TRANSFIGURATION 

MOMENTS AND PLACES

 INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Transfiguration Moments and Places.”

I like these  2^nd Sunday in Lent readings: the transfiguration scene. We hear 3 versions of it: Mark last year, Luke this year, and Matthew next year.

For this homily I would simply ask you to do what I’m about to do: go through your life and pick transfiguration moments and places that transfigured you - changed you - stunned and stopped you.

I’ll give you a list of some of the places and moments I picked - so that you might do the same.

They could be an early morning moment at Rehoboth beach when you got up all alone and walked down to the water to watch the sunrise - or a night time moment  - when you stopped to look up at the sky like Abram did in today’s first reading and you counted the stars - and there you were with God.

Here are 7 places I picked. What are your 7 or 10 great moments - or places - where God was transfigured before you - and you saw the light - and you said in prayer, “God it is good that I am here.”

#  1  - MOUNT OF THE TRANSFIGURATION

The first would be the day we took a bus up to the Mount of Transfiguration place in Israel. It might be the place. It might not be the place. But it was a place there or near there that got the tradition: “It was here that Jesus experienced a transfiguration moment.”

We went by bus - 24 priests with a  Franciscan, Father Stephen Doyle leading us - up the mount of the transfiguration. The bus was easier than doing it on foot.

We had Mass in the church up on top.  Stephen read the gospel story of the Transfiguration and then after Mass he  gave us an hour of silence.

For the hour of quiet prayer,  I went up the roof of another  building up there. I was all by myself in the quiet - seeing the Golan Heights in the distance and the green pasture lands down below.

A guy had asked me when he heard I was going to Israel, “How do the sheep get fed?  Whenever I see Israel on TV, it’s desert and dryness. Well when I got back I told this guy, “In the north there is plenty of green pastures and sheep and goats.

After the hour of quiet we had a lunch at a Franciscan monastery up on top as well.  It was a spaghetti dinner.

Lord, it  was good to have been here.  The bread was good as well….

# 2 - ZION NATIONAL PARK

The next place I would pick is Zion National Park in Southern Utah. I never knew it existed till I went there.

If you ever get a chance to see National Parks in the southwest - make sure you include Zion National Park. If you get to the Grand Canyon, you’re in striking distance of Zion.  Wow. Well worth it.

I was with another priest, Tom, whom I worked with for 8 ½ years before I came to Annapolis. I was preaching in Tucson - and he flew out when I finished and we had a great 2 week vacation.  Zion was the best.

Lord, it  was good to have been here.

#  3  -  LAKE OF SOLITUDE

The next place would be Lake of Solitude in the Rockies.  4 of us were backpacking - and were  headed for a place called Black Lake.  Well, we met these 3 guys from Boston who were also backpacking. They asked us where we were headed and we said, “Black Lake.”  They said they were there - but much better was Lake of Solitude.  They gave us directions and we had maps - and we changed our plans.

We made it. Sure enough. it was like a church without a ceiling - and the sanctuary was a pool of water - holding the blue sky and some clouds. that flowed into a small lake - listed as the Lake of Solitude. We immediately started saying an Our Father.

Lord, it  was good to have been here.

# 4  CHARTRES CATHEDRAL

I always wanted to go to Chartres Cathedral - not that far a distance from Paris - and it was all I hoped for.

A Malcom Miller gave the tour - 2 hours in the morning - 2 hours in the afternoon - and we came back the next morning - for another 2 hours. He would explain 2 stained glass windows at a time - and some other aspects of medieval cathedrals.

Lord, it  was good to have been here.

Chartres was Lourdes and Fatima - a great Marian Shrine - long before Lourdes and Fatima - and people from all over Europe made pilgrimages to there.

# 5 THIS CHURCH

Next I would add this church. It’s been here since 1858.

Sense all the prayers still moving around this sacred place.

Think of all the tears shed in this sacred space.

I mention this church to trigger the thought: What have been the sacred places and spaces - the churches of your lifetime.

Where is your spot in this church?

Do you have a favorite bench?

Is it up here where babies are baptized or right there where couples make their vows.

Is it a confessional - or a place where you went to a special communion - maybe having dropped out for a while.

Let me point out two spots in this church - that have deep lingering feelings for me.

A woman died right there - after a wedding - when they were taking pictures. [Point]

I had a funeral for a 3 day old baby. Her remains were on a small table - right there [Point]

Lord, sometimes it’s sad to be here. Lord sometimes we’re glad to be here. Lord sometimes we need you.

# 6 MOM AND DAD’S BURIAL VAULT

Next - and this is true for so many people - there is the place where our loved ones are buried.

Where are you cemeteries?

My mom and dad are buried on the 4^th floor of an enormous building - a mausoleum at St. John’s Cemetery in Queens, NY.

It’s neat. It’s clean. It has piped in music. It has marble seats. It’s a sacred place.

I was looking this up today on line and Google said that Lucky Luciano, John Gotti, Carlo Gambino and Vito Genovese are buried in this same cemetery.  Fine Irish men to mention on a day like today.

Lord, it  was good to have been here.

# 7 IRELAND - FIRST TIME.

And my last place would be a moment when our plane came towards the coast of Ireland. I had a great window seat. I could see the coast as we headed for Shannon Air Port. I could see the green. And a thrill came over me. I’m about to see for the first time, the place where my mom and dad are from.

The green was beautiful that bright morning.

Lord it is good to be here.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily  was “Transfiguration Moments and Places.”

I just mentioned 7 places that are sacred - and I ask you to name 5 or 7 of yours.

And tell them to each other. Amen.