When we are presented with information, whether it is in the form of a vision, a dream, a conversation, how many of us can say that we truly understand the implications of that information, or that we received that information with an open mind and an open heart.  How many of us have heard news, decided it was too hard to hear, and then listened selectively—picking either the best part or the most painful part of the news? I thought about this when I read the first part of the Gospel where Jesus is telling the disciples about his fate and they seemed to have heard only the part of his death, but not of his resurrection.  How attentive are we to the truth; the mystery, and the Glory of God?

Today’s readings present us with several colorful and descriptive ways to visualize and understand the Glory of God.  What does it mean to see it, experience it, or understand it when it is revealed to us?  Trying to define or explain the Glory of God, is like trying to define beauty or love in simple terms.  We are aware of what beauty and love may look like and feel like, but we can’t define them in a straightforward way.  We may even sometimes need music, art, and poems to see, hear and experience love and beauty in completion.  Most people are aware of the Glory of God but are not able to describe it in all its fullness.  I would say that I have seen the Glory of God while I witnessed the birth of a friend’s child; I see the Glory of God while watching the mystery of aging; I am inspired by the Glory of God seen in the pregnant clouds as it births the rain that quenches the thirst of the parched earth.  In the first reading, the Glory of God unfolds in a vision, and in the Gospel, the Glory of God unfolds in the news of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the miracle of the coin in the fish’s mouth.  Jesus also uses the opportunity of the temple tax and the miracle of the coin in the fish’s mouth to teach Simon Peter—and us—about doing what needs to be done and trusting that God will provide at each point of need.  We, as children of God, are inheritors of the earth, and while the “kings” of the earth—people in positions of power—take from us, God gives to us freely out of love.  Look around, all we need is available to us.  Even when there is no understanding of the situation and when we are afraid, God makes a way and God provides for us. 

In a vision; in a dream; in a conversation; at the center of devastating news; or in the heavens; on the earth and in the sea, the limitless mobility of the glory and mercy of God can be seen and experienced in our daily lives.  So, here it is: the body of Christ is human, and the Glory of God radiates from the body; we are members of the body of Christ.  We are children of God, and God will guide us on the path of freedom and love, even when it seems impossible, because we are manifestations of God’s Glory, and therefore, we should live accordingly.