One magnificent, moonlit night, a fisherman climbed the wall of a private estate to partake in the bounty of its fish-stocked pond. He moved with stealth and upon reaching the banks of the pond observed with keen awareness that there was no activity in the bungalow below. All the lights were out. With a sense of confidence, he envisioned his fishing needs taken care of for the full week. Thus, he cast his net into the pond making the light splash. The master of the house remarked to his wife from his deep stupor, "Did you hear a sound outside?"
His wife remarked, "My dear, it sounded like a net falling into the water."
In seconds, the owner sprang out of the stupor and visualizing his pond completely devoid of fish yelled, "Thief! Thief!" The servants of the house, hearing the master yell, scrambled outside toward the pond.
The fisherman gathered the net as swiftly as he tossed it and scrambled to find a safe hiding place. The workers' voices were near and the fisherman's desperation knew no bounds. His eyes caught a glimpse of a smoldering fire and he got an idea. He gathered some ash and rubbed it over his arms, body, and face. He quickly sat under the nearest tree in a posture of one in meditation. When the servants arrived at the scene and saw the man in meditation they asked for forgiveness and continued their search. Finally, they reported back to the owner telling him that there was only a sanyasin, a holy man, in the garden.
The owner's face lit up and asked to be taken to the site of the sanyasin. Upon seeing him, he was overjoyed and demanded that the holy man not be disturbed. The fisherman's fear turned to joy and then to pride thinking how smart he was to outwit the entire household. He sat under the tree until the shades of dawn began to sweep across the night sky. As he was preparing to leave he saw a small procession of people approaching; they had heard of the holy man. Now he could not leave under any circumstance. These people had come from a neighboring village and with total devotion had brought offerings of food, fruit, silver, and gold to invoke the blessings of the holy man!
At this very moment the fisherman realized that if by assuming the role of a holy man he had received so much respect and goodwill, how much more respect and goodwill would be received if he truly was a holy man. So the fisherman who was truly a thief turned in his net and became a true man of God.
It might have been quite by accident, but the fisherman experienced conversion in his life. He was transformed from a thief into a holy man through the action of others. The love, respect, and deference demonstrated toward him changed his heart. He realized he had been deluding himself to think others might respect him for his wealth, but he came to realize he could be held in high esteem by demonstrating kindness and those qualities that label people as "holy." In a similar way on this great feast of the Transfiguration, when we recall how Jesus was transformed in external appearance before Peter, James, and John, we must seek to be transformed ourselves. We must see our need to be converted into the person of Christ. We need to change our lives and conform them more to the one whom we follow and seek to serve by our service to one another.
Saint Paul continues his conversation with the Christian community at Corinth in today's lesson. Scripture scholars tell us that 2 Corinthians is actually a compilation of at least five and possibly six letters Paul wrote to that community. Over time, through the work of redactors, the partial fragments of these letters were put together in what we today call 2 Corinthians. Today's lesson comes from a letter where Paul seeks to defend himself against the theology of a band of "super apostles" who have infiltrated the Corinthian Christian community preaching a theology different than that of Paul.
Paul tells the Corinthians that they should not become deluded with these false teachings but rather must stay on the true path. He uses the story of Moses in the desert and his conversations with God to illustrate his point. He says that Moses used a veil to cover himself after he spoke with God so the Israelites would not behold the radiance of God that was imprinted on his face. He suggests that the "super apostles" have veiled themselves like Moses. They do not see the truth; they hide behind a facade of their own ignorance and arrogance. Paul defends himself against such an attitude by saying if one truly turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
Paul continues by saying that when the Corinthians see the Lord with unveiled faces, in other words, without the encumbrances of the "super apostles," they are being transformed into the same image one sees without the veil — the image of God. As he writes, "All of us ... are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (v. 18).
Clearly Paul is telling this community of faith that they need to "see through" the false rhetoric of the "super apostles" who have placed a veil over their faces. They need to remove the veil and be transformed by the message of Christ. Paul says that his message is true; he is not to resort to cunning or false pretensions to communicate his message, but rather he produces the truth that he received from Jesus. His conscience is clear; he is to carry forth his mission to the Corinthians in a manner consistent with the commission Christ gave him, beginning from the day of his conversion on the road to Damascus.
The Transfiguration itself is a highly significant event in Jesus' life. All three synoptic writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, tell us the story. All three evangelists connect it in time to Peter's earlier profession of faith. When Jesus asked the apostles who he was, Peter responded, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Now six days later (Luke says eight days) Jesus is with the three special apostles on the mountain. Jesus wants to show that Peter's confession has merit. Some scholars suggest the Transfiguration happened just as it is described. Others say the event was really a spiritual experience of the apostles. There are some, as well, who suggest that this is the narration of a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus that was intentionally inserted at this point in the gospel to make clear to the evangelists' readers the message that Jesus was Messiah and Lord. Jesus was physically transfigured for a brief amount of time. His clothes became dazzling white; his appearance was translucent. Moses and Elijah appeared in conversation with Jesus. Then God speaks from the heavens, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" (Matthew 17:5b).
Jesus' physical transformation was apparent, but it was momentary and not permanent. But what happened to Peter, James, and John? Most assuredly they were transformed. However, their conversion was not physical, but rather spiritual and permanent. From this time forth they could never look at Jesus and see only a man. Not only was their experience of Jesus and the two great Jewish figures of the past surreal, they heard a voice from heaven, God's voice, tell them who Jesus was and their need to listen to him. Peter, James, and John had the veil removed; they knew with total certainty who Jesus was and his mission and purpose in the world.
The transformation experienced by the fisherman thief, the same one described by Saint Paul and that experienced by Peter, James, and John, must be our goal as well. We might not want to admit it, but often we live our daily lives with a veil over our face that marks who we are and does not allow us to properly see the world around us. The fisherman thief thought crime would pay; it was his perceived ticket to greatness. But he learned through the goodness of others the fallacy of his idea. When he removed the veil he saw clearly the proper road to the goals he saw in life. Similarly, Paul tells the Corinthians to remove the veil the "super apostles" have placed over them. Then they will be able to "see" and hear the new message of Paul. Peter, James, and John were privileged to view the transfigured Christ. They were transformed in their understanding of Jesus.
What requires transformation in our lives? For some there is a need to transform attitudes — toward self and others. It is unfortunate but true that too many people have low self-esteem and do not respect nor love themselves sufficiently. These people need to be transformed to look into a mirror and believe fully that the person they see is a son or daughter of God. Some of us need transformation in our attitudes toward others. We think highly of ourselves; we place ourselves above others. Such an attitude needs to be transformed so that the attitude Jesus manifests and describes in the scriptures prevails. We need to be humble and sit at the low end of the table so, if we are fortunate, someone will call us up higher.
Many people need to be transformed in their habits. There are things we do that annoy others. There are habits we exhibit that are harmful to our health. We know what these problems are; now we need to have the courage to change.
All of us, to some extent, through prayer, need to be transformed in our relationship with God. Lent is the perfect time to root out sin and do our best to resist temptation — those near occasions of sin. We must do what needs to be done to improve our prayer life — our daily conversation with God — and stop making excuses for our failures.
All of us must seek transformation in our lives; we are also responsible to assist others in their transformation. The people who encountered the fisherman thief were instrumental in his transformation. Their respect, kindness, and goodness demonstrated to him that crime did not gain him the greatness he sought. The people removed the veil from his eyes; he was transformed in his vision. Our transformation can assist others to discover their own need to be transformed in Christ. May our words and actions be transformative for ourselves and others. May all that we do and say give greater glory and honor to God. Amen.