“Let us always have the joy to proclaim:
‘In Jesus I rest. In Jesus I stay calm!'”

(Based on Heb 11:1-7 and Mk 9:2-13 – Saturday of the 6th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

A Christian business had the following note stuck on his door: “I follow the ‘submarine spirituality!’”

One of his client – interested in this caption – asked him its meaning.

To that, the man replied:
“No matter how furious the storm upon the surface of the ocean, the submarine is able to submerge to the deep and finds a place whose calm no storm ever disturbs.

The deep things of life are always calm and steadfast!

In Jesus I rest. In Jesus I stay calm.

In Jesus, I follow a submarine spirituality!”

Peace and calm are assured for those who are willing to “go into the depths” and allow the Lord to ensure the serenity of the soul

This is the experience of Transfiguration!

The Gospel of the Day recounts the beautiful narration of the Transfiguration of Jesus…
… whereby the disciples are given a glimpse to experience “the Glory of peace and calm!”

One of the easy tendencies in life is to “get used to”…

Get used to doing the same works and dealing with the same people.
A tendency of “monotony” creeps in

The danger with “monotony” is that…
… it can drain away enthusiasm from the works one does

This danger of “monotony” is a strong possibility even in our spiritual life.

We begin to take our faith for granted
We tend to view our devotions with casualness.

Prayers get boring.

The Holy Eucharist seems meaningless
Pious practices fails to generate any passion

The same danger was true even in the case of the Disciples.

The disciples had been with Jesus for a while now…

They had seen Him…
… performing many wonders
… teaching and addressing the crowds
… being the subject of many oppositions too

But slowly, as human tendency is – a feel of monotony would have begun to creep into their lives.

It is at this stage, that our Blessed Lord chooses three of His “core” disciples – Peter, James and John, and in their presence gets Transfigured! (Mk 9: 2-10)

The Transfiguration experience was something very special and unique for these disciples…

They saw our Blessed Lord glisteningly shining – His clothes being whiter “as no fuller on earth could bleach” (Mk 9:3)
They witnessed Moses and Elijah (Mk 9:4) – the great Lawgiver and the mighty Prophet – along with Jesus, Who was the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophet!
They heard the Divine Voice – “This is My Beloved Son; listen to Him” (Mk 9: 7b) – from the cloud; reminiscent of God Yahweh who would speak to His people of old, from the clouds

The three disciples were being introduced to a new perspective of their Master.

They saw Jesus – not in the usual way – but arrayed in His Divine Glory and Honour!

Jesus had not become something that He was not…

He was always God and was always the Second Person of the Divine Trinity.
All this while, the eyes of the disciples were kept away from seeing the fullness of glory – only sparks of Divinity was revealed to them

But now, here was a moment, though short – the Transfiguration – when the chosen disciples could come face-to-face with Divine Glory!

The moment of Transfiguration had made them see things in a new light…

Jesus was still the same – but they now saw Him, for a short moment, with a Glorious Glow

That is the splendour and glory of the moment of Transfiguration…
… when woundedness is refined into beauty
… when sufferings are graced into meaningfulness

Have we had this Transfiguration Experience?

Surely, we have had…

But perhaps, many of us fail to recognise it.. or acknowledge it

A moment…
… when our words have touched and sparkled a sad soul..
… when we ourselves have been healed in our brokenness by some Divine intervention
… when we experienced the light of God’s healing, restoration, forgiveness etc through the Sacraments of the Church
… when a pulse of joy and satisfaction raced through our veins in having rendered, perhaps, a tiny but significant act of service and care to a needy person
… when, in our brokenness or deep pain or lethargy, an encouraging word has revived our bent spirits

Many are such moments of Transfiguration in our life…

But the more we look deeper, the more we find, that God has blessed us immensely with such “Transfiguration” experiences.

It is these “Transfiguration” moments that will help us remain strong, even through the rough waters of troubles and struggles.

The power of Transfiguration on Mount Tabor helped to remain peaceful and calm through the stormy moments of Crucifixion on Mount Calvary for Jesus!

This ‘submarine spirituality,’ whereby “no matter how furious the storm upon the surface of the ocean, the submarine is able to submerge to the deep and finds a place whose calm no storm ever disturbs”…
… is the invitation to each one of us are called to.

May this Gospel of the Transfiguration help us to be reminded of the assurance of the Lord that:
“The deep things of life are always calm and steadfast!”

Let us always have the joy to proclaim:
“In Jesus I rest. In Jesus I stay calm.
In Jesus, I follow a Submarine Spirituality!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION – _SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS – WHY IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED “ORDERS”?

Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament.
Today the word “ordination” is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons…
… and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community
… for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a “sacred power” (sacra potestas) which can come only from Christ himself through his Church. >> Ordination is also called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture by Christ himself for his Church.

The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination. (CCC #1538)