Last Sunday after Epiphany (Yr C): Heaven as it is on Earth

Exodus 34:29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36

The Reverend Paul D. Allick

For many of us at some point in our faith journey we enter periods

when God seems far away. Painfully unreachable. Either we

simply cannot sense God’s presence or God does not seem to be

hearing our prayers.

Of course, our spiritual ancestors believed that it was dangerous

to get too close to God.

When Moses returned from conversing with God on Mount Zion,

although he was unaware of it, his face was shining so brightly

that others were afraid to come near him.

From then on whenever Moses came back from conversing with

God, he would place a veil over his face to protect the people

from the overwhelming glare.

After those many years in the desert, it would be a along time

before the people would ever get that close to God again. Later,

in times of suffering and exile the prophets would often cry out to

God, “Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down.”

(i.e., Isaiah 64:1)

That was then, this is now. We now know that in Christ God has

come down to us. God has fully joined us in this mortal life.

We know from the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark and Luke

that after Jesus was baptized as he came up out of the water, as

Mark puts it, the heavens were torn open and the Spirit like a

dove descended upon him. And then just as in our Gospel today,

a voice from heaven said, “This is my chosen, my beloved son

with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3, MK 1, LK 3)

The Person of Jesus Christ is heaven coming to earth. Jesus

embodies the answer to our daily prayer, “Thy will be done on

earth as it is in heaven.”

Retired Bishop and New Testament Scholar Tom Wright wrote

that earth is not a training ground for heaven, but heaven and

earth are designed to overlap and interlock. This is the foundation

of sacramental theology. The sacraments are one of the places

where heaven and earth overlap. And, one day, as the Book of

Revelation makes clear, heaven and earth will so fully and forever

overlap that the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to

earth. On Earth as in Heaven by Tom Wright, NTWrightPage.com

About eight days after Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the

Christ and Jesus had predicted his own impending death and

called his disciples to pick up their crosses and follow him, he

takes Peter, James, and John along with him for a time of prayer.

In the custom of Moses, they go up a mountain to converse with

God.

Peter, James and John are in for a surprise. They encounter God

but not as they expected. Right before their eyes they see heaven

as it is on earth. The Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah)

appear with Jesus. In Christ, all that has been taught in the Law

and by the Prophets has been fulfilled.

They join the Messiah as he prepares for his departure, that is,

his exodus to the Cross; His death and resurrection which will be

the deliverance offered to all people for all time.

Peter, James, and John are able to see this glory without having

to veil their faces. And the glorious vision ends with that voice

again, “This is my son, my chosen, listen to him.”

St. Paul reminds us that we who know Jesus now have our faces

unveiled. In Jesus we see the glory of God as though reflected in

a mirror. In Jesus we are being transformed into that same image

from one degree of glory to another.

We are blessed to be living in these last days when God’s love

and goodness have been made completely known to us. Before

now we knew God when we marveled at creation, when we

learned of the Covenant God made with his People Israel, and in

the Word of the Lord spoken by the prophets. But, now in these

last days God has sent his son to be incarnate of the Virgin Mary

to redeem the universe. Heaven and earth have interlocked. The

healing and reconciling have begun.

This is the Good News that we proclaim. We exist as Christ’s Holy

Catholic Church to fulfill his mission of reconciliation as we pray,

worship, proclaim the Gospel, and promote peace, justice and

love.

God is not only near us. God is once again walking along side of

us. God is right here when life is good and when life is a trial. God

is here when we take the risk to work on reconciliation and when

we fail to do so. God is here unconditionally.

Now we fully understand what Jesus said to the first disciples

when they returned from their mission of healing, preaching and

casting out evil, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For

I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you

see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear

it.” (Luke 10:17-24)