I invite you to just focus on the God encounter that takes place in the Gospel story of the Transfiguration. It is when God appears in the form of a cloud which casts a shadow over those gathered – a cloud that, although frightens them, they still entered. What about the darkness and clouds that we face in our lives? For it these types of God encounters where lives are changed - encounters that break you open and rearrange what you think you knew and wanted. So, take a few minutes to enjoy a few stories that have nothing to do with answers - but more so with encounters. Stories about hiker Trevor Thomas, Franciscan Richard Rohr and my recently departed brother-in-law Vincent – all which, like this Gospel, just may bring light into the darkness you face. Check it out…

1. 1 Deacon Jim Knipper
13 March 2022 2st
Sunday of Lent Princeton, NJ
Every year, on the 2nd
Sunday of Lent, the Gospel provides us the story of the Transfiguration. And normally I
would give you a homily of all the meaning behind the symbolism of Moses, Elijah and Jesus being together
and then conclude by offering possible answers to a variety of theological questions.
But this evening/morning what if we spent our time looking at this Gospel and instead of focusing on the
meaning and looking for answers - we just focused on the God encounter which occurs at the end of the
Gospel story? For God appears in the form of a cloud which casts a shadow over them – a cloud that, although
frightens them, they still entered. Have you ever noticed how many of the God encounters in the Bible involves
a cloud that overshadows and obscures the light?
It was an unknown 14th century writer, who coined the term a 'Cloud of Unknowing' referring to our spiritual
blindness - blindness that causes us to run into God when we least expect it and sometimes really do not want
it - because darkness and unknowing and change is all a bit frightening. No wonder we hear in the Bible so
often: 'Do not be afraid.' But it is these types of encounters where lives are changed. It is these God
encounters that break you open and rearrange what you think you knew- and what you think you wanted - in
order to make room for what God has in mind.
So let me share with you a few stories that have nothing to do with answers - but more so with encounters.
Stories, like this Gospel, which focus more on meeting versus meaning:
It was 2008 when avid long distant hiker Trevor Thomas completed a thru-hike of the 2,000+ mile long
Appalachian Trail - a grueling feat for most people, but more so for Trevor. For it was three years prior to that,
a rare and incurable eye disease took his eyesight away. Trevor was literally and physically thrown into
darkness – his future plans erased - plunged into the cloud of unknowing - unknowing on where God was and
unsure on how he was going to exist in a world that was designed for those who see.
Not knowing what to do, he encountered others who faced the same challenges and he listened to their stories
and in time began to venture outward. It did not take long before he immersed himself into the sport of long
distance hiking. As of today, some 14 years after that first thru hike of the Appalachian Trail, Trevor has hiked
over 22,000 miles through some of the most rugged trails in the US. Now, also an inspirational speaker, he
was recently interviewed about his journey. And throughout the interview there was no sense of him even
caring how he went blind, or searching for answers or blaming God about his rare condition - it was about the
encounter with people he has met along the way - people whose presence helped lead him through the
darkness.
For Trevor, it wasn't about looking for answers - but about meeting and engaging with others. It was about
how he continues to step outside his comfort zone and continues to push boundaries and provide hope to
those afflicted with disabilities and inspiring others to do the same...or in other words: reassuring others that
actually the unknowing, overshadowing dark cloud before you is something that can be embraced. Today
Trevor will tell you that once he embraced the darkness he appreciated things in so many different ways.

2. 2 Deacon Jim Knipper
A few years back, Fr. Richard Rohr was in town for some speaking engagements and we took some time to
visit NYC. It was then that he made his first visit to the 9/11 Memorial at the site of the where the Twin Towers
once stood. And if you have been there, you know that there are two huge waterfalls, each of them are one
acre square located where the north and south towers once stood. Water flows from under the bronze plates
containing the names of the 3,000 people who died - and drops down into a pool and then drops down again
into the darkness of a lower pool whose bottom you cannot see. And upon looking at it all, he turned to me and
said: "What an incredible metaphor for God: mercy eternally pouring into darkness and filling an empty space.
Water always falls and pools up in the very lowest and darkest places, just like mercy does. And mercy is just
grace in action."
And lastly, this past week my brother-in-law died in his sleep in the nursing home that has cared for him over
these past years. Sixty-seven years ago Vincent was born oxygen deprived and lived a life with mental and
physical disabilities…and for the past six years he has lost the use of his legs and most of his arms. Many did
not want to be bothered to take the time to look past Vincent’s disabilities and thus chose to ignore him. But
that never stopped him in looking through you, with you and in you. And while Vincent was physically and
emotionally dis-abled – when it came to love he had the capacity to be very ‘able’ indeed. The magic of Vincent
was his innate ability to merge together grace, love and laughter…deeply seeing people as they were.
Being in the season of Lent, his life gave me reason to pause and to believe that in some respect I think
Vincent had an advantage over most, if not all of us…for he only had the capacity to live his true self. For Lent
is a 40-day season where we are called to spend time to remember what is real. It is a time to open our eyes
on how numb we have become to the obsessions and addictions in our lives. It is a time to remember who we
really are – in Christ. It is a time to examine the cracks and wounds and darkness in our lives and to allow the
light of Christ to heal us and thus shine forth from those cracks and onto others.
Peter, James and John were all frightened, but yet they entered the darkness that was before them. So,
what you and I? How will we spend our Lent? Certainly nothing wrong with giving up some of our favorite food,
performing works of mercy and increasing our almsgiving. But what about that shadows in our lives? The one
we never want to touch or go near. The same place where the brilliant light of God is waiting for you and I - a
place where we can experience the waterfall of God's mercy and love.
So, I invite you to take the time and the courage to enter into the darkness and that cloud of unknowing in your
life – for it will be a place where you will find a God who will fill your cracks with grace…who will heal your
wounds with mercy…who will fill your emptiness with compassion and who will bring light into your darkest
places – A God encounter that will change your life forever…if you allow it.