Little Christs

Becoming like Jesus in joy, sorrow, light, and glory

08/06/2023

Mt 17:1-9 Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Last week I was re-reading one of my favorite books, C. S. Lewis’ classic Mere Christianity. If you have never read it, please do. I came across a line I had read before but this time it hit me with a new force. Lewis wrote: “Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.” When I thought of the phrase “little Christs” that Liberty Mutual Commercial suddenly jumped to mind. Limu Emu…and Doug.

In it, the older Doug, with his hair parted on the right and his not-so-subtle mustache, is talking to his little son, who looks about 5 years old. The little Doug is a miniature replica of his dad: he parts his hair on the right, wears a mustache, sporting a banana yellow shirt, tie and blue pants. Doug says: "What do we always say, son, Liberty Mutual always customizes your car insurance.”

And mini-Doug immediately chimes in with “So you only pay for what you need.” Doug smiles proudly, and says: “That’s my boy!” He hands mini Doug the keys to his little car identical to his dad's, who quickly swipes them from his dad’s hands, and big Doug adds: “You get out there and make us proud!” The art of good marketing is to make commercial so ridiculous that we remember them.

That commercial captures in a sense what C. S. Lewis was getting at. Obviously, we do not need to dress like Jesus did, or have long hair and a beard, mini-Doug was the smitten image of his dad. But we do need to learn our Lord’s lessons, be able to repeat them from memory, and to carry on his own mission, just like little Doug continued his father’s business. Jesus wants to be able to say to us just like Doug said to his son: “That’s my boy! You get out there and make us proud!”

In the gospel today, Peter, James, and John are starting to learn how they too must become little Christs, miniature versions of Jesus. They have climbed up Mt. Tabor with Jesus, who is gloriously transfigured before they stunned eyes. Peter blurts out in incredulous joy: “Lord, it is good that we are here!” And then he just wants to stay and bask in that glorious glow and soak it up for himself.

But then Jesus begins to lead them down the mountain (both literally and spiritually) and soberly says: “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Wow, what a buzz-kill! They were literally on top of the mountain experiencing inexpressible joy and glory, and suddenly, Jesus spoils the mood by talking about dying. Jesus’ point, though, was that becoming little Christs is not all glory and fame. It also involves suffering and sacrifice, set-backs and loneliness, misunderstandings and facing our own frailties. In other words, becoming a mini-me of Jesus would not be easy.

Besides the seven sacraments, my favorite form of prayer is the Holy Rosary. In fact, I have started praying the rosary while I walk my dog, Apollo. He’s so smart that I can say the first half of the Hail Mary, and he replies with the second half! When we meditate on the joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries, we avoid the pitfall that Peter made: thinking that being a little Christ would always a mountain-top experience. The rosary reminds us that we will have joyful moments, like pregnancies and babies. But it also teaches us there will be sorrowful times, like being abandoned by friends, or even God, carrying our cross, and death.

The rosary also tells us to seek the light of Christ in our baptism, marriages, at Mass, and in mountain-top experiences like the Transfiguration today, the fourth luminous mystery. And finally, the rosary raises our minds from earth to heaven, as we contemplate Jesus, enthroned in glory, with Mary, the Queen-Mother seated at his right, as it says in Ps 45:10, “The queen sits at your right hand arrayed in gold.” That is, when I meditate on the rosary, I pray God will make me into a little Christ, in all my joys, sorrows, light, and finally in glory.

Our parish is very blessed to have one parishioner who wants to take becoming a little Christ to another level. Ben Keating, the son of Janice and Bill Keating, will enter the seminary and study to become a priest for our Diocese. Some of you will remember Ben while he attended I.C. School. After graduating from Southside, Ben studied music at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. Later, he completed officer training for the Marines. Lastly he successfully completed the MCAT and was accepted to several medical schools. Poor Ben just can’t make up his mind! Actually, he is so talented, he could do anything. I had no trouble deciding what to do.

But Ben felt unsatisfied with all these noble pursuits until he felt God’s call to priesthood, to be another Christ in the sacramental sense. That is, not just to be Jesus’ mini-me in a generic sense, like all Christians must be, but to become Jesus in an ontological sense, so that Ben’s very soul would be shaped by Christ. You see, all Christians receive an indelible mark of grace at Baptism, and again at Confirmation, which is why those two sacraments are never repeated.

But Ben hopes to receive a third indelible mark of grace in Holy Orders and be completely conformed to Christ. You know, through music, and the Marines, and medicine, Ben hoped to heal a broken world. But nothing will bring healing and wholeness to humanity like saying the words of consecration at Mass and changing bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Why? Because receiving Holy Communion is preeminently how mere mortals become little Christs. You are what you eat.

This Sunday Bishop Taylor will celebrate the 5 p.m. Mass and Ben will officially sign up as a diocesan seminarian. Our whole parish will share the pride of Bill and Janice Keating. And we will all feel like saying what big Doug said to mini-Doug: “That’s our boy! You get out there and make us proud!”

Praised be Jesus Christ!