
his death on the cross, and to his resurrection and ascension.
Listen to him, understand who Jesus is.
May all peoples see His glory!
Listen up, men! Listen up, women! Listen
up, everyone! May the world see His glory in you, be the face of Christ that brings
out the best in others.
Yall be good, yall be holy and preach
the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.
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