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It is Good
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
There are those moments when things are so absolutely wonderful that we can become unaware of what it is we are saying. Times that are so good we just become lost in the goodness of it all. Such is the case for Peter today who has no idea what he is saying.
But that is not the case with God. When we look carefully at this event, we learn so much about the divine plan of God. How? Consider the aspects of the story that are important. First there is Elijah and Moses. And this occurs in the presence of Jesus. What are we to make of this?
To understand this divine encounter, we need to recognize the persons of Moses and Elijah. It was to Moses that God gave the Law. And it was through Moses the Chosen People began to realize what it meant. When they left Egypt for the Promised Land, they did not know what it meant to be human, much less what it meant to know how to live in faith.
It was through Moses that the people learned about justice, love, truth and beauty. It was through Moses the people understood that God was good. It was through Moses that the people learned how to love God and to love neighbor.
Elijah is the great prophet. It is Elijah who is able to call the people back to goodness. When they fail to love God, and they do not love neighbor, it is then they are reminded by Elijah that to follow God and to love neighbor is what it means to be alive. And while the task is not easy, it is essential.
And so Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, the two great aspects of the promise. But it is Jesus who represents the fulfillment of the promise. All that was promised under the Old Covenant becomes fulfilled in the New through the arrival on Earth of God himself, Jesus.
For us, today serves as a reminder of how we should live and that we can turn back to God when we fail, because of God’s abundant mercy. But it is in Jesus that we are reminded of so much more. We are reminded firstly of God’s tremendous glory, and the abundant promise of salvation that is available to us all.
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