Cycle C - Year II:

21 February 2016: Second Sunday of Lent

(Liturgical color: Violet)

Gospel: Please read Luke 9:28b-36

To share in God's glory!

When things get really tough and challenging we find courage in these inspiring words, "At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold!" It means that after everything you have gone through, rewards and victory awaits you.

That seems to be the message of this Sunday's liturgy.

On Ash Wednesday we started our Lenten journey on a somber tone as we reflect on our Lord Jesus Christ -- his suffering, and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection. Because Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance, as we prepare for the glory of Easter.

But on the second Sunday of Lent we take a break from our sadness and meditate on the fourth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary, the Transfiguration of Jesus, which is one of the most dramatic scenes in all of Scripture.

Holy Mother Church places the transfiguration event before us while our journey of Lent is still young, perhaps to assure us of the final goal. the glorified Christ. Our Lord came into the world to win such glory -- for Himself and for all of us. By His incarnation He took our human nature. By His passion and death He purified it. By His resurrection and ascension He glorified it.

In St. Luke's version of this event, there is a detailed contained in the story, which is unique to his

account: Jesus was transfigured while he was praying. "Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While He was praying His face changed in appearance and His clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with Him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His exodus that He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem." (Lk 9:28-31)

The transfiguration of our Lord was a unique display of His divine character and a glimpse of the glory which Jesus had before He came down on earth in human form. In that holy mountain, the chosen apostles had the experience of "the already of the not yet", so that the "inner circle" of Jesus' disciples could gain a greater understanding of who Jesus is. These 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 their experience at that time. Nonetheless, this experience gave them the assurance they needed when the passion and death of our Lord would transpire. It made such an impression of the disciples of the Lord that it is one of the only stories common to all three of the synoptic Gospels.

True enough, these "privileged" disciples never forgot what happened that day on the mountain. They bore witness to it to the other disciples and to countless millions more down through the centuries. They were witnesses of our Lord's transfiguration event and wrote of it later:

- St. John wrote of it in his gospel account: "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)

So now, how does this Transfiguration event should affect our lives today as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ?

First of all, we cannot follow Peter's impulsiveness and hastiness in wanting to "glory" in the Lord's transfiguration immediately. Rather, we must accompany our Lord in His Lenten journey. Because there is no shortcut to our heavenly goal, that is to say, we could not have the Gospel without sacrifice, holiness without prayer, virtue without effort, communion without confession, and Easter without Lent. We cannot escape taking our share in carrying the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because our Lord Jesus lived a full human life, experiencing both its joys and sorrows. Therefore, we must take upon ourselves our share of the Lord's suffering and death so that we also will share in His eternal glory.

In sum, God wants to share His glory with us. We get a glimpse of His glory in our Lord's transfiguration. As we continue with our Lenten journey, let us pray earnestly and ask God to deepen our faith in His love and His loving plans for all of us, especially when they do not make sense to us. Let us seek His grace to embrace our crosses and allow them to increase our virtue and to be a channel of God's strength, so that we can also share in Lord's Easter. Amen.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!