Timothy 1: 8b-10
Matthew 17: 1-9
The term “multitasking,” has been a
part of the recent popular lexicon in our society.
Many believe that with the improvement in computer technologies, we can
do several tasks at the same time. Now I
know someone who does a lot of different things on their laptop; however, when
I address that person with a question or statement, there is a 15 to 20 second
delay before I get a response. I think
that many of us are finding that, yes, we can do a lot more, but our concentration
is being fractured. And we are not as
present to others as we should be. And
this is not exactly a new phenomenon; human beings have always had to deal with
having too many things on our mind. We
sometimes are always thinking about other things in the future, rather than
being present in the moment.
Let us look at today’s Gospel. We heard how Jesus took, Peter, James, and
John, his first disciples, up a high mountain; and there revealed himself to
them as the Messiah, the Son of God. The
imagery Matthew the evangelist uses in describing what happened probably does
not do justice to awesomeness of the event.
And how does Peter respond to the glory he is witnessing? He is thinking about camping! “Lord, let me set up some tents for you and
your friends, sit down, put up your feet, and stay awhile!” Peter was not being present to the moment,
was not being mindful of what was happening; he was not being fully aware of
the glory that was before him. It took
the Father delivering a verbal head slap to make them pay attention: “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him!”
We all can sometimes let the normal
daily cares, anxieties, worries of life get in the way of our being aware
of God’s presence in our world, within ourselves.
Even here, as we gather together for this most perfect moment of prayer;
we can let ourselves get distracted, thinking about recent tweets, planning
dinners, deciding which sports we are going to watch, instead of focusing on
what is happening here, right now Because at this
altar will occur an event just as important as what happened on that
mountain. Soon, ordinary bread and wine
will be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ! How awesome is that? And soon we will receive
Him in Holy Communion! Are we aware of
that? Are we allowing ourselves to
experience the power of what is happening here and now?
Buddhists describe us humans as
having what they call “monkey minds,” skittering from one thought to another;
never being still, never being present to the moment. It takes discipline, it takes practice to
quiet our hearts and minds, and let God speak to us, to experience His
Presence. On our own, it is difficult to
succeed in this, which is why the Father gives us the grace through Christ
Jesus; so that we will be open to receive His love and peace. Like Abram, who was open to the Lord’s word,
and was willing to set out on a journey into unknown lands; let us be receptive
the God’s love and guidance, and set off again on our own journeys to the Father’s
house, to that promised land which is the Kingdom of God.
