“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” Mt 17:5
Not many people have been blessed with a special vision of the Lord like the transfiguration of Jesus we read about in today’s Gospel. These blessed few, like Abram, Peter, James, and John, saw a vision, heard God’s voice, and walked beside Him. As we make our way through our lives, attempting to discern the will of God, we may wonder what we have in common with these biblical figures. How can we be expected to have the kind of faith these people did, who saw the face of the Lord shining forth on a mountaintop or heard His voice directing their path?
But these visionaries were just ordinary people. No special talent or giftedness set them apart. The only thing they seem to have had in common was their ordinariness and their openness to God’s call, no matter how far-fetched it seemed. Abram was 75 years old when God called him and his wife Sarai out of their homeland, promising the barren couple that He would make of them a great nation. It seemed an unlikely promise, yet Abram took his family and started out on an unknown path, simply because he believed in the word of the Lord.
Peter, James, and John were simple fishermen, yet they also responded to the Lord’s call, leaving behind their livelihood and their families to set out on an unknown path, which ultimately brought them to the mountaintop – but also to the cross.
So we, too, in the course of our ordinary lives, are called to follow Christ. Yet, despite being blessed with all the gifts of the Catholic Church, the sacraments, the scriptures, the very living Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, we don’t always see or feel God’s presence. We may wonder why we are not given a vision or a voice to guide us.
But always trust in God to provide just what you need to strengthen your faith. He knows you and loves you, and has a special call and purpose for your life that only you can fulfill. You too have been called to follow Him on an unknown path. Take today’s Gospel message to heart, and listen closely to Jesus. He is calling your name. Will you follow Him?
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