Where did Peter know from that the two men speaking to Jesus were Moses and Elijah? I’m not able to answer this question, but I’m sure it reveals some truth of being a disciple of Christ. Being with Him and participating in His mysteries, like the three apostles, transforms us internally. The nature of such a transformation goes beyond such an obvious thing as building our communion with God. In addition, it makes us capable of knowing and understanding more. The apostles in today’s gospel receive an infused knowledge at least once when the Father reveals the identity of His Son, “the Chosen One.” Infused means here that such knowledge is given to man by God himself. In Peter’s recognising the Ancient Prophets, I would also see some kind of infused knowledge.
An infused knowledge is God’s grace. As people close to God, we learn this sense of His presence and help. It is particularly visible in reality called sensus fidei (sense of the faith). The sensus fidei is a deep sense of recognising what God reveals to us and what is true. This sense is given to those who believe. In order to distinguish God’s inspiration from its counterfeits, such a sense has to be exercised within the Church as the whole community. Pope Benedict XVI, in his talk to the International Theological Commission in 2012, emphasised that “the sensus fidei cannot be authentically developed in believers, except to the extent in which they fully participate in the life of the Church, and this demands responsible adherence to the Magisterium, to the deposit of faith.” The infused knowledge given to the apostles by God in today’s gospel fulfils those requirements – it was revealed to a community (not all of the apostles were present, but still it was an ecclesial community), and Peter himself was present there.
How is it linked with a spiritual transformation during Lent? Jesus invited us in the Gospel on Ash Wednesday to pray, fast and give alms. These three practices enable us to be closer to the Lord. Such closeness and friendship will allow us to be transformed and know Him better to receive a knowledge of Him that transcends whatever we can read in books. He invites us to become His disciples by action in addition to every other religious habit we already have, like going for Sunday mass. Friendship with Christ miraculously transforms us individually and communally, together with the entire Church. This transformation is visible in our growing knowledge of God’s things. Let us allow our Lord to work in us by exercising the Lenten works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Łukasz Gołąb – Seminary of the Good Shepherd, Sydney, Australia
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