Beloved in Christ, on this Second Sunday of Lent, the Church takes us from the desert of temptation into the high mountain of revelation. La...
Beloved in Christ, on this Second Sunday of Lent, the Church takes us from the desert of temptation into the high mountain of revelation. Last week, we saw Jesus battling the devil; today, we see Him bathed in deity. But this isn't just a private show for Peter, James, and John. It is a roadmap for our own Lenten journey. To understand what is happening on that mountain, we must look at three movements: Parting, Purifying, and Perceiving.
Parting. The Gospel begins with Jesus taking the three Apostles "up a high mountain by themselves." In the first reading, we heard God tell Abram: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk." Every great work of God begins with a Parting. To see the glory of God, we often have to leave behind the noise of the valley.
Lent is our "parting" season. We part ways with our comforts, our distractions, and sometimes our very sense of security. Abram had to leave his home to become the father of nations. The Apostles had to leave the crowds to see the Transfigured Christ. If you want to see God clearly this Lent, what are you willing to part with? We cannot see the light of the mountain if we are too busy clinging to the shadows of the valley.
Purifying. On the mountain, Jesus is transfigured. His face shines like the sun, and His clothes become white as light. This is the Purifying power of God’s presence. St. Paul tells Timothy in our second reading to "bear your share of hardship... according to the power of God."
The Transfiguration was meant to purify the faith of the Apostles. They were terrified of the Cross Jesus had just predicted. They wanted a Messiah of worldly power. But on the mountain, God purifies their vision. He shows them that the "extinguishing" of Jesus’ life on the Cross is actually the "shining" of His love. Lent is our time of purification. Our fasts and our prayers are not just "holy chores"; they are the fire that burns away the dross of our ego so that the image of Christ can finally shine through us.
Perceiving. Finally, a bright cloud overshadows them, and a voice says: "This is my beloved Son... listen to Him." This is about Perceiving. Peter wanted to build tents; he wanted to freeze the moment. He was looking, but he wasn't yet perceiving. To perceive is to "Listen to Him."
When they raised their eyes, the Bible says they "saw no one else but Jesus alone." This is the goal of Lent: to reach a point where, amidst the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah), we perceive Jesus as the fulfillment of everything. We perceive that even in our hardships, as Paul said, Christ has "destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light." When we descend the mountain, we don't carry tents; we carry a new way of seeing the world through the lens of the Resurrection.
As we continue our Lenten exodus, let us not be afraid of the "high mountains" God calls us to. Let us be brave in our Parting, patient in our Purifying, and silent in our Perceiving. When we listen to Him, we no longer fear the valley of the shadow of death, for we have seen the Light that no darkness can overcome. Amen.
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