Second Sunday of Lent - Year A
Reading I: GN 12:1-4A
Psalm: 33
Reading II: 2 TM 1:8b-10
Gospel: MT 17:1-9
Why do we meditate on the transfiguration during Lent? Isn’t this the time to be thinking about the Lord’s suffering to atone for our sins?
When we look at the apostles Peter, James, and John, in the picture here, they seem to be almost blinded by what they are seeing. Jesus who had lived among them as a seemingly ordinary human being now appears in a glorious state with Moses and Elias by his side. The apostles are so enraptured that they want to hold on to the experience. They want to built tents so that the three will dwell with them.
The Lord knew that they would need to have had this experience in order to be reassured that what Jesus had said and promised would actually be possible. This would especially be needed when they would see him seemingly helpless, being treated like a common criminal, in spite of all the good he had done for his people.
Sometimes, we also have an experience of awareness of God’s presence with us. We, too, would like to hold onto those experiences. For most of us, those experiences happen very infrequently. The Lord sends them when they are most needed. However, much of the time we have to live by faith, and simply trust the Lord. Trusting in the Lord is what really pleases Him. However, trust doesn’t mean that all will go the way we would like it to go. It means that whatever happens, we believe the Lord remains with us and will see us through.
Another reason that it was important for the apostles to have the experience of Jesus’ divinity shining through is that they needed to be aware of the adoration due to the Lord, as the Son of God among us. This man who lived a human life among them was also God, who deserves their adoration. He is not just one to be imitated, but also to be worshiped.
It is heartening to see so many churches now having adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for their parishioners. In the quiet presence of the Lord, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, people can adore the Lord and deepen their relationships with Him.
As we try to renew ourselves during Lent, let us ask the Lord to deepen our trust in Him. Let us also take the time, whether in church, in the midst of the wonders of nature, or in our homes, to adore the Lord who is most worthy of our praise.
Spanish Translation of Reflection Above...
La Transfiguración
¿Por qué estamos meditando en la transfiguración durante la Cuaresma? ¿No es éste el momento para pensar en el sufrimiento del Señor para expiar nuestros pecados?Cuando miramos a los apóstoles Pedro, Santiago y Juan, en la foto aquí, parecen estar casi cegados por lo que están viendo. Jesús que había vivido entre ellos como un ser humano aparentemente ordinario ahora aparece en un estado glorioso con Moisés y Elías a su lado. Los apóstoles están tan encantados que quieren aferrarse a la experiencia. Ellos quieren construir tiendas de campaña para que los tres moren con ellos.
El Señor sabía que ellos necesitarían tener esta experiencia para estar seguros de que lo que Jesús había dicho y prometido realmente sería posible. Esto sería especialmente necesario cuando lo vieran aparentemente indefenso, siendo tratado como un criminal común, a pesar de todo el bien que había hecho por su pueblo.
A veces, también tenemos una experiencia de conciencia de la presencia de Dios con nosotros. A nosotros también nos gustaría mantener esas experiencias. Para la mayoría de nosotros, esas experiencias ocurren con poca frecuencia. El Señor los envía cuando son más necesarios. Sin embargo, la mayor parte del tiempo tenemos que vivir por fe, y simplemente confiar en el Señor. Confiar en el Señor es lo que realmente le agrada. Sin embargo, la confianza no significa que todo irá de la manera que nos gustaría que fuera. Significa que pase lo que pase, creemos que el Señor permanece con nosotros y nos verá a través de nosotros.
Otra razón por la que era importante para los apóstoles tener la experiencia de la divinidad de Jesús brillando a través es que necesitaban ser conscientes de la adoración debida al Señor, como el Hijo de Dios entre nosotros. Este hombre que vivió una vida humana entre ellos también era Dios, que merece su adoración. Él no es sólo uno para ser imitado, sino también para ser adorado.
Es alentador ver que muchas iglesias ahora tienen adoración del Santísimo Sacramento para sus feligreses. En la presencia tranquila del Señor, lejos del ajetreo y el bullicio de la vida cotidiana, la gente puede adorar al Señor y profundizar sus relaciones con Él.
