2nd Sunday of Lent – February 21, 2016

A movie called Mask is based on the true story of a 16-year-old boy named Rocky Dennis. He has a rare disease that causes his skull and the bones in his face to grow larger than they should. As a result, Rocky’s face is terribly misshapen and disfigured. His grotesque appearance causes some people to shy away from him, and others to snicker and laugh at him. Through it all, Rocky never pities himself. Nor does he give way to anger. He feels bad about his appearance, but he accepts it as a part of life. One day Rocky and some of his friends visit an amusement park. They go into a “House of Mirrors” and begin to laugh at how distorted their bodies and faces look. Suddenly Rocky sees something that startles him. One mirror distorts his misshapen face in such a way that it appears normal – even strikingly handsome. For the first time, Rocky’s friends see him in a whole new way. They see from the outside what he is on the inside: a truly beautiful person. Something like this happens to Jesus in today’s Gospel. During his Transfiguration, Jesus’ disciples saw him in a whole new way. For the first time they saw from the outside what he is on the inside: the glorious, beautiful Son of God

Introduction: The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent highlight Jesus’ identity as God’s beloved Son (revealed at his baptism and Transfiguration) and confront us with the mystery of his death on the cross. Hence, the main theme of today’s readings is an invitation as well as a challenge to us to do what Abraham did:  put our Faith in the loving promises of the merciful God who sent His Son to die for us and to transform our lives by renewing them during Lent.  Our transformed lives will enable us to radiate the glory and grace of the transfigured Lord to all around us by our Spirit-filled lives.  The first reading describes the transforming of a pagan patriarch into a believer in the one God, the transforming of his name from Abram to Abraham and God’s making of His first Covenant with  man through Abraham and his descendants as a reward for Abraham’s obedience to God. In the second reading, St. Paul argues that it is not observance of the Mosaic Law and circumcision that transforms people into Christians, and hence, the Gentiles need not become Jews to become Christians. In the Transfiguration account in today’s Gospel, Jesus is revealed as a glorious figure, superior to Moses and Elijah who appear with him. He is identified by the Heavenly Voice as the Son of God. Thus, the Transfiguration experience is a Christophany, that is, a manifestation or revelation of who Jesus really is. Describing Jesus’ Transfiguration, the Gospel shows us a glimpse of the Heavenly glory waiting for those who do God’s will by putting their trusting Faith in Him.

First reading, Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18: Abram (God later changed his name to Abraham), is presented as the first person since Noah to hear and heed the Voice of God. At God's prompting, Abram moved his considerable holdings from the ancient city of Ur in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), to a land he knew not (modern Palestine). As a reward for Abram’s trust and obedience, God promised him numerous descendants. He also promised Abram a land for himself and his family. When Abram asked for a sign that would seal this promise, God entered into a unilateral contract with him, using an ancient ritual of contract.  The parties who wanted to seal a contract would split the carcass of one or more animals, lay the halves on the ground, and walk between them, saying "May I be so split in half if I fail to keep the agreement we are sealing here." Abram fell into a trance and witnessed the procession of the fire pot and torch moving between the carcass halves. This symbolized God’s presence and action.   As this was a unilateral contract between God and Abraham, Abraham was not asked to walk between the carcass halves. 

Second Reading, Philippians 3:17-4:1: Among early Christians in several places there was a controversy about whether one had to keep the old Jewish law in order to be a follower of Christ. Saint Paul argues forcefully here that one does not have to do so. Those who say one must, are really "enemies of the cross of Christ," because they're acting as if the death and Resurrection of Jesus are not what save us; rather, they hold that keeping the law is what saves them. In particular, the law required eating kosher food and having males circumcised. The food is what Paul alludes to in ridiculing their devotion to their stomachs, and the circumcision is what he means when he says they glory in their "shame."

Exegesis: The objective: The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to allow him to consult his Heavenly Father in order to ascertain His plan for His Son’s suffering, death and Resurrection.  The secondary aim was to make his chosen disciples aware of his Divine glory so that they might discard their worldly ambitions and dreams of a conquering political Messiah and might be strengthened in their time of trial. Further, the Transfiguration enabled Jesus to present himself to the apostles as Israel’s redeemer as had already been foretold by the prophets (St. Ephrem).  The Transfiguration established Jesus’ glorious identity as the beloved Son of God and placed his divine Sonship in the context of Jewish expectations about the Kingdom and the Resurrection.  The event took place in late summer, just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles.  Hence, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration at about the time of the year when it actually occurred in order to connect it with the Old Testament Feast of the Tabernacles.  The Western tradition recalls the Transfiguration at the beginning of Lent, and then celebrates the formal feast on August 6.

