Because an atomic bomb was
used to kill innocent people for the very first time in history on the Feast of
the Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6) in Hiroshima, 1945, this feast day
has borne something prophetic in confronting evil in disguise and in human
heart. It is not easy to discern this in light of what this feast is about – weighing
on a manifestation of evil in the “transfiguration” of Little Boy in Hiroshima to
the first known revelation of the divine glory of Jesus on Mt. Tabor.
The Transfiguration of the
Lord marks a shift in Jesus’ ministry journey, beginning to set eyes on
Jerusalem, where suffering and death await.
Likewise, the “transfiguration” of Little Boy on the feast of the
Transfiguration of the Lord in 1945 has become a turning point in the world to
have increasing anxiety of nuclear war and possible destruction of the entire
planet earth by nuclear incineration.
Following Peter’s confession
of Jesus’ messianic identity (Matthew 16:13-20) and Jesus’ first foretelling of
his impending death (Matthew 16:21-28), the divine glory of Jesus was made
visible through his transfiguration on Mt. Tabor (Matthew 17:1-8). It was
around the midpoint of Jesus’ public ministry, which spans from the recruitment
of the first batch of his disciples in Capernaum to his death on the Cross in
Jerusalem. The Transfiguration was characterized with Jesus’ face shining like
the sun and his garments as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). Theologically,
this event signals that Jesus, who is divine, was to enter in his salvific
passion to die on the Cross so that the glorious triumph of the Cross is
celebrated in his glorious Resurrection. This is why the Transfiguration is the
theme for the 2nd Sunday of Lent on all cycles in the liturgical
calendar. In addition, the Transfiguration of the Lord also alludes to the
Kingdom of Heaven at the eschaton, beyond all the tribulations, as envisioned
in the Book of Revelation.
Before Peter’s confession and
the Transfiguration, Jesus’ public ministry was mainly conducted in Galilee.
Then, upon the Transfiguration, for the latter half of his public ministry, it
became clear that Jesus was to suffer and die in Jerusalem, as the ultimate
sacrifice to atone our sins, but to resurrect, as prophesized in Psalm 22 and
Isaiah 53.
The dazzling atomic light,
brighter than the sun, at the “transfiguration” of Little Boy in Hiroshima signifies
the beginning of the age of anxiety over nuclear war toward the end of the
world. The United States had thought that their use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima
would not only fasten to end the war with Japan but also to deter Soviet Union’s
potential rivalry in the global hegemony competition. Contrary to this, it has
resulted in an escalating nuclear arms race between these two super powers
during the era of Cold War and beyond. Rather than making the United States and
its allies, including its former enemy, Japan, secure under the umbrella of the
American nuclear arms, not only the Unites States and its allies but the rest
of the world has been put under a constant threat of a grave nuclear war.
Rather than peace and security under the American nukes, what we have gotten,
as a result of the “transfiguration” of Little Boy is perpetual fear and
anxiety. Clearly, the Little Boy’s “transfiguration”
is evil, though those who like to twist with their theodicy may regard it as a “divine”
intervention for “justice” to end the war between the United States and Japan,
saving many lives from a possibility for further prolonging of the bloody war.
For them, no hater how horrific the countless deaths of innocent civilians of
Hiroshima might be, it was nothing but a morally justifiable “collateral damage”
for this “justice”.
Ever since this evil “transfiguration”,
which brought a hell in Hiroshima on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the
Lord in 1945, the world has amassed far more nuclear weapons necessary to
destroy not only the entire humanity but also to bring the total destruction of
the planet earth. In the mean time, the nuclear arms race has brought irreparable
damages to the earth. Radiation contaminations and ozone layer damages through
over 1,000 times of testing are just to name a few. On this Feast day, the
world is quite anxious about a possible nuclear war between North Korea and the
United States.
It has some truth to the
United States’ moral justification for the “transfiguration” of Little Boy in
Hiroshima as we cannot deny that more people would have died for sure, if the
war had to prolong and that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
prompted Japan to surrender rather than further fighting. However, it is also
clear to see evil in moral disguise in this matter, because we cannot deny an
alternative possibility to end the war without the nuclear “transfiguration” in
Hiroshima (Little Boy) and Nagasaki (Fat Man).
Through their intelligence
analysis, as early as mid July of 1945, the United States was already aware of
Japanese Emperor’s explicitly expressed desire to end the war. It was also
known to the US intelligence that the Emperor was pressing his ministers to
find a way to negotiate with the United States as soon as possible for a
peaceful reconciliation. To this, Joseph Grew, former US ambassador to Japan,
offered himself to be sent to Tokyo , as a US envoy, to negotiate with Japan.
He hoped that President Truman would welcome his offer. However, Truman flatly
rejected Grew’s offer, thus, closing a possibility to end the war without the
nuclear “transfiguration”.
Unbeknownst to Grew, it was
just before the Manhattan Project was about to complete with an actual testing
in the New Mexico desert. Therefore, accepting Grew’s offer to start the
negotiation before the completion of the Manhattan Project would void the
Project. Originally, the Project was to bomb Nazi Germany. However, Germany
surrendered while the Project was still in progress. Because Japan was still in
battle with the US, rather than scrapping, the Manhattan Project was carried
out to its completion to bomb Japan. To ensure that the Project would not be
cancelled prematurely, the United States had to make sure that Japan would not
surrender before the products of the Project were actually used against Japan. Thus,
the “transfiguration” of Little Boy in Hiroshima had to happen.
Considering this, the “transfiguration”
in Hiroshima was made possible by killing the alternative possibility to end
the war, offered by Joseph Grew. Knowing
this fact, there is less credibility to make a moral justification for killing
innocent civilians of Hiroshima by Little Boy’s “transfiguration” and killing
of innocent citizens of Nagasaki by Fat Man’s “transfiguration” 3 days later. At
the same time, it is true that some Japanese army leaders stubbornly insisted
to continue the battle even after the Fat Man’s “transfiguration” in Nagasaki,
until the very last person in Japan to die, defying the Emperor’s wish. Given
this, we cannot completely invalidate the United State’s “justification” of the
nuclear “transfigurations” in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, one thing is
clear and undisputable about what the “transfiguration” of Little Boy on the
Feast of the Transfiguration has brought about, and it is the increasing danger
toward the total destruction of all the life on earth and the earth itself
through a greater nuclear “transfiguration” far brighter than the sun.
Perhaps, by juxtaposing the “transfiguration”
of Little Boy in Hiroshima on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord,
1945 ( as well as the “transfiguration” of Fat Man in Nagasaki on August 9,
1945) to the Transfiguration of the Lord – discerning a difference between the
Little Boy’s “transfiguration” light brighter than the sun and Jesus’
transfiguration light as bright as the sun, we can draw an important prophetic
lesson. In this lesson, we can reflect, once again, what the Transfiguration
teaches us in regard to Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection – the meaning
of his Cross and its glorious triumph, not to be fooled and confused by Satan’s
work manifesting in man-made hell by transfiguring an atomic bomb. If we fail
to distinguish what is evil in disguise of “transfiguration” and what is divine
in the Transfiguration, not only we remain morally fool enough to justify evil
and allow Satan to manipulate human mind and hands to destroy God’s creation,
including the humans and the plane earth.
The world is dangerous enough
to be on the brink of total nuclear war, as a result of the “transfiguration”
of Little Boy. By drawing a prophetic lesson from this evil “transfiguration”
brought by some humans, prompted by Satan, we must shift the tide of history to
what the divine Transfiguration of the Lord is meant.
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