Mientras tratamos de renovarnos durante la Cuaresma, pidamos al Señor que profundice nuestra confianza en Él. Tomemos también el tiempo, ya sea en la iglesia, en medio de las maravillas de la naturaleza, o en nuestros hogares, para adorar al Señor que es más digno de nuestra alabanza.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (pg. 146 #568) reads: “Christ’s transfiguration aims at strengthening the apostles’ faith in anticipation of his Passion: the ascent onto the high mountain prepares for the ascent to Calvary. Christ, Head of the Church, manifests what his Body contains and radiates in the sacraments: the hope of glory.”
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing experience for Peter, James and John to witness, to experience, the glory of God emanating from Jesus. How fitting, indeed, that Moses and Elijah appear as they represent the Law and the Prophets which, in Matthew 5:17, Jesus stated that he came to “fulfill the Law and the Prophets.”
I can surely identify with Peter in wanting that grace filled moment to last forever. I would not only have erected tents, I would have hung curtains, set up a kitchen and reveled in my role as chef in my mountain top residence.
Henri Nouwen refers to this mountaintop occurrence as “the experience of the “fullness of time…all I ever hoped for is here.” It is a sacred moment, a moment of total oneness within us and around us. We can probably all relate to such an event in our lives. My closest moment of such glorious wonder was the birth of my youngest child. In those first precious minutes when it was just me and my beautiful newborn, I could so strongly feel the Presence of God. I wanted to savor that time forever, but within minutes my bliss ended as nurses took away my baby and technicians performed their routine post childbirth tasks.
Nouwen writes that such moments are “given to us so that we can remember them when God seems far away and everything appears empty and useless. These experiences are true moments of grace.”
Author Jimmy Akin, in his article 10 things you need to know about Jesus’ Transfiguration, notes: “The experience of the Transfiguration is meant to point forward to the sufferings Jesus is about to experience. It is meant to strengthen the disciples’ faith, revealing to them in a powerful way the divine hand that is at work in the events Jesus will undergo."
“This is my Beloved Son; listen to him.” This message from God, while directed to the apostles, is also meant for us to hear today. To hear the voice of Jesus, we need to become still enough to shift our focus from all the external voices that clamor for our attention, and to seek the voice of the Shepherd.
Adoration, spending time in the quiet presence of the Lord, is one such way of opening our ears, mind, and heart to hear God’s voice. Jesus also speaks to us in Scripture, so making time to read the Bible each day may also help us to hear Jesus’ message.
The Transfiguration speaks to the majesty of God and gives us a foretaste of Heaven. The mountain top experience was a pure gift of love and compassion of God to Peter, James, and John. The remembrance of that blessed occurrence would help sustain them through events that would cause fear and sorrow that would reach to the depth of their souls.
I close with a quote of St. Katharine Drexel which fills me with hope: “Be patient and God will bring all to his glory.”
Yes, adoration of our Lord certainly is essential in our religious lives. This is definitely a basic consideration.
ReplyDeleteThe following selections are from a General Audience by Pope Paul II:
"Psalm 33, which has 22 verses, the same number as the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, is a hymn of praise to the Lord of the universe and of history. A quiver of joy runs through it from the very first lines.'
"The third and last part of the psalm (cf. vv. 16-22) takes up the topic of the unique lordship of God over human affairs. On one hand, he invites the powerful not to be deluded by the military force of armies and cavalry. Then he invites the faithful, often oppressed, starving and on the brink of death, to hope in the Lord who will not let them fall into the abyss of destruction. In this way, the "catechetical" function of the Psalm is also revealed. It is transformed into a call to faith in a God who is not indifferent to the arrogance of the powerful and is close to the weakness of humanity, raising it and sustaining it if it is confident, if it entrusts itself to him, if it raises its prayer and praise to him.'
"The humility of those who serve God" - St. Basil further explains - "shows that they hope in his mercy. Indeed, anyone who does not trust in his own great enterprises or expect to be justified by his own works, sees in God's mercy his only hope for salvation." (Homily on Psalm 32,10; Pg 29, 347)'
"The psalm ends with an antiphon that has become part of the well-known "Te Deum" hymn. "May your kindness always be upon us, Lord, for we have hoped in you" (V. 22). Divine grace and human hope meet and embrace. Indeed, God's loving faithfulness (according to the meaning of the original Hebrew word used here (hesed) envelopes, warms and protects us like a mantle, offering serenity and giving our faith and hope a sound foundation.'
Pope John Paul II
General Audience
08/08/2001
Yes, adoration of our Lord certainly is essential in our religious lives. This is an i