Today is a Saturday, and I’m recalling a beautiful turn of phrase I encountered last Monday morning that lightened the load of the workweek ever so slightly, that provided me a dash of spiritual nourishment, and a boost of fortitude. It was from Jboy Gonzales, SJ, reflecting on the Transfiguration of Jesus in that morning’s episode of the Jesuit program Kape’t Pandasal.
Fr. Gonzales was thinking of the disciples who were with Jesus, and what caused them to react that way in seeing Jesus in a glorious form, why they wanted to build tents and tarry on the mountain. They wanted to stay in the moment, Fr. Gonzales says. It was to preserve and keep the glory of what they were witnessing.
Of course, it turned out they could not do that, at least not right then. (It would take a while, and various profound sacrifices, but those disciples would eventually fulfill their desire to perpetually witness glory, beyond place and beyond time). What’s interesting is Fr. Gonzales’s takeaway from this failed attempt at prolonging a gratifying moment—he says that the experience of the Transfiguration was meant to give the disciples encouragement for what they will face later on when they come down from the mountain:
Jesus shows us that the peace we find on the mountain is meant to give us strength for the work we do in the valley.
The work we do in the valley: that’s quite the elegant image for the experience of the workweek. It’s a romantic, encouraging phrase, perfectly practical for a Monday-morning reflection on the Gospel.
It reminds me that even though some priests and other people of religious vocations spend much of their days and hours focused on matters that transcend this world, many of them do stay grounded, occupied with and understanding the concerns of the rest of society on a busy earth, including concerns as mundane as the burden of Monday mornings.