March 13th 2022.  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.

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

 

SUMMARY OF HOMILY

1. Christ unveils who he is and who we are called to be.

In the first reading from Chapter 15 of Genesis, the Lord tells Abraham to look at the stars to appreciate how abundantly the promise to him will be fulfilled. In contemplating this visible aspect of nature, Abraham is shown something that is not yet visible – his countless number of descendants. Similarly, the three disciples are called by Jesus out of their normal situation and taken up a mountain where they see Jesus transfigured. Like Abraham, they behold with their eyes something that points to a deeper spiritual reality. They see that Jesus is not only a man but also God. As with Abraham, this is a revelation of the greatness of humanity which hasn’t yet come to completion. In Christ is manifested the glory to which every man and woman is called. As Vatican II says, Christ reveals man to himself. The root of “to reveal” is to take away the veil covering something.

 

2. The revelation of the identity of Christ occurs in the context of contemplating the Scriptures

The Transfiguration reveals to us who Christ is and who we are, but it happens in a very particular context, that of prayer. Moses and Elijah appear with Christ. Moses is the traditional author of the first five books of the Bible, whilst Elijah is the greatest of the prophets. What does this meeting signify? Jesus is the key for unveiling the true meaning of the Scriptures (which are fulfilled in him), and, at the same time, the Scriptures help to unveil the mystery of Christ. What is discussed by Jesus, Moses and Elijah? His “exodus”, namely, his passion, death and resurrection, the redemption that would be wrought by his suffering and death. This encounter between Christ and Scripture, the meaning of his suffering, death and resurrection - this is precisely what we are called to contemplate during Lent. We are called to prayer, to contemplate Christ and to find in him the key to the Scriptures. This is a beautiful thing so it is no wonder that Peter says, “It is beautiful to be here". But what Peter says is incomplete. He has seen the glorious end of the journey, but the journey itself still has to be undertaken. We are called to glory, but must walk the walk! The cloud evokes the Exodus when the Lord was present in the cloud and the people followed it.

 

3. Our Lenten practices help to unveil the mystery of Christ and the light we are called to follow

All of this assists us on our journey towards Easter and towards true glory. Our Christian journey is not one of  ethical perfection or obedience to religious norms. No, our journey is towards the light revealed to us in the Scriptures.  The Lenten practices of fasting, prayer and almsgiving are paschal acts. Through them, we are transported to the new life, the life of Easter. We were created and called to take possession of our complete dignity. This Lent, let us walk towards the glory of Christ and towards our own glory, towards this invisible dimension of things. Through these Lenten practices, through acts of service, this hidden reality is unveiled and we arrive at the light of Christ.

 

ALTERNATIVE HOMILY

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.