By Father Rich Tomkosky
In Scripture, we see God revealing Himself to Abram (later Abraham) in a tangible way. It was a moment of visitation, a personal encounter with the Lord of the Universe, the one and only God. And a reminder that God is the all-holy Being, as the Scriptures say, and so a deep terrifying darkness enveloped Abram when he encountered God.
The mystery of our God is He is both Transcendent and Personal; He is both approachable and lives in unapproachable light, which can appear as darkness to our limited human eyes (see Saint John of the Cross). He is a Mystery, only understand partially, beyond all human mysteries, which is why we need to treat God with respect, reverence and awe and even with a holy fear, while at the same time drawing near to Him in love, in holy conversation and in pondering the mystery of His life in the Bible and in the depths of our being where He dwells as an Indwelling Presence – if we are living in the state of grace.
To encounter God in a personal way, in the way He deems fit for our own unique life, Saint Paul gives us some very good advice. In writing to the Philippians, he reminds them “not to be enemies of the Cross of Christ.” (See also the book: Why the Cross by Father Edward Leen). What does that mean for us? Well, Lent is the time when we especially focus, or should focus, on dying to self and living the new life Christ won for us on the Cross, to draw closer to Him in a personal way.
Our works of penance/self-denial, various forms of prayer, and almsgiving are meant to prepare our being for that deeper personal encounter with the Blessed Trinity. The ultimate goal of our Lenten practices is not to just do them for the sake of doing them like a spiritual challenge, but to have a deeper conversion in Christ: to live better His way of thinking, of acting, of loving.
Let us ask the Lord this Lent for a special grace to actually grow in holiness, and to ask the Holy Spirit to help us see what the one thing is we need most spiritually to grow closer to God in love: it may be humility, or forgiving someone who hurt us badly, purity in our bodies, self-control of our instincts, calmness in dealing with stress and anxiety, a greater focus on prayer; be more loving; be more generous with God and others with our time; be more compassionate and less negative; to have a greater docility and spirit of obedience to God and the Catholic faith instead of picking and choosing among the teachings of the faith, and/or to make a heartfelt Lenten Confession of all the sins we may have hidden in the past out of embarrassment or pride. Whatever it is: let us be bold in asking, and humble in receiving: the grace to grow spiritually, so we can be transfigured in Christ!
That leads to the mystery of the Transfiguration: the miraculous occurrence of Jesus revealing His true Divine personhood to the three chosen Apostles: Peter, James and John. We also see in this mystery the Revelation of the Blessed Trinity, as the Father’s voice is heard from Heaven, and the Holy Spirit comes in the shining cloud. It is an amazing event and a holy spiritual memory that Saint Peter will one day come back to as the first Pope when he writes his second epistle to the Church and says, “It was not by cleverly concocted myths that we taught you about the coming in power of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we were witnesses of His sovereign majesty. He received glory and praise from God the Father when that unique declaration came to Him out of the majestic splendor: ‘This is my beloved Son, on whom my favor rests.’ We ourselves heard this said from Heaven while we were in His company on the holy mountain. Besides, we possess the prophetic message as something altogether reliable. Keep your attention closely fixed on it, as you would a lamp shining in a dark place until the first streaks of dawn appear, and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1: 16-19).
Holy memories such as this help us to keep a proper spiritual perspective. If we frequently call to mind like Saint Peter did of the reality of God’s personal presence in our life, and those special moments of spiritual visitation, we will persevere on the narrow way which leads to eternal life. This is why it is so important to ask God over time to reveal Himself to us in a deeper way in the depths of our mind and heart, and for us to cultivate a personal relationship with the Trinity in prayer. Lent is a golden time to help bring this about – with trust in God’s saving grace. God bless you.
Father Rich Tomkosky is the Pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Bedford and the Pastor of Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Beans Cove.
