Radiance
Nancy Chism
March 5th, 2013
2nd Sunday of Lent
Ex 2 24:1a, 9a, 10-12, 15-18a; 34:28-29; Ps 83 (from Stanza 2, Merrill); Tim 1:2a, 7-10;
Mt 17: 1-9
Good Morning. I appreciate being invited to contribute in this way and hope that my words may touch you.
There are several themes that these readings present: the importance of law in the story of the Ten Commandments, the counsel to avoid being timid in the reading from St. Paul, the idea of persistence in the Psalms, and several others. But for me, the overpowering theme is the idea of radiance and that’s what I’d like to talk about. I hope that in your part of the homily, you’ll focus on any of the themes that meant the most to you.
The images of Moses’s face when he descended the mountain and of Jesus’s face and clothing during what we now call the transfiguration leap out at me. And image is the power for me. So, I’d like to show you some images of radiance.
[Here Nancy showed a whole set of slides, illustrating many aspects of radiance.]
One thing that these all have in common is light. Can you imagine being on the mountain with Moses or with Jesus? The light is blinding, too powerful for your eyes. You shield them, but as I do when viewing the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, you can’t help peeking, just like the three apostles with Jesus and the elders with Moses. And the light bounces off your face, too, making you radiant. Think of the times when you were radiant—maybe at the birth of your child, perhaps when you won a race, when you were recognized for an accomplishment, when you were proud of the success of a loved one. We say that you were “beaming.” I visualize the shining face of Martin Luther King as he spoke the passionate lines at the end of his speech on the night before he died, “I have been to the mountaintop. . . . And I’ve seen the Promised Land.”
Both Jesus and Moses become radiant through being in the presence of the divine. They have gone to the mountaintop, a symbol of the meeting point between earth and heaven. For both, this is a moment of epiphany, a time when there is a great change in their own future lives. Jesus’s humanity has been proclaimed in his baptism, when he descends into the waters like others who approach John the Baptist, and his divinity is proclaimed here as he ascends the mountain. It is a pivotal point foreshadowing his death as a man and resurrection as divine. Moses reaches the height of his prophetic powers in receiving and transmitting the law.
And when we manifest the divine in us, we show our radiance. We say every week in the Creed that “We believe that we are radiant images of God who calls us to live fully, to love tenderly, and to serve generously.” In the popular song, “On Eagles Wings,” we are told that we can be made to “shine like the sun.” But I don’t think we carry this thought with us routinely.
So, I would like to turn to the Eastern Church, where the transfiguration and the concept of light are of utmost importance, leading to an emphasis on light and mysticism and meditation to a higher degree than the Western Church. I’d like to take just a minute to honor that tradition and prompt you to feel your radiance with a little exercise that we often do at the Indianapolis Hermitage: “Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and relax your body. Breathe again and feel peace flowing through your head, your torso, and limbs. Now, visualize the divine as a blue-white light in the center of your heart. Feel it starting to energize your whole being, moving outward to the surface of your body. Feel the divine in you manifesting itself. Now you can bring that light to others. Bring it to others around you, to your city, your nation, the earth, the whole universe. Illuminate everything with peace and love. You are a powerful spiritual being and your light, the light of love, makes the difference. Now, slowly open your eyes and enjoy how radiant you feel.”
I invite you to comment on these ideas or any others that were prompted by the readings.
Nancy Chism
March 5th, 2013
2nd Sunday of Lent
Ex 2 24:1a, 9a, 10-12, 15-18a; 34:28-29; Ps 83 (from Stanza 2, Merrill); Tim 1:2a, 7-10;
Mt 17: 1-9
Good Morning. I appreciate being invited to contribute in this way and hope that my words may touch you.
There are several themes that these readings present: the importance of law in the story of the Ten Commandments, the counsel to avoid being timid in the reading from St. Paul, the idea of persistence in the Psalms, and several others. But for me, the overpowering theme is the idea of radiance and that’s what I’d like to talk about. I hope that in your part of the homily, you’ll focus on any of the themes that meant the most to you.
The images of Moses’s face when he descended the mountain and of Jesus’s face and clothing during what we now call the transfiguration leap out at me. And image is the power for me. So, I’d like to show you some images of radiance.
[Here Nancy showed a whole set of slides, illustrating many aspects of radiance.]
One thing that these all have in common is light. Can you imagine being on the mountain with Moses or with Jesus? The light is blinding, too powerful for your eyes. You shield them, but as I do when viewing the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico, you can’t help peeking, just like the three apostles with Jesus and the elders with Moses. And the light bounces off your face, too, making you radiant. Think of the times when you were radiant—maybe at the birth of your child, perhaps when you won a race, when you were recognized for an accomplishment, when you were proud of the success of a loved one. We say that you were “beaming.” I visualize the shining face of Martin Luther King as he spoke the passionate lines at the end of his speech on the night before he died, “I have been to the mountaintop. . . . And I’ve seen the Promised Land.”
Both Jesus and Moses become radiant through being in the presence of the divine. They have gone to the mountaintop, a symbol of the meeting point between earth and heaven. For both, this is a moment of epiphany, a time when there is a great change in their own future lives. Jesus’s humanity has been proclaimed in his baptism, when he descends into the waters like others who approach John the Baptist, and his divinity is proclaimed here as he ascends the mountain. It is a pivotal point foreshadowing his death as a man and resurrection as divine. Moses reaches the height of his prophetic powers in receiving and transmitting the law.
And when we manifest the divine in us, we show our radiance. We say every week in the Creed that “We believe that we are radiant images of God who calls us to live fully, to love tenderly, and to serve generously.” In the popular song, “On Eagles Wings,” we are told that we can be made to “shine like the sun.” But I don’t think we carry this thought with us routinely.
So, I would like to turn to the Eastern Church, where the transfiguration and the concept of light are of utmost importance, leading to an emphasis on light and mysticism and meditation to a higher degree than the Western Church. I’d like to take just a minute to honor that tradition and prompt you to feel your radiance with a little exercise that we often do at the Indianapolis Hermitage: “Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and relax your body. Breathe again and feel peace flowing through your head, your torso, and limbs. Now, visualize the divine as a blue-white light in the center of your heart. Feel it starting to energize your whole being, moving outward to the surface of your body. Feel the divine in you manifesting itself. Now you can bring that light to others. Bring it to others around you, to your city, your nation, the earth, the whole universe. Illuminate everything with peace and love. You are a powerful spiritual being and your light, the light of love, makes the difference. Now, slowly open your eyes and enjoy how radiant you feel.”
I invite you to comment on these ideas or any others that were prompted by the readings.
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