Richard Mallory

The Transfiguration
by Malcolm Guite

For that one moment, ‘in and out of time’,
On that one mountain where all moments meet,
The daily veil that covers the sublime
In darkling glass fell dazzled at his feet.
There were no angels full of eyes and wings
Just living glory full of truth and grace.
The Love that dances at the heart of things
Shone out upon us from a human face
And to that light the light in us leaped up,
We felt it quicken somewhere deep within,
A sudden blaze of long-extinguished hope
Trembled and tingled through the tender skin.
Nor can this blackened sky, this darkened scar

In this mountain peak moment, three disciples witness dazzling white light  emanating from Jesus’ face. He is in communion with Moses and Elijah, representative of the law and the prophets. Jesus is confirmed in his conviction that he must go on to Jerusalem.   Though discouraged by  disciples, these from the past root him on. They see in Jesus the embodiment of a way of life that they could not have conceived in their lifetimes. When Moses came down from his mountain for the second time, he slaughtered a number of rebellious Hebrews. Elijah slaughtered 400 priests of Baal. In Jesus is the revelation of non violence, the light of peace, the light of universal love. Jesus repudiates the notion of sacred violence as if the loving Creator would ever sanction any act of violence against self or others. Jesus is the fulfillment of both law and the prophetic traditions.  He calls us today to follow him and to embrace a life shed of our own violence so that we stay focused  with a mountaintop view of a new world being already born yet needing our further help and participation.

In Christ,

—Richard