Daily Devotional for August 10

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August 10                                                          Mark 9:2-13

Six days after Jesus first announces that he will suffer and die,
a strange event occurs. Taking his intimate companions, Peter,
James, and John, up to the mountaintop, Jesus is transfigured
before them.

This Transfiguration is not simply a change in Jesus' ap-
pearance. Jesus stands, in a sense, outside of himself, enter-
ing a new state of awareness. For him, life after this experience
is markedly different, changed, and new. Through this ex-
perience of Transfiguration, Jesus is affirmed in his ministry,
an affirmation which will require that he suffer many things.

As Jesus embraces this frightening turn of events in his life,
a profound and personal affirmation of him is given in the
words from the cloud: "This is my beloved Child." The
affirmation empowers Jesus to bear the suffering and death
to which he is called and endows him with a heightened
authority. Therefore the voice from the cloud commands the
disciples and us: "To this one you shall listen."

For Jesus, the Transfiguration is a celebration of life - life in
the very face of the pain which often results from being true
to God, to oneself, and to one's call. Jesus now directs his
ministry to Jerusalem, the place of his ultimate sacrifice.

The story of the Transfiguration of Jesus encourages us to
expect God's direct affirmation of our own lives as we embrace
the pain and suffering which come as a result of our
faithfulness. Jesus' Transfiguration is an invitation to move
through and beyond these hard times to a newness of life that
empowers us in personal and unexpected ways.

        Jesus, as I listen to your gentle voice, empower
     me to move through the painful parts of my life to find
              the newness of life which you promise. Amen.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989