God's Revelation

“How good it is for us to be here!”

For the disciples, what starts out as another afternoon of napping while Jesus is praying turns into a terrifying visitation of the Divine. (Many of us can identify ourselves with these disciples, can't we?) Just another reason not to close our eyes when Jesus is around! In this hour, Jesus is revealed as the fulfillment of both the law and prophecy (as represented by Moses and Elijah), besides being the Chosen Son of God, the Messiah.

Peter’s response is really an understatement: “How good it is for us to be here.” He is spared embarrassment by the fact that he does not have a clue as to what he is saying, much less what is happening. Our response to revelation is often the same. Sometimes it takes a lifetime to figure out what happened back there, what God was doing while we were all but asleep.

Each moment God has a message for us. This is the revelation of God. He is perfectly hidden and perfectly revealed in each and every moment of our lives. Did you think there would be trumpet blasts and clashing of cymbals to announce God's revelation? Did you think the angels would fly into your presence from over the clouds? There will be no solemn music, unfortunately. There will be no angels except the same old faces and a few strangers who appear and disappear in your presence. They will be your true angels, bringing you messages from God. If you nap, you might miss. The humdrum of your ordinary life is the arena of God's mighty revelation.

The present moment is the real present (= gift) of God. Here and now. Let us know that things are okay as they are, here and now. That is the key to happiness. If you're pushing yourself and others around, you have not yet found the secret of happiness. This moment is as perfect as it can be. The saints called this the “sacrament of the present moment,” where God truly reveals Himself. Will we be able to say the same statement of Peter, but fully awake and aware, “How good it is for us to be now-here!” That's not going to be easy!