March 17th 2019. Second Sunday of Lent
GOSPEL Luke 9:28B-36
Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio
Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .
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GOSPEL Luke 9:28B-36
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.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
"Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my chosen Son; listen to him."
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
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.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
"Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
"This is my chosen Son; listen to him."
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Kieran’s summary . . . This Sunday’s Gospel recounts the transfiguration of Jesus. Peter responds with the words, “Lord it is beautiful to be here”. Sometimes we think of God negatively, but when we truly know him then we discover his inexpressible beauty. But this beauty can only be seen when we have undergone a journey, when we have climbed a mountain. What mountain must we climb in order to behold the beauty of God? Ours is a culture of leisure, entertainment and self-obsession. If the disciples fell asleep during the transfiguration, then how much more are we asleep today! We are constantly distracted by our cell phones and other superficial things. Lent is a journey to the root of authentic living. We often start reluctantly, unwilling to fast, pray or abstain from vice. The most superficial part of us wants to numb us against the discomfort of reality! A thousand arguments arise to postpone fasting or - worse - turn it into a diet in preparation for the beach season. And this only leads us into an even worse form of narcissism. This superficiality of ours is an obstacle to authentic beauty. If we are to behold the beauty of God then there is a mountain that must be climbed, a cloud that must be passed through, a sleep that must be resisted, a darkness that must be bravely borne, the same darkness that all men and women of holiness have passed through. We must battle gluttony, pride and greed, because in these things lies our ugliness. The beauty of God - and our own beauty - lies beyond the mountain of fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
The face of God is beautiful, but to see it we must undertake a journey away from distraction, self-deception, laziness
The second Sunday of Lent is traditionally dedicated to the Gospel of the Transfiguration. A striking aspect of this account is Peter's reaction: "Master, it is beautiful for us to be here". Seeing the face of God is beautiful, there is no better word. Man tends to think of God very negatively, but when he really knows him, he discovers that it is wonderful to be with him. The whole of Lent - a blessed time to redirect our lives – should be guided by this illumination. But it is a beauty that is only found at the top of a mountain, and it does not show itself to us immediately: before receiving it one must undertake a journey. Among the various elements of this revelation of the authentic face of Jesus, Luke - more than the other evangelists - emphasizes the theme of the disciples' sleep. Beholding the secret reality of Jesus implies a struggle against unconsciousness, against distraction, against repression. Ours is an age of self-obsession and leisure, of self-deception, of not thinking, of evading the truth. In a recent audience Pope Francis said that man is slipping towards "an existence anesthetized by entertainment that is not genuine rest, but alienation and escape from reality". Thinking is tiresome, so we think that it is better to avoid it.
The disciples fall asleep. We tend to fall asleep too, to distract ourselves, to repress the truth
In fact, the apostles fall into sleep at the very moment that an important event unfolds: "Moses and Elijah appeared in glory, and spoke of his parting, which was about to take place in Jerusalem". The topic is an uncomfortable subject for the disciples: the discussion of what will happen at Easter, that is, of the Passion of Jesus, which He had announced just before going up the mountain, and which he will remind them of again a second time when they back down again. Lent is an austere and serious time, just like the discussion between Jesus, Moses and Elijah. These serious moments make you want not to listen, to chat instead on your cell phone, to yawn, to be distracted. "To be or not to be?…. To sleep, perhaps to dream," said Hamlet.
In fact, the apostles fall into sleep at the very moment that an important event unfolds: "Moses and Elijah appeared in glory, and spoke of his parting, which was about to take place in Jerusalem". The topic is an uncomfortable subject for the disciples: the discussion of what will happen at Easter, that is, of the Passion of Jesus, which He had announced just before going up the mountain, and which he will remind them of again a second time when they back down again. Lent is an austere and serious time, just like the discussion between Jesus, Moses and Elijah. These serious moments make you want not to listen, to chat instead on your cell phone, to yawn, to be distracted. "To be or not to be?…. To sleep, perhaps to dream," said Hamlet.
Lent is a time to go to the root of things. This requires engaging in combat against gluttony, pride and greed. If we are to behold the beauty of God, then we must climb this mountain, pass through this cloud, awaken from this slumber.
Lent is a time to go to the root of things, and sometimes we begin reluctantly, without any inclination to fast, to intensify prayer, to go deeper into combat with vice in the service of love. The most superficial part of us wants to numb us against the discomfort of reality. A thousand arguments arise to postpone fasting or - perhaps worse - turn it into a diet in preparation for the beach season. And this only leads us into an even worse form of narcissism. Here is our obstacle to authentic beauty: our superficiality, our willingness to make do with a lesser form of existence. If we are to behold the beauty of God then there is a cloud that must be passed through, a sleep that must be resisted, a darkness that must be bravely borne, the same darkness that all men and women of holiness have passed through. The beautiful and the difficult are not incompatible, far from it. But how can we claim to be that Church that manifests God's secret to the world if we continue to skate on the surface of life? We must battle gluttony, pride and greed, because in these things lies our ugliness. The beauty of God, and ours, lies beyond the mountain of fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
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