Seeing connects us into God's presence

August 6, 2006 -- Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

By Bishop Robert Morneau

	Bishop Robert Morneau
	Questions for reflection: 1. What value do you assign to the gift of seeing? 2. Do we need "distortions" in order to see? 3. How has your life been transfigured?

In C. S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew (a book in the Chronicles of Narnia series), we read: "For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are."

Peter, James, and John were standing on the mountain next to Jesus. What they saw and heard changed their lives, for they saw Jesus transfigured and they heard that Jesus was the beloved of the Father. Never again would these disciples be the same. By God's grace they were given a glimpse of things to come and, by God's grace, they would come to believe that they, too, were the beloved of God.

On this feast of the Transfiguration, we might ask for the grace to see well. Even though our optometrist might tell us that we have twenty-twenty vision, seeing is much more than a physical activity. Madeleine L'Engle was right when she wrote: "We lose our ability to see angels as we grow older, and that is a tragic loss." Our vision is not limited to things physical; we are invited to see the working of God's grace in every hour of every day.

It seems that Peter, James, and John had to be taken into solitude to experience Jesus in a new way. Perhaps this is like going on retreat or for an early morning walk or sitting quietly in a rocking chair with no one around. Loren Eiseley comments: "As adults, we are preoccupied with living. As a consequence, we see little." Preoccupations can blind us to seeing life in depth. Whether that means mending fishing nets, as might have been the case for the disciples, or running here and there, we need some agenda-less hours to nurture our ability to see.

And then, too, there can be a case for "distortion." Flannery O'Connor, the great southern Catholic writer, maintained: "I am interested in making a good case for distortion, as I am coming to believe it is the only way to make people see." Was the Transfiguration a "holy distortion," a vision in which prophets of the past suddenly appear and a voice is heard from the clouds? One thing is certain. The disciples saw Jesus in a new light and came to understand him in a new way.

"The best thing that we're put here for's to see," says the poet, Robert Frost. Seeing is more than believing. Seeing is a whole way of life that enables us to make connections, to be one with others, to come into the presence of God. And, of course, the great gift of sight is faith. Through this grace we see that we, too, are known and loved by God, our most fundamental need. In faith, we come to realize that we, too, are bound for glory and that death gives birth to new life.

In Nikos Kazantzakis's Zorba the Greek, a warning is issued: "Let people be, boss; don't open their eyes. And supposing you did, what'd they see? Their misery! Leave their eyes closed, boss, and let them go on dreaming!"

Jesus would hear none of this. He opened the eyes of Peter, James, and John and empowered them to see far beyond their sins and misery into the presence of God. Jesus empowered them to see that they, too, were beloved and known and treasured with the fierce love of God. Jesus came to bring life, life to the full, and part of that life is to see and hear and taste and touch the glory of God. Coming down the mountain, Peter, James, and John were themselves transfigured and made new. Such is the power of God and such is the creative power of seeing.

(Bp. Morneau is the auxiliary bishop of the Green Bay Diocese and pastor of Resurrection Parish in Allouez.)