WHO IS THIS GOD?

Mark’s gospel gives the game away from the start – this is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But what does that mean?

Jesus’ A Team: Peter, James and John, have been privileged witnesses to much of Jesus’ ministry to this point, but still it is not clear. Their leader, not only a powerful preacher, healer and prophet is something more: “Beloved Son” of the Creator. Wow!

Even after this Transfiguration experience (Mark 9:2-10) they don’t fully understand God or God’s beloved Son or the Good News message that is the Son’s mission. Transfiguration gives a tantalising glimpse of the Creator’s loving relationship with the Son, whose example and Good News in turn is about a close, all loving, Father.

God is unimaginable for us. Anything we say about God is simply an attempt to encapsulate that which is way beyond our understanding. How preposterous for us or anyone claiming to absolutely know or to understand the mind of God!

We have outgrown childish images of God as a long-bearded old man floating on white clouds with harp playing angels. Outgrown too the notion of a distant, vengeful God hurling lightning bolts at human transgressors.

Pope Francis challenges us to expand our thinking by allowing a new wisdom to shape the understanding of our faith, our world and our images of God.

“At the end” Pope Francis teaches us, “we will find ourselves face to face with the infinite beauty of God (1 Cor 13:12) and be able to read with admiration and happiness the mystery of the universe, which with us will share in unending plenitude.” “Eternal life will be a shared experience of awe, in which each creature, resplendently transfigured, will take its rightful place”. (Laudate Si #243)

Deacon Mark Kelly