Up the Mountain and Down Again: A Reflection on Luke 9.28-43

Longtime readers will know that I love the story of the Transfiguration. I come by it honestly, since I studied the theology of light for my Master’s thesis back in the day, a tradition in which this story which seems strange to many becomes a blueprint for Christian spirituality. But the thing about peak religious … Continue reading Up the Mountain and Down Again: A Reflection on Luke 9.28-43

The Mountaintop: A Reflection on Mark 9.2-9

Friday’s post here marked the end of a series on the nature of authority in Christianity. That series reinforced for me an old truth: that Tradition is applying the wisdom of the past in the new circumstances of the present, for the sake of the future. When it’s working well, Tradition doesn’t just look backward, … Continue reading The Mountaintop: A Reflection on Mark 9.2-9

As It Is: A Reflection on the Feast of the Transfiguration 2023

Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, which commemorates an event in the life of Jesus in which three of his disciples saw him completely suffused in and shining with the divine, uncreated light. It’s one of my personal favorite Gospel stories and it appears twice a year in the lectionary (August 6 for the … Continue reading As It Is: A Reflection on the Feast of the Transfiguration 2023

Into the Luminous Darkness: A Reflection on Matthew 17.1-9

On the eastern side of Vancouver Island there’s a stretch of highway that cuts across a local summit. At this highest point, the forest suddenly breaks away, revealing a stunning vista: On a sunny day, you can see across the fertile green of the Saanich Peninsula, past the Gulf Islands, all the way to Mount … Continue reading Into the Luminous Darkness: A Reflection on Matthew 17.1-9

Transfigured Lives: A Reflection on Luke 9.28-36 and 2 Corinthians 3.12-4.2

Today marks the last Sunday before the start of Lent. It’s therefore also the end of a wonderfully leisurely season after Epiphany (because a late Easter has given us two extra weeks before Lent this year). Today also marks the fourth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an event which has further destabilized a … Continue reading Transfigured Lives: A Reflection on Luke 9.28-36 and 2 Corinthians 3.12-4.2