by Father Dennis Cassidy, the Parish of Our Lady and St Joseph

AT times all of us can feel down, prey to feelings of failure and worthlessness.

But then suddenly something nice happens to us – a friend calls, or we get a letter with some good news in it – and suddenly everything is changed.

The truth, of course, is that nothing has changed. It's just that a spark of joy or hope or love has been kindled in our hearts, and we see ourselves and our lives in a new and better light.

Recently in the church we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration, which relates to the account in the Gospels where Jesus was revealed in a glorious light as the son of the father.

The light that the Apostles saw Jesus in however was much more than seeing him in a better light, they were seeing the truth of his divinity laid bare. So much so that this led them to have faith in Him.

“Stand up,” Jesus said, “do not be afraid.” And when they raised their eyes they saw no-one but only Jesus.

Right throughout history there have been times when people have come face to face with things they cannot explain, leading to fear growing within them. When people of faith consider what the Apostles witnessed in the Transfiguration, we can wonder why they were so afraid.

Coming face to face with such great goodness and glory can be a very daunting thing. The Apostles were so afraid they hid their faces, rather like us when we were younger hiding our heads under the covers of a bed wanting to block out the thing that we are afraid of.

Jesus invites the Apostles to move out from their fear, to rest their eyes upon him and to walk along the rest of the journey of their lives conscious of his loving presence.

This invitation is also extended to each one of us. We are invited to move from our fear to rest our eyes upon the person of Jesus and to continue upon our life's journey conscious of the abiding loving presence of God in our lives.