Constancy

“Once after Holy Communion, I heard these words: You are Our dwelling place. At that moment, I felt in my soul the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (Diary of Saint Faustina, Diary Entry, 451).

Transfiguration (Feofan Grek)

Oh, to have seen the Transfiguration…

What would that have looked like and how would it have felt to have experienced the true Glory of God?

We reflect on the Transfiguration in the fourth Luminous Mystery of the Most Holy Rosary, and I have been thinking about it today.

“Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” (Matthew 17:1-2).

When Saint Faustina experienced a vision of God and the Holy Trinity in all His Glory she was overcome…

“Once after Holy Communion, I heard these words: You are Our dwelling place. At that moment, I felt in my soul the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I felt that I was the temple of God. I felt I was a child of the Father. I cannot explain all this, but the spirit understands.” (Diary of Saint Faustina, Diary Entry, 451).

And again, Saint Faustina writes…  “Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of Its majesty pierced me deeply, and I did not dare to repeat my entreaties. At that very moment I felt in my soul the power of Jesus’ grace, which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God. Oh, how great is our Lord and God and how incomprehensible His holiness! I will make no attempt to describe this greatness, because before long we shall all see Him as He is. I found myself pleading with (197) God for the world with words heard interiorly.” (Diary of Saint Faustina, Diary Entry, 474).

In the Gospel we are told…  “Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is well that we are here.’” (Luke 9:28b-36).

And in the case of the Apostles, and in the case of Saint Faustina, this vision of God in His greatness came before terrible terrible suffering…  The Apostles were to witness the Passion and Death of Our Lord, and Saint Faustina would die in her early thirties of undiagnosed (until it was too late) tuberculosis of the intestines after terrible suffering and misunderstanding.

And I have been thinking about that today.  You see, God strengthened those Saints for their trials through the transfiguration and those visions.  And though my own trials are so small that I do not need to experience the vision of God in His Glory while I am on earth, I am certainly being strengthened for the trials that I do experience.  And that constancy that God demands of my, He provides, and all I am required to do is to trust in Him…  That is all that He requires…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.