A Glimpse into the Beyond

     In his book titled “The Golden String”, Bede Griffiths describes a remarkable episode that took place when he was a schoolboy. He was walking outside one summer evening. As he strolled along by himself, he became aware of how beautiful the birds were singing. He wondered why he had never heard them sing like this before. As he continued to walk, he came upon some hawthorn trees in bloom. They were lovely and gave off a sweet fragrance that filled the air. Bede wondered why he had never noticed their beauty or aroma before. Finally, he came to a playing field. Everything was quiet and still. As he stood there, watching the sun sink slowly below the horizon, he felt inclined to kneel on the ground. It was as though God were present there in a tangible way. "Now that I look back on it," wrote Griffiths, "it seems to me it was one of the decisive events of my life." Up until that time, Griffiths said he had been a normal schoolboy, content with the world as he found it. Now he saw the world in a whole new way. 
     Bede Griffiths' experience gives us a glimpse into what Peter, James, and John must have felt like 2,000 years ago, as read in today’s gospel, when Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. It, too, was a decisive moment in their lives. Up until that time they had seen Jesus in a normal, everyday way. Now they began to see him in a whole new perspective. Like Bede Griffiths and his boyhood experience, Peter never forgot the transfiguration of Jesus. Years later he referred to it as a true and powerful manifestation of the honor and glory of Jesus Christ, which he saw firsthand (2 Peter l:16-18). 
     We can all relate to what Peter experienced on the mountaintop and Bede Griffiths' experience in his boyhood. We may have experienced times when, for a split second, we glimpsed another world beyond this one. Such times may have been moments of personal prayer, Eucharistic adoration, confessions, meditations, almsgiving, and Consecration at Mass. They are moments when, for an instant, we see beyond ordinary events something extraordinary. They are moments of transfiguration when, like Peter, James, and John, we are overwhelmed by a remarkable sense of God's presence. And if we listen carefully, we, too, may hear a heavenly voice say, "This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to him!"