Cycle A - Year II: 

16 March 2014: 2nd Sunday of Lent

(Liturgical color: Violet)

Matthew 17:1-9

The Lord's Transfiguration: a foretaste of God's glory!

The first time I watched the movie "The Passion of Christ" I was overwhelmed with emotions. The movie was so realistic and brutal, like I was actually there watching our Lord's suffering as he was led to Calvary.

It must have been more depressing and frightening for our Lord's disciples in his time. The apostles must have experienced gloom and despair as they witnessed Christ's terrible suffering and death. That must have shaken their belief in the man Jesus. whom they thought to be the Messiah. How did our Lord prepare his disciples for his coming passion and death?

As they were travelling to Jerusalem where suffering and death awaits Jesus, their journey was briefly interrupted by an experience of Jesus' transfiguration upon a mountain. Jesus appeared in glory with Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, and with Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, in the presence of three of his beloved apostles, Peter, John and James. St. Matthew's account tells us that Jesus' "face shone like the sun and his clothes become white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him."

Jesus' transfiguration was a unique display of his divine character and a glimpse of the glory, which Jesus had before He came down to earth in human form. In theological language, the transfiguration is an experience of "the already of the not yet" for the beloved disciples, so that the "inner circle" of Jesus' disciples could gain a greater understanding of who Jesus was. Thus, the disciples who had only known Jesus in his human body, now had a greater realization of the deity of Christ, even when perhaps they could not fully comprehend it at that time. Nevertheless, the experience gave them the reassurance they needed after hearing the shocking news of Jesus' coming death.

In fact, the disciples never forgot what happened that day on the mountain. They bore witness to it to the other disciples and to countless millions down through the centuries. Those who were witnesses of the transfiguration event wrote of it later:

St. John wrote about it in his gospel: "We have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:14)

St. Peter wrote of it as well: "We did not follow cleverly invented stories  when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus   Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him  from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain." (2 Peter 1:16-18)

The message of the transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ is that God wants to share his glory with us. The disciples had a glimpse of God's glory when they actually saw Jesus transfigured in glory on the mountain.

With the eyes of faith, we too see Jesus' transfiguration in the Holy Eucharist at Mass. And when we actually receive Him in the Holy Eucharist, He also gives us the grace to sustain us in our difficult and challenging journey through life. Jesus in the Holy Eucharist makes light our way of the cross in this life. And so receiving Jesus frequently in the Holy Eucharist is a foretaste of his resurrection, like our own experience of "the already of the not yet". It  is our assurance of God's ultimate victory over sin and evil.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!