Transfiguration!!!

Today is the feast of the Transfiguration.

I'm not going to talk very much about it, except to say, that like Peter who wanted to build some huts and just stay there at the site, we too celebrate this mystery with joy and not a little awe.

It's a wonderful thing to reflect on--and illustrates the communion of saints very well. For if the saints don't dwell in heaven with the Lord, then Jesus would have been standing on the mountain top by himself. But when Moses and Elijah spoke with him, they were participating in something that we believe: That the saints in heaven behold the Beatific vision, and see God face to face. How anybody can read this part of the Gospels, and then say that there are no saints is beyond me.

Christ opened his public ministry with his Baptism in the Jordan, and culminated it with the Transfiguration (traditionally held to be on Mt. Tabor). In both instances the glory of the Lord was manifest. Both instances were moments of theophany. And the Gospels recount that in the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah spoke with him about the manner of his death--demonstarting his foreknowlege of the sacrifice that would culminate, complete and fufill his mission. (It troubles me when "theologians" and "scriptural scholars" try to convice Christians that that was just a latter addition, to make Christs passion intelligible to people, or to explain it away as an optical illusion. [Some of the "de-mythologizing" I've read makes me think that some scholars believe that the Apostles were credulous, stupid, supersticious and completely out of touch with the ecology around them!] It seems to me that if Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and something is in it, we shouldn't try to explain it away, we should pnder it in our hearts, using the four senses of scripture to take the mystery into our selves, and make it part of our relationship and discipleship with God. To do otherwise seems to flirt with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit).

So the Glory of the Lord was revealed, so he could go to his Passion with the Apostles aware of what was happening.

So today we will celebrate this Great Feast!

And here is part of the secular celebration, to wit, the menu!

Smoked Sirloin Tip in My Secret Glaze:

A whole sirloin tip, about five pounds. The whole thing will be smoked over mesquite and seasoned with the afore mentioned glaze. Here's the recipe for the Secret glaze--ooops I guess it's now officially my ex-secret glaze:

4 Tblspoons Spicy Brown Mustard.
1 tspoon honey
1Tblspoon cider vinegar
3 Large Cloves of Garlic, through a press.

Mix up the glaze and cover the meat evenly, then "crust" with a mixture of rosemary and sage,
place it in the smoker at about 275 F. for five hours.

We will also have Yams, which will simply be scrubbed and placed in the top rack of the smoker for 1 1/2 hours.

The vegetable course will be roasted summer vegetables, (peppers, onions, squash, carrots) they will be lightly coated with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and seasoned with Italian Seasoning mix (It's an easy out) and roasted in the oven.

Dessert will be cantaloupe and Katies Chocolate Mousse.

The wine with donner is going to be Butler Winery Soft Red--a local Indiana wine that goes well with this sort of food. After the mousse and with the cataloupe we will have chilled Gewuztraminer.

After dinner beer and socialization will be some micro brew and Woodchuck Granny Smith cider.

And yes, we are having company and won't glut out on all this by ourselves!