Transfiguration Sunday, being comfortable with one's doubts

Ever since Christmas, the Sunday gospels have directed us to one conclusion: Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. In other words, the gospels have sought to answer the question "Who is this Jesus?". The angels announce the birth to the shepherds, the "King of the Jews" is heralded by the wise men from the east, the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (first cloud of Divine presence sighted), the wedding at Cana (water turned to wine), Jesus reads a messianic prophecy at the synagogue in his home town(attributes this prophecy to himself to a mixed reaction) and today's transfiguration account (second cloud of Divine presence sighted). The church wants us to be sure of the exact identity of Jesus before the serious work of Lent. I'm going to give the liturgical planners of year "C" of the lectionary a B for overall clarity and chant-ability (sorry, old cantor's joke).

It seems to me, to be a person of faith is to struggle with the nagging doubts that plague any fairly well informed and educated modern person. I love the crazy dance of I believe, but is anybody up there? It helps that I'm neither a fundamentalist nor biblical literalist. Science is wonderful and exciting and does more to reinforce my faith than cast doubt upon it, but I would be dishonest if I said I never doubted. On the whole (don't catch me after a bad day at work or after being stuck in I 85 traffic), I have no problem saying the I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God. The wonderful dance with the Divine is set to the tunes running through my head "But what does that mean?" and "Is that all there is?" (really showing my age here may Peggy Lee forgive me!).

I like the way St. Paul puts it in today's Epistle: "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed (transfigured) into the same image from one degree of glory to another..."
2 Corinthians 3:18A

In other words, we are the oft described "works in progress". Faith is an ongoing dance with surety and doubt which seems a pretty good definition of personal/spiritual growth as well. So bring on Lent; I'm ready to keep working on my own "transfiguration".


Painting: "The Transfiguration by Giovanni Battista Moroni