When they became fully awake

At the ripe age of 69yrs I find my sleep patterns changing. If possible, I need to take a nap after lunch and by early evening, from about 8pm, I am exhausted and fall off to sleep, only to become fully awake by 2am to 3am.

So I was very interested in the line of this week’s Gospel Luke 9L 28-36 ‘Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.’

Theologians see the phrase ‘when they became fully awake’ as a moment of spiritual awakening, not just physical awakening. They interpret it as symbolic of the Christian journey—from drowsiness in faith to fully grasping the glory of Christ.

Reflecting on the passage, I draw on my own physical awakening at 2am to 3am in the morning to interpret the spiritual awakening. At those times, I am alert and my mind is unusually clear. The silence of the night creates a space for deep reflection and prayer. In those early hours, I often find myself contemplating God’s presence, much like the disciples on Mount Tabor who, upon becoming fully awake, saw the glory of Christ.

This pattern of waking in the stillness of the night reminds me that spiritual awakening often comes when we least expect it. Just as the disciples’ eyes were opened to a deeper reality, my own moments of wakefulness invite me to be attentive to God’s voice. It is in these quiet hours that I sense His guidance most profoundly—calling me to greater faith, clarity, and trust.

Perhaps the lesson in this Gospel passage is that we, too, must be ready for our own moments of becoming fully awake—whether they happen at 2am in solitude or in the unfolding journey of our faith.

Despite this awakening, the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane once again found themselves drowsy with sleep. This contrast between their experience on Mount Tabor and their struggle in Gethsemane raises an important question: Is spiritual awakening a singular, transformative event, or is it something we must continually rediscover?

It seems that awakening to God’s presence is not a one-time occurrence but an ongoing process—one that requires constant vigilance and renewal. Just as the disciples had a glimpse of Christ’s glory at the Transfiguration, only to later succumb to exhaustion and fear, we too have moments of deep spiritual clarity that can fade when life’s burdens weigh us down. Our faith is not static; it ebbs and flows, much like the disciples’ journey from revelation to struggle and back again.

The challenge is not to despair when we find ourselves spiritually drowsy, but rather to seek renewal, to return to prayer, and to remain open to the next awakening. Just as Jesus called His disciples to ‘stay awake’ in Gethsemane, He calls us to cultivate a heart that is ever watchful, ever ready to recognize His presence anew in our lives.

Friend, may this Lent be such a Spiritual Awakening for us. May we climb our own Mt Tabor and witness the glory of Jesus Christ. Let us grasp those times when we awake in the silence of the early mornings, to pray just as Jesus himself prayed, in the early mornings.

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