I spend a great deal of time praying with icons. The meaning written into these “windows to heaven” shine new light onto my contemplation. The details matter. The poses and postures pull meaning from the great mysteries of our faith. On this Feast of the Transfiguration I find myself drawn to these symbols with the story and Icon of this holy day: Postures of Awe, Voices of Affirmation, and Sentinels of Solidarity.

Postures of Awe

Many depictions of Peter, James and John see the inner circle of Jesus sensorily overwhelmed by the Transfiguration. Light, sound, even reverence for the prophetic pillars of their faith explode leaving the three prone on the ground. And Jesus Christ is at the center, throwing off the veil of his humanity to reveal his divinity. The Apostles are throttled by the infinite realities exploding in and out of their Christ. Everything is possible with this Jesus and nothing is possible without him. Apathy, cynicism, and despair are enveloped by radiance. I’m left wondering how often we accept Jesus’ invitations to take on postures of awe and nourish ourselves with the infinite?

Voices of Affirmation

Again, like the angel choirs at the nativity with the dove and voice at the Jordan we hear the supernatural testimony imploring us to trust Jesus, even if he is only at the edge of our comprehension. Although their voices are transcendent their message can be echoed even in our mortal throats: “trust in him.” We participate in the work of angels and even God when we pass on their exhortation. How often do we miss our chance to exercise the great privilege of proclaiming the good news we hear again today on the mountain of Transfiguration?

Sentinels of Solidarity

The conversation among Jesus, Moses and Elijah is a secret to us but Elijah and Moses tells us all we need to know with their feet. Standing next to Christ they lend their comprehendible dignity to the Christ who came as a blue collar worker in a backwater town. How often are we lending our own dignity to those whose dignity is obscured by racism, classism, homophobia and other blinding agents of the enemy. How do these sentinels of solidarity invite us to evangelize with our feet?

These symbols renew the charge we are given as baptized Christians but not without refreshing us with a power not our own. They put a claim on our life but not without giving us the life of the eternal. The joy of abundant life in Christ is that we have no claim to keep something we earned. Stasis tempts the renewed person to “stay here always.” But the power of the Transfiguration is only fully realized upon leaving the mountain. The posture of awe empowers us to proclaim the good news and to stand in solidarity with the marginalized. The mountain will always be there on our way to mission but never a place to stay. And we will never be asked to carry our cross to death without being given a glimpse at the source of light and life. Christ invites us into the same life we see on the mountain, a life that is not only bigger than death but one that swallows the sting, leaving only another tool for our sanctification from glory into glory. And leaving us lost in wonder, love, and praise.