Fr. Voigt, "Light Begets Light"
Reflections on the Transfiguration
Darkness was descending upon the whole world and into this darkness came a light which was either to be accepted or rejected. This Light of the world brought sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb and life to the dead. Not one thing could be said against Him who performed such miracles. Yet they plotted His death.
The apostles knew him as Son of Man and St. Peter proclaimed Him Son of God. For this he became the Rock upon which the Catholic Church would rest.
However, the time had come to expose the truth about every life in the Light of the world. Everyone of us is begotten in Him, through Him and for Him. Now is the time to reveal the eternal in the midst of the temporal world. On a high mountain Light was revealed to the leadership of the apostles (Peter, James and John). Two men appear and discuss the ultimate act of Divine Love, the summation of everything that they had revealed. One had died and the other was still living and will continue until he returns to the temporal and prepares the world for the second coming. Moses and Elias are surrounded by the Light of the Son of God.
In awe the apostles fall to the ground (they must die to their worldly way of thinking) and come to realize their goal in this life ...to be one with the Light of the world in heaven.
If a soul does not fix itself upon the goal of life then the life itself becomes one's goal. With the Jew life itself is his goal and nothing beyond. He has rejected the Light of the world and chosen the tinsel lights of a bright city and the worldly pleasures. His investment is totally for the world of man. Unfortunately, this is a poor exchange for the eternity that God has prepared for those who love Him.
In the response of Peter we see how heaven has taken hold of his soul. Let us make three booths: one for Thee, Lord; one for Moses and one for Elias. He knew not what to say.
Then the voice of one mightier than any scribe, dictator or president identified this Light that absorbed Moses and Elias. For their simple lights of the ten commandments and the prophetic statements submit to the greatest of Lights, the Son of God.
"This is my Beloved Son on Whom My Favor rests, listen to Him."
They fell face down in a deathlike trance until our Lord revived them and took them back down that mountain to the world below to work out the path that leads to our salvation. How sad that today the souls of people no longer look to their eternal life daily. Business, pleasure, company and whatever else you can imagine take precedence over prayer and meditation on our last end.
In my own family just yesterday, my mother had a blood clot that acted as a stroke and sent her to the hospital. When I learned from my brother of her plight, I went there to pray the rosary to return her to health. Some Novus Ordo priest had come and read the shallow prayers of the new Sacrament of the Sick. Meanwhile my brother and my sisters-in-law were simply chatting and laughing away. I went directly to my mother and began praying the rosary without the least concern if anyone else would come to pray. They continued on with their Novus Ordo manner. Prayer is secondary to conversation with one another. There is no light in them. Prayer is the best cure and before I knew it my mother was squeezing my hand and looking at me. I was in tears but I continued and later brought the holy oils to give her the true sacrament and an attendant joined me.
The Light of the world is watching the world head once again into darkness. If we love Him we will know his doctrine. If we testify to Him by a holy life then He will testify for us before His Father. Simple advice to those who seek the Light: Keep your eyes fixed on heaven while you approach the Cross of Salvation. Pain ceases to be pain when you have the meaning in the Cross of Christ.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Richard Voigt
