Marketing has always fascinated me. Many years ago action figures called "Tales of Glory" were marketed in the Deep South and featured speaking characters like Moses, Daniel, Samson and Delilah, Saints Peter and Paul (spouting verses from a New Testament that didn't exist in their time), and Jesus himself. What a boon: if the twelve-inch Jesus started meddling, the consumer could simply hit the off switch!
In today's gospel reading [Mt. 17: 1-9], the "action figures" are real people. They are members of Jesus' Executive Committee: Peter (chairman of the Board), James (Jesus' step-brother), and John (the disciple Jesus loved). They have gone on retreat to a mountain top with Jesus. They are now celebrating the feast of Sukkoth, which is the feast of "booths," These structures are outdoor shelters where Jews down to our day gather for the vicarious experience of living outdoors in emulation of the great wandering in the wilderness. Jews expected that Elijah would return in the time of the Messiah.
The three apostles experience a common vision in which they see Jesus radiating, flanked by Moses and Elijah. Peter proposes to build a second and third sukkah, to honour these great men of old. He is dissuading from doing so. Mr. Law and Mr. Prophecy attest to Jesus' identity and fade away, even as a voice from the sky declares Jesus to be Son of God.
Following this visionary experience, the three are incapacitated. They are afraid Imagine, the future first bishops of Rome (and Antioch), Jerusalem, and Ephesus grovelling on the ground in fear. But when our Master touches them, they recover, and all head back down the mountain, and back to the future work God has in store for them.
You and I can benefit from the experience of the great retreat with God that we call Lent. Here we have a chance to challenge our fears and uncertainties, allow Jesus to touch us, and prepare once again for Good Friday, Easter, and the days of ministry lying beyond. We might even find a "mountaintop experience" with Jesus!
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