Today is Transfiguration Sunday in our tradition when we reflect on what Matthew clearly tells us is a vision experienced collectively by Jesus' executive committee, Peter, James, and John. Here the future leaders of Rome, Jerusalem, and Ephesus experience what Saint Paul in today's epistle reading calls "the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ." [!! Cor. 4: 3-6]
Paul goes on to say that people have been blinded by "the god of the present age." What that meant was Satan blocking the minds of mainstream Jews who were not converting to the Jesus Movement. The name "Satan" has a variety of meanings: accuser, resister, impediment, adversary. But the one we call Satan has evolved amazingly over time. In earliest references, he is one of the lesser gods in the court of the supreme God YHVH. In fact he is staff attorney, charged with prosecuting Judah in failing to be faithful to their covenant partner, the supreme God. Later, Jewish religion was under influence from the Zoroastrian tradition where Satan [Angra Mainyu] has become a malevolent and destructive opponent of YHVH. God gives him a cadre of spirit accomplices and allows him to be charged with tempting humans to sin and then punishing them. (When I was in law school, that was called entrapment!)
Anyway Jews adapted to the newer view of the Evil One. And Islam, when it developed, served to continue that imaging, adding that Satan was made of fire. When the imagination of the Church came into play, we soon had the red-coloured figure with horns, hairy laws, pointed tall, and red pitchfork. The transition was complete. I want to talk, not about this mythical personage, but about the impediments, the stumbling blocks, the "Satans," that actually interfere with our seeing the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. Let me briefly mention three.
First, there is science without a heart. We know that science is wonderful and beneficial to us and ought not be compromised. On the other hand, science cannot tell us why the Big Bang happened, or what existed before it, or why the millions of turns of development occurred over time resulting in our amazing existence. Those are beyond science and we must not fall into the trap of believing that every human issue has a scientific resolution. We know better in our hearts.
Second, there is Original Sin. We want to be the centre of the universe; we want to be in charge instead of letting God be in charge. We want to set our lives on a course dominated only by self- interest.
Third, there is Western cultural appropriation. With zillions of different denominations at hand, we can simply choose the latest "church" that supports our personal interests, that doesn't challenge or change us, and justifies our pride and prejudices. Instead of transformational religious experience, we receive shallow entertainment. Instead of connecting to the apostolic church throughout history we connect to the latest fad-church. We remake Jesus into a cheerleader for our greed, imperialism, consumerism, solipsism. We build a god in our own image instead of loving the service the Living God. This Lent let us work at moving aside these obstacles that bar our way to real abundant life in Christ, faithful to his life and teachings, in communion with his Church.
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