28 About eight days later, after Jesus had said that some of the disciples would not die until they had seen the reign of God, it happened that Jesus went up the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John and James with him. 29 Now, as he prayed, the appearance of his face was transformed and his clothing became very white, dazzling like light. 30 Then two men appeared and conversed with him. They were Moses and Elijah. 31 These heavenly men were talking with Jesus about his upcoming exodus to Jerusalem. 32 Then Peter and his companions, in a half-sleep, saw Jesus and the two men with him in their heavenly world.

33 And just as the two men were about to separate from Jesus, Peter addressed Jesus: "Master, how good it is to be here. Let's make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Peter didn't know what to say. 34 Just as he was saying this, a cloud appeared and covered them in its shadow. The disciples were afraid to enter the cloud. 35 Then a voice from outside the cloud said to them: "This is my son, whom I have chosen; listen to him". 36 When the voice was heard, Jesus was alone. As for the disciples, they were silent and told no one at that time what they had witnessed.

What happens after we die?

In early 1988, a British neuropsychiatrist by the name of Peter Fenwick found himself drowning in letters from people who believed they had survived an encounter with death. These letters were written by people who had never, ever, spoken to anyone about their experiences. Why not? Because they were too scared, or felt no one was interested if they weren't told they were crazy. But Dr. Fenwick, a specialist in consciousness, was very interested. He presented his findings, along with extracts from the letters, in "The Truth in the Light: An Investigation of Over 300 Near-Death Experiences" (1995), which he wrote with his wife, Elizabeth. Yet Dr. Fenwick had been skeptical when, in 1975, he read the book by American philosopher and psychiatrist Raymond A. Moody Jr.'s "Life after Life". His analysis enabled him to rule out possible causes of these borderline experiences, such as anoxia (lack of oxygen) or hallucinations. And what surprised him was the similarity of the experiences. Let's listen to a few testimonials.

"I once knew a teacher who told me about his experience with his mother when she died. A few seconds before she left this world, she suddenly said very clearly: 'It is so beautiful!' And then she passed away. I'm not a religious person and I have no idea if there's a life after this present one. But that story has stayed with me ever since I heard it in 1991."

"In 1981, I was working in an offshore oil rig when a 1,000-pound metal pipe fell on my thigh, snapped my femur and severed my femoral artery. I was bleeding to death. After a quick medevac flight to the emergency room, I lost so much blood that my blood pressure dropped and my heart stopped. I flatlined. At that moment, I found myself hovering above myself on the hospital table. No pain. I could see my disfigured leg and felt sorry for my body. Then a beautiful bright light came through a dark tunnel. It was stunning and as 'real' as any memory I have. But then I realized I had to go back and instantly awoke in massive pain. I had never heard about near-death experiences and was afraid to tell this story due to ridicule. But it happened. It was as 'real' as life is. I don't fear death now. It's just another level of consciousness."

"Dec. 3, 2003, I had a sudden, severe pancreatitis attack. The pain was extreme. With my wife and daughter out for the weekend, I had to drive myself to the emergency room five minutes away. I passed out as I entered the emergency area. Lying on the gurney, I saw 'the light' at the ceiling and knew I was either dead or near death. The feeling was extraordinarily blissful; I knew that it would be a loving transition to a new world. I had to decide - stay or go. I was not done playing with my children, so I stayed. I looked up and there was my 16-year-old daughter."

"I am now 78. When I was 22, I had a near-death experience. I went into anaphylactic shock from a severe allergic reaction to penicillin. I didn't go through a tunnel, see a light or any dead relatives. Instead, I had an out-of-body experience. I was floating above my body in the emergency room, watching the physicians and staff trying to save me. It was the most peaceful I have ever felt. When I recounted the experience to my physician, who had been present, he expressed disbelief until I told him how many were working on me, where he was standing, what they said and what they did to save me."

Why refer to these experiences? There are some surprising parallels to be drawn between these experiences and Luke's account of the transfiguration. The first parallel concerns the context. Jesus first announced his imminent death, and warned that to be his disciple you must be prepared to give your life. The transfiguration story can only be understood in the context of Jesus' imminent death. While Mark and Matthew also present us with an account of Jesus' transfiguration, Luke's version is very different. Let's take a closer look.

