"Jesus took Peter, John, and James up a high mountain where he transfigured before them. Jesus’ face shone like then sun, and his clothes became white as snow. Peter asked Jesus if he could build three tents, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus himself. While he was still speaking a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Matthew 17:1-13
The snow storm on Friday night is a subtle reminder that winter in Nova Scotia is not yet over. I woke up on Saturday morning to find a huge branch of one of my maple trees lying across the driveway broken off by the winds and freezing rain. It reminded me that we are still in the month of March, a time when we begin to look for signs of spring, but not yet. We yearn for longer days, new buds, green grass, and birds singing in the early morning. But as usual, March continues to fool us into thinking that winter is over.
March is an "in between" time, as is lent. I think it is very appropriate that lent falls in March, because it too is an "in between" time. What I mean by an "in between" time is that it is a time when we are looking for something better, but it is not quite ready to come.
In the book of Genesis, we read about Abraham's heart being stirred by some future promise of something better. "Look towards heaven, Abraham, and count the stars if you can. So shall be the number of your descendants". We read that Abraham believed what the Lord promised him, but when on to ask: "Lord, how am I to know that I shall possess it? Being told is often not enough. We want to see some signs of it coming. We often become impatient with "in between" times of having to wait.
In the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus telling His disciples that He will be handed over to the Jewish authorities where He will be tried and charged with a crime He did not commit, and die of crucifixion. What are they to make of this? Then they were also told that if they wanted to be disciples of His, they would have to take up their own cross and follow Him. If they wanted to save their lives, then they would have to be willing to lose them.
These statements must have been very confusing to them, and they were probably wondering whether this was not too much to ask, and what could possibly come from it anyway. So they were caught in those "in between" times of hearing, but not understanding. They could see Jesus' power and charisma, and wanted to be a part of what He was all about, but how was this be reconciled with what was being asked.
That's why in "in between" times, times like March and Lent, it is the best time to slow down, and spend some time in quiet reflection and prayer. Perhaps it is the best time for a retreat, to collect our thoughts, and create a space and time to sort through the confusion.
These "in between" events in the Gospel leads us into the story about the Transfiguration, a story of a retreat. Peter, James and John, with Jesus, journey up a mountain to a deserted place to be awakened to a deeper reality. During this retreat, Peter, James and John were to experience, in a very dynamic way, a new realization of who Jesus is. This retreat was really a milestone, a turning point for them in understanding, not just in their heads, but in their hearts, as to what Jesus was all about.
Most of us who have had this experience of a renewal of faith during a retreat know how liberating and re-vitalizing it can be. Although we cannot cling to an experience, the memory of it becomes a source of reflection for all future times. Peter recalled this time of the Transfiguration as a means to renew his own faith when he wrote:
"It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus. We had seen his majesty for ourselves. He was honoured and glorified by God, when the sublime glory itself spoke to Him and said: This is my Son, the Beloved; He enjoys my favor. We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven when we were with Him on the Holy Mountain."
2 Peter vs 16-18
Spring is coming. We know this without question from the years of spring times we've experienced in the past. And out faith tells us with certainty that it is just around the corner even though the visual signs are not yet present.
And to be sure, the transfigured Jesus, the God of our beliefs is also present with us today as much as He was with Peter, James, and John on that mountain some two thousand years ago. Jesus makes His presence felt during our own retreat experiences. We experience being set free, being bound with the other people of faith, as we share our common journey. And it is our faith and hope in Him that sustains us through dark and confusing "in between" times.
A retreat is very beneficial during "in between" times. It doesn't have to be on the top of some high mountain or in some other exotic place. Jesus resides within us. It's just a matter of making ourselves available.
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