Was That a Dream?

Dear Friend,

Was that a dream? Recently several friends have shared with me experiences that triggered that question. We all know what it’s like to wake up like that, don’t we? Did I see what I thought I saw? Maybe it’s the appearance of a deceased family member or a friend we’ve been out of touch with. They speak to us or just look - does it mean anything, or was it just that extra spoonful of salsa on my taco last night?

Last week we heard about Solomon’s dream. It’s enshrined in sacred scripture - as are Joseph’s - so yes, dreams really can have something important to say.  

With this Sunday’s gospel for the Feast of the Transfiguration, you have to wonder whether the disciples were asking themselves the same question as they came down the mountain: Was that a dream? They’d seen Jesus shining like the sun and, like Solomon, they’d heard the voice of God. The voice directed them to Jesus: “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.”

Dreams, like the voice of every prophet, direct us to sights and sounds of reality too often hidden from us by constant chatter of one kind or another, inside and around us. The practice of personal prayer and the celebration of the sacraments are meant to open us to such deep resonances.  

The Trappist monk Thomas Merton was open in this way. One day he left the monastery’s quietude and went into town for a dental appointment. As he stood on a street corner it hit him: “There is no way to tell people that they are walking around shining like the sun.” Was it a dream? I for one believe his insight had nothing to do with taco sauce or even Kentucky bourbon. 

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan ofm, Pastor