When he sets out to write his account, Luke seems to have two traditions at his disposal: the one reflected by Mark and taken up by Matthew, and another of his own, which presents a totally different perspective from that of Mark. Indeed, the focus is no longer on the three disciples, who see Jesus in a different light, but on Jesus himself: he is in such a state of intense prayer that the appearance of his face changes and his garment becomes dazzlingly white. What does this mean? In the biblical world, a change of appearance and the dazzling color white are an evocation of the world beyond. This is confirmed by what follows. Two men appear in glory, envoys from beyond, and discuss with Jesus his upcoming exodus to Jerusalem, i.e. his death. Jesus has, as it were, one foot in the afterlife, so imminent is his death, and the term "exodus" is ambiguous: on the one hand, it gives rise to great sadness, for Jesus will never again walk our roads, he will never again sit and teach with this crowd around him, he will never again lay his hands to heal; on the other hand, the word "exodus" opens up an unheard-of perspective: death is simply a passage to something else. So, Luke's own tradition affirms two things that concern us: you're about to lose someone you've loved and would like to hold on to, but know that he doesn't disappear, but is transformed to pass into another world where he can act even more profoundly. And to speak of Jesus is also to speak of us, of our destiny.

Luke integrates this tradition with that which came to him through Mark. What is the outcome? The two men with Jesus are identified: they are Moses and Elijah, two great figures of the Old Testament, one representing the Torah or Law, the other the prophets who had also experienced an exodus to God. Above all, two things happen. Firstly, Peter is captivated by the dream-like atmosphere and finds the situation so good that he proposes three tents to keep all the characters in glory on the spot. By speaking of tents, the author of the story places us in the atmosphere of the joyous festival of Tabernacles in Judaism, which took place in autumn, at the end of the harvest season, particularly that of olives. At the same time, Peter is frightened. Why these contradictory feelings? Confronted with the world beyond, Pierre is amazed, but at the same time frightened by the unknown and a different world.

A second event occurs, that of a cloud that envelops the characters in its shadow, and a voice, the same one that intervened at Jesus' baptism to remind the audience that he is God's son, i.e. his representative, the one he has chosen, and that they must listen to him. Why repeat the epiphany of baptism? From Jesus' point of view, the first epiphany supported him as he embarked on his mission to the Jews, and now the second epiphany is intended to support him as he faces death. For us, the message is the same: we must listen to him, i.e. we must accept that Jesus is showing us the path we are called to follow.

The scene ends like the end of a dream: the heavenly figures disappear and Jesus is left alone. And the author adds: the disciples kept silent and told no one at that time what they had seen.

What really happened? We'll never know, as Luke offers us a catechesis by merging two accounts received from tradition. But I can't help but draw a disturbing parallel with the testimony of the people who knocked on death's door. In the transfiguration scene, the figures are enveloped in brilliant white light, just as light is a common theme among those who have experienced near-death. In Luke, the heavenly figures discuss Jesus' exodus, i.e. his passage, just as many near-death witnesses speak of a "tunnel". In front of the scene, Peter writes to himself: "How good it is", an echo of the near-death witnesses who say words like "It's so beautiful", or speak of an extraordinarily happy sensation, or of great serenity. In the transfiguration story, Jesus encounters Moses and Elijah, just as many near-death witnesses encounter a relative. Finally, the transfiguration narrative ends with the mention that the witnesses said nothing to anyone, which is in line with many near-death witnesses who kept silent for a long time for fear of being ridiculed or considered crazy.

The story of the transfiguration is a pivotal moment before the Passion, because it raises the question of where suffering and death lead. Today, everyone has their own ideas about death and the afterlife. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, who has taken a keen interest in questions related to suffering and death, reveals that a survey seeking to determine whether there is any impact in human beings between believing or not in an afterlife concluded: no impact at all. This may seem staggering, but it nevertheless ties in with a central point of the Christian faith: life after life is a gift, an unhoped-for gift. This is how we speak of Jesus' resurrection: "God raised him from the dead" (Acts 3:15). Human beings have everything they need to make the right choices in life, without the influence of the afterlife perspective. Nonetheless, the prospect of life after life changes something in one's identity: one is called to share a feature of God, that of his eternity; one is no longer a being for death, but a being for life; death is no longer a farewell, but a goodbye. This is a gift of pure love.

 

-André Gilbert, Gatineau, February 2025