Enthusiasm
Sometimes I feel like Peter.
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, "Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." And the disciples asked him, "Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He replied, "Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. - Matt. 17:1-13
Peter is someone who always wants to do the right thing.
He is like the kid that sits in the front of the class so the teacher can see him and he raises his hand to answer every question.
As a teacher, you have to love the enthusiasm, but you wish he would give things a little more thought before offering his answer.
There were times early in my education when I was like that, and though I learned to curb my enthusiasm, I never really outgrew the desire to be the one with the answer.
For most of my life, I tried to please a higher authority, usually a boss.
It was only much later in life that I realized the only higher authority to try to please is God.
Like Peter, I sometimes found it confusing to know how best to do that, and even who is in charge here.
His desire to please Jesus causes him to want to embrace Moses and Elijah as well as missing the point of their appearance with Jesus.
Moses represented the law and Elijah was the prophet whose prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus. So, everything converges on this spot, with them discussing the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Peter, like us, gets caught up in the dazzle of the moment and misses the message.
It isn't until Jesus explains that what they have been waiting for is here, that they understand.
So it is with us. Until we hear the words of the Gospel and let them sink in, we may miss the most important elements of Jesus' teaching.
This is why I reflect on the readings each day. And each time I do, something new comes into view.
More to come...