Reflections
Reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent
The Gospel tonight is rich with ideas to explore. We could focus on Jesus, his change in appearance or his conversation with Moses and Elijah that led to greater understanding of his journey to Jerusalem. Or we could focus on Peter, James and John and what happens to them.
The apostles had recently returned from their first successful mission. They had also just been asked by Jesus,” Who do you say I am?” Peter boldly declared Jesus was the Messiah. They were told to tell no one and were also foretold Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection and their own need to take up the cross if they followed him.
What were they thinking on the 8th day after these events as Jesus took them up the mountain to pray? Were they confused by his words and looking for reassurance? Disturbed by his talk of suffering and death, afraid that to follow him meant death and suffering for them? When Jesus was transfigured, they had fallen into a deep sleep. Were they exhausted from traveling, from thinking? They had not heard what Moses or Elijah were talking about, but when they were fully awake, they were caught up in the glory of the moment. Peter wanted to build tents in order to stay in this moment of glory. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and they heard God’s voice declaring Jesus his son and admonishing them to listen to him.
Mark and Matthew’s Gospel tell us that Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened on the mountain. Luke, however, says they kept quiet, telling nothing of what they had seen. In biblical writing, clouds suggest things beyond our control and knowledge, pointing to signs and events to come. Entering into the cloud, they also entered into knowing and understanding more fully what Jesus had been telling them about his death and resurrection. His true nature was revealed to them. They were afraid, overwhelmed by what this meant for them, and deeply changed.
This story invites us to consider three words, often used during Lent: change, transform and transfigure.
Change means to become different. During Lent we change our habits to focus more on the spiritual. Often these changes will not last past Lent. To be transformed means to become dramatically different. One’s appearance or behavior changes. It is often an exterior change and is not always better. To be transfigured is to change completely into a more beautiful and spiritual state. It is the revelation of the true nature of a person, our best self.
In witnessing the true nature of Jesus, Peter, Jame and John also were transfigured to a degree. They knew the stories of Elijah and Moses, especially of Moses and the Exodus. They probably made the connection with the Exodus and Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem. In hearing God’s voice saying, “This is my son. Listen to him,” were they reminded of Jesus’s prediction of his suffering and death? Were their minds opened to see more clearly what it meant to follow Jesus? Were they silent because they began to grasp what their true self really was? Were they silent because for the first time they saw themselves as Jesus saw them?
During this Lent, are we changed, transformed, or transfigured? Are we changing our habits for a short time only? Are our new habits transforming us but not necessarily making us better, or are we allowing ourselves to be transfigured in a way that elevates us and makes us better? As we donate to our Lenten baskets, are we contemplating why we give to these causes? As we make an ecological change, are we conscious of how this action will transfigure our world? As we write to or call our representatives and our senators, are we trusting the spirit to guide us in our words and to be with our government?
We cannot stay in the glory of the mountain forever. Transfiguration is the gift of vision that allows us to carry on. We are called, like Peter, James and John, to enter the valley of risks, of challenges, and of carrying our cross and to let our true inner nature as followers of Jesus transfigure our world.
