March 8^th 2020. Second Sunday of Lent

GOSPEL: Mt 17:1-9

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini broadcast on Vatican Radio

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Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

GOSPEL: Mt 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . Sunday’s Gospel recounts the event of the Transfiguration, while the first reading tells of the call of Abraham. What has the call of Abraham got to do with the Transfiguration of Jesus? Every time God calls us, he wishes us to be transfigured! Peter and Andrew are transfigured into fishers of men. Abraham is transfigured from a sterile old man into the father of a great nation. We too can be transfigured completely by God’s call, but how does it work? “Transfiguration” is not so much transformation as the revelation of the beauty that was already inherent in Jesus. At the event of the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah are present, representing the Law and the Prophets. Adherence to God’s word, fidelity to the life of prayer, is essential to transfiguration! Then the Father says, “Here is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. It is the relationship with the Father that is the source of the light and the beauty of Christ! And it is also the source of our light and beauty. If we immerse ourselves humbly and obediently in God’s word, reflecting on the Father’s love for us, then we too can be transfigured along with Christ. When a woman knows that she is loved by her man, then she becomes beautiful and radiant. We too will become radiant with the light of God if we reflect on the Father’s love for us and humbly adhere to his word. Then our inherent beauty will become manifest.

God’s call is always an act of transfiguration. He is also calling you and me. If we respond we will be transfigured. In the transfiguration of Christ, we see the way in which God is transforming humanity into light and beauty .

The second Sunday of Lent reflects on the Gospel story of the Transfiguration. As we travel the penitential journey that prepares us for Easter, it is important to confront our own ugliness with the hidden beauty of Jesus; it is essential for us to fix our gaze on the true face of Christ, and to say with Peter: “It is good for us to be here!” Interestingly, the first reading recounts the call of Abraham, but what does this have to do with the event of the Transfiguration on Tabor? The word Transfiguration - meta-morphe - indicates a fundamental change in the form of something. When the Lord calls Abraham, he says: “Go forth from your land, away from your kinship and from your father's house, towards the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation and bless you, I will make your name great so that you be a blessing." What the Lord is doing here is announcing the transfiguration of Abraham: he was a sterile old man, but he will become a father of multitudes. And this will be God's work. The phrase "I will make of you ..." is at the centre of every vocation. When Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, he says: "I will make you fishers of men". The call is a work of God and whoever is called is transformed by His power. In the Transfiguration we see that, in Christ, the Father completes His work in humanity: human nature is transfigured into light, into beauty. It is not only the body of Christ that has changed, but it is the human body that is transfigured, and its hidden truth is revealed.

Our transfiguration is achieved by intimacy with God and adherence to the word. Ultimately, it is our relationship with the Father that transfigures us, reveals the secret of our inherent dignity

This process is a journey that requires intimacy with God and contact with the Word – that is why Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain, representing the Law and the Prophets. Furthermore, Jesus' relationship with the Father is revealed: "This is my Son, the beloved". It is in our relationship with the Father, our adherence to the word, that human nature is transfigured. When Peter, James and John see Jesus transfigured, they are discovering what is hidden in human nature, what is hidden in each of us. We are with the Lord so that our hidden secret will be revealed: the great dignity we possess as children of God.

Lent gives us the opportunity to unveil the hidden beauty within us. Jesus’ beauty comes from the fact that he knows he is loved by the Father. We too are loved by the Father! If we reflect on that love, then we can permit God to act in our lives, transfiguring us into children of God with immensely fruitful lives.

Through the journey of Lent, each of us has the opportunity to regain possession of his hidden treasure, of his deep spiritual dimension. Through fasting, prayer and almsgiving, we return to the source of our nobility and rediscover ourselves to be beautiful. It should be noted that, on the previous Sunday, Satan questioned the status of Jesus as Son of God - "If you are the Son of God ..." -, but now it is the Father himself who proclaims him as such. "This is my Son, my beloved, in him I am well pleased": this is the hidden light of the Lord Jesus, the love of the Father. But this is also our light since the Father loves us as well. You can see when a woman feels loved by her man: she is bright and radiant. You can see when a child feels loved by his parents: he is stable and free. And you can see when a person knows and feels God's love for himself: he is transfigured, he becomes light and radiates peace. He is free from that veil of doubt that burdens many people; finally he knows that he is wanted, loved, important, precious.