2nd Sunday of Lent
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
The call of Abraham sets in motion one of the most celebrated faith journeys in the Bible. Unlike so many before him, for example, those who built the tower of Babel, this man is listening to God’s voice. To give the patriarch every advantage to make the journey of faith successfully, God sets before him the wonderful outcomes of his journey.
The story of the transfiguration aims to disclose the true identity of Jesus. He is God’s beloved son. The evangelist accomplishes this through both symbols and visions. The location for this event is a high mountain, which is frequently the case when the Bible is dealing with divine revelation.
He was transfigured before them. We are told that Peter, James, and John accompanied Jesus up a high mountain and there he was transfigured before them. All of the language used to describe the transfigured Jesus focuses on the fact that Jesus has now become transparent to Peter, James, and John. They can see him for who he really is, a being of brilliant light. The apostles also see Moses and Elijah conversing with Jesus. Moses symbolizes the law and Elijah the prophets. Together the law and the prophets signify the fullness of God’s revelation. Jesus, of course, symbolizes the fullness of divine revelation (law and prophets).
The cloud of divine presence. Peter somehow relates what he has just experienced with the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. It commemorates the 40 years the Jews wandered in the desert after receiving the Torah atop Mt. Sinai. Participants stayed in small booths for seven days during the celebration. Peter immediately finds himself overshadowed by a cloud representing the divine presence from which God’s voice emerges, declaring Jesus to be God’s beloved son with whom he is well pleased; listen to him. Here the evangelist has put together quotes from Psalms 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1. Some commentators suggest that all this might represent a vision Peter had while celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. During this celebration he received insight into the real identity of Jesus.
It ends as quickly as it began. After hearing the divine voice proclaiming the true identity of Jesus, the apostles fall prostrate in fear. Jesus simply touches them, encourages them, and the whole thing is over. Now Jesus and the apostles are alone. Everyone else is gone as if it never happened, but it did happen. The meaning of all this will be apparent to those who experienced it only after the resurrection, when the meaning of the transparent Jesus will be fully understood
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius