Break-Through Moments 

Friends, today I would like to invite us to think for a moment about those times in our relationship with God and one another that leave us wanting more. We may have had dinner with a friend or family member that we have not seen in a long time, and our conversation may have been phenomenal that we just don’t want the experience to end; we want it to go on, and on, and on. Others might have the same experience while watching a favorite TV series; you love the storyline and just don’t want the season to ever end. When it does end, you desire more and start wondering, “When will the new season begin?” We could even be longing for our next vacation experience.  Couples will even tell you they desired more of their honeymoon experience. This desire for The More is indeed a reality. 
 

The More – Spiritual Things

Friends, this desire for The More applies particularly to spiritual things. Sometimes God speaks to our hearts or acts in our lives in a very unique way that leaves us wanting more of God. These moments that leave us wanting God more are called the Moments of Grace, Moments of Revelation, moments of Illumination, moments of breakthrough, moments when God speaks, or peak moments. 
            Notice that Jesus took Peter James and John to a very high mountain; the mountain symbolizing the sacred realm. Did you notice that Peter’s words to Jesus “It is good that we are here; if you wish, I will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” were born out of his desire of wanting more? What Peter was saying was. “We have had a very nice time together; You have given us the privilege of partaking in the Divine Life, and we are very grateful that you have given us a glimpse of what life will be like when we get to heaven. Now we know that there is something beyond this passing world, of time and space, please could we just continue to stay in this mode?” Peter thought that by building tents they might be compelled to stay.  Peter, James and John experienced their own Moments of Grace, Moments of Revelation, moments of Illumination, moments of breakthrough, moments when God spoke to them, or their peak moments. These moments no doubt left them wanting more.
 

Favorite Holy Land Experience

            I may have told you before about when the Seminary sent us over to spend 10 weeks in the Holy Land last year, one of my favorite sites was the Church of the Transfiguration. It turned out to be my best site because of the way in which God spoke to my heart about unity. I am talking about Psalm 133, “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity.” When I shared my experience with some of my classmates who happened to have studied at the Conception Seminary Missouri, they told me that they had a tradition of singing this Psalm 133 “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity” everyday as part of their pre-lunch prayer and ritual. And so together, we sang “how good and how pleasant” on the Mount of the Transfiguration. This experience made my day, as

• This was my moment of Grace;
• This was my moment of revelation,
• My moment of illumination,                                                   
• My moment of breakthrough.
• My peak moment when God spoke to my heart.

 This moving experience left me wanting more of the encounter that I had with Jesus in Psalm 133 and the friendship with my classmates from Conception Seminary. As I was writing my homily, I just thought that Peter, James and John at the Transfiguration may have also been singing Psalm 133. We all have these moments.  I think some good questions to ask ourselves are

• How do we respond to our moments of Grace?                              
• How do we respond to our moments of Revelation?                                   
• How do we respond to our moments of illumination?                    

 Today’s Gospel gives us a template for what our response should be.

1. Attitude of thanksgiving: Peter’s response “Lord it is good that we are here, let us make 3 tents” was conceived from a heart that was grateful. God has been good to us and he continues to be good to us every day. We in turn must be grateful. Therefore, is why Scripture tells us “Give thanks to God for he is good, for his love endures forever?” Today we are going to be thankful for those moments when Jesus enlightened our way, provided for us, protected us against danger, guided us in our relationships, or helped us forgive people who may have offended us.  
2. We should listen to Jesus always. “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased listen to him.”  Jesus speaks to us not just in our silent moments or when we are in church, but even more in the ordinariness of our everyday lives. Through the great cleansing season of Lent, Jesus speaks to us to listen to him in prayer.