Madonna - May/June 2007

The fourth Mystery of Light

He was transfigured before them
and his face shone like the sun.

The Transfiguration is a Theophony, a manifestation of God to humanity. There are several signs within the Transfiguration that tell us that Jesus is both the Messiah and God: all to do with the extraordinary light—God is light (John1:4-5)—Jesus’ face shone like the sun, his clothes became bright as light, and a voice came from the bright cloud: ‘This is my Son’.

In some icons this light is shown beyond white, a blue white, an ineffable colour, indicating its spiritual origin. The Creator God bears witness concerning his Son. He does not say, ‘He has become my beloved Son’, but, ‘This is my beloved Son’.
This announcement indicates Christ’s glory is by nature from Eternity, before his Baptism and Transfiguration, fully sharing in the essence of the Father. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, true God of true God.

The bright cloud recalls the cloud that led the Israelites through the wilderness, the visible sign of God’s extraordinary presence, and also the Temple, God’s dwelling place. Peter saw it as a sign that the Kingdom had come, knowing that the feast of Tabernacles—of tents—is the feast of the Kingdom. he asks to build shelters (Matthew 17:4) to serve as symbols of God’s dwelling in the Kingdom.

The presence of Moses represents the Law and all who have died. Elijah represents the prophets and, since he did not experience death, all those who are alive in Christ. Their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, bear witness that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Their presence also manifest the Communion of Saints (see Hebrews 12:1). They are immediately recognisable and are talking with the Lord. The disciples now understand Jesus’ words that ‘Elijah has already come’ (Matthew 17:12).

Later Peter remembers it all and writes, ‘We must firmly believe in the message of the prophets as lamps shining in the darkness, until the break of day, when the morning star shines in our hearts’ (1 Peter 1:16-19).

Can we find anything as profound in our Aboriginal culture? Perhaps not, but I believe the Creator has given our Aboriginal people prophets as in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The following story is from Wadeye, Port Keats. This story has been passed on to me from Sr Robyn Reynolds. Some might say, ‘Can anything good come out of Port Keats?’—just as was said of Jesus coming from Nazareth. We shall see …

It is the story of Mullinthin’s vision and was told by his son Gregory Panpawa, handed on to him by his mother. Gregory says:
My mother Naye told me this story about my father going up above [to heaven] while he was still alive. He was a very bad man killing people and the people were afraid of him. Eventually he was stricken with a bad disease.

While he was lying there a brown Hawk descended crying, ‘Krrrr!’ Krrrr’. My father went into a trance and had a vision. The bird called my father and everything went misty. My father closed his eyes and both ascended above. My father opened his eyes saying, ‘What’s this beautiful place?’

A spirit being said, ‘There’s our brother standing there alone, tall and straight, without a blemish and his hair is straight and shiny’. After that he looked the other way and the spirit being said, ‘That’s our mother, the boss lady. She’s standing on a snake, it was trying to get up, then she would tread on it again’.

Then Mulinthin was shown a dance by some people, that was the Mulgarrin song and dance. After that the father gave him the Mulurn Kannarra song. ‘I’ll give you these songs; take them with you. They are Mulgarrin.’

After the vision he was lying awake in the Yirrminhernu area where the people were camped. He sat up and looked around. His face and clothes were shining; he was shining all over. ‘Hey who’s that?’ said the people in amazement.

Then Mulinthin called the people to hear the Mulern Kanarra song from above. From then on he became a very good man. His daughter said, ‘After the vision, my father took his fighting spear, broke it in half, making two clapping sticks. He was a changed man now, a man of peace’.

Later Gregory Panpawa told his own healing story, connected with his father’s vision. He had been in the Darwin hospital and was told by the doctors that he would never walk again. He was a cripple in a wheelchair. One day his mother and aunties took him to Kudantiga where Mulinthin had first seen Kardu Muthingka, the ‘All Mother’ in his vision. The women took soil, rubbed it on his legs, and prayed. Panpawa began to feel better and got up. He walked to their truck; everyone was crying. The Darwin doctors could not understand it.

God’s revelation to the Wadeye people through this man Mulinthin, before the missionaries, came is a significant source of pride in the present Christian community of Wadeye. Mulinthin’s daughter says, ‘Holding onto our father’s vision gives integrity to our spirituality and our identity as Christians. She echoes Jeremiahs words: ‘I will put my law within them, and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people’ (31: 33).

Just as in the Jesus Transfiguration story we are given a Theophany, so too in the story of Mulinthin is a powerful and profound sign from God, a Spirit–filled word and presence which brought forth a transformation.

The shining Son

The fourth Mystery of Light