The Kitchen Sink
An occasional piece of paper
February 3, 2008
Vol. 11 no. 05

Everything But...
           Everybody’s complaining this year about the year. It’s the moon’s fault, of course. The old lunar calendar still rules regarding the date for Easter and therefore the beginning of Lent. The coldest days of the year are lingering as we celebrate Fat Sunday and on Wednesday, the 40 days of Lent in the hot dry wilderness commence. Doesn’t that sound great?
           The end of Epiphany is always the mountain top experience of the Transfiguration, one of the least comprehensible events for a modern Christian. The Gospels have plenty of so-called miracles that stretch our scientific understanding of matters, but we can handle them in various ways. This one is one level more, a tad more visionary for us to cope with.
           Perhaps it’s the appearance of Moses and Elijah - no photographs back then, how did anyone know who they were? - that makes us insecure, for scientific culture does not deal well with ghosts and apparitions. All of this is surreal, especially since Peter, James, and John are witnesses and participants in what is going on. They hear that same voice that out of heaven, “This is my beloved Son,” that spoke at the Jordan baptism. Not every one was privileged to hear that voice, so they must be special.
           Visions are one thing, but what you learn and what you do with them is the important thing. The three disciples are still in a state of shock after all has dissipated. Coming down the mountain Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision until...” Didn’t we hear just last week the call for evangelism, to tell everyone the Good News? Now we are supposed to keep quiet. These contrasting orders insist that we just don’t follow the commandments by rote, but that you and I must think about what we are doing and what we believe.