The location of the Transfiguration was probably Mount Hermon in North Galilee, near Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus had camped a week before this wondrous event.  Mt. Hermon was a desolate mountain, 9200 feet high.  The traditional oriental belief that Transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor is based on Psalm 89:12.  But Mount Tabor is a small mountain or a big hill in the south of Galilee, less than 1000 feet high, with a Roman fort built on it.  Hence, it would have been an unlikely place for solitude and prayer.  

The scene of Heavenly glory:   While praying, Jesus was transfigured into a shining figure, full of Heavenly glory. “In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42–49; 2 Cor 5:1–10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord's glory after his visit to the mountain in Ex 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have. (NET Bible notes).”

Moses and Elijah are seen with Jesus at the Transfiguration, because both of them had experienced the Lord in all His glory.  Moses had met the Lord in the burning bush at Mount Horeb (Ex 3:1-4). The Transfiguration scene closely resembles God’s revelation to Moses, who also brought along three companions and whose face also shone brilliantly (see Ex 24:1; 34:29).  After his encounter with God on Sinai, Moses' face shone so brightly that the people were frightened, and thereafter, whenever Moses went into the Tent to consult the Lord, he had to wear a veil over his face when he came out (Ex 34:29-35). The Jews believed that Moses had been taken up in a cloud at end of his earthly life (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4. 326). Elijah traveled for forty days to Mt. Horeb on the strength of the food brought by an angel (1 Kgs 19:8).  At Mt. Horeb, Elijah sought refuge in a cave as the glory of the Lord passed over him (1 Kgs 19:9-18).  Finally, Elijah was taken directly to heaven in a chariot of fire without seeing death (2 Kgs 2:11 -15). 

These representatives of the Law and the Prophets – Moses and Elijah - foreshadowed Jesus, who is the culmination of the Law and the Prophets.  Both earlier prophets were initially rejected by the people but vindicated by God.  The Jews believed that the Lord had buried Moses in an unknown place after his death (Dt 34:  5-6), and that Elijah had been carried to heaven in a whirlwind (II Kings 2:11).  Thus, the implication is that, although God spared Elijah from the normal process of death and Moses from normal burial, He did not spare His Son from suffering and death. Peter, overwhelmed at the scene, exclaimed how good it was for them to be there.   His remark about three booths (or tents) may be a reference to the Jewish festival of Succoth, the most joyful of Jewish days, when booths were erected in which the people dwelt during the time of the feast and from which all kinds of presents and sweets came.   Or it may be a reference of reverence, alluding to tabernacles to house the patriarchs and the Son of God.

God the Father’s Voice from the cloud: “In the Old Testament the cloud covered the meeting tent, indicating the Lord’s presence in the midst of his people (Ex 40:34-35) and came to rest upon the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of its dedication (1 Kgs 8:10).” (NAB notes). The book of Exodus describes how God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai from the cloud.  God often made appearances in a cloud (Ex 24:15-17; 13:21 -22; 34:5; 40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10-11).   I Kgs, 8: 10 tells us how, by the cover of a cloud, God revealed His presence in the Ark of the Covenant and in the Temple of Jerusalem on the day of its dedication.  The Jews generally believed that the phenomenon of the cloud would be repeated when the Messiah arrived.  God the Father, Moses and Elijah approved the plan regarding Jesus' suffering, death and Resurrection.  God’s words from the cloud, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him,” are the same words used by God at Jesus' baptism (3:17), with the addition of "listen to Him."  At the moment of Jesus’ death, a Roman centurion would declare, “Truly, this man was the Son of God” (15:39).  These words summarize the meaning of the Transfiguration, that on this mountain, God revealed Jesus as His Son -- His beloved -- the One in whom He is always well pleased and the One to whom we must listen. By the words “This is my Son; listen to Him!” Jesus is not simply presented to the apostles as the Son of God, but as God’s mouthpiece. This designation is especially significant in the presence of Moses and Elijah because it tells the apostles that Jesus is the voice of God par excellence—even compared with the Law and the Prophets—through his filial relationship with the Father. It is directed to the prophets as well, granting them a theophany in the person of Christ; Moses and Elijah had wished to see God in the Old Testament, and the Transfiguration of Christ fulfilled their wish.” (Andreas Andreopoulos, Metamorphosis: The Transfiguration in Byzantine Theology and Iconography, 48-49) 

The three transformations in our lives in our journey towards eternity: The first change begins at Baptism which washes away original sin, transforming us into children of God and heirs of heaven. The second transformation takes place through our victory over the trials and tribulations of life.  Every challenge, every difficulty, every moment of suffering, is an opportunity for transformation and spiritual growth. The third transformation takes place at death.  Eternal life in Heaven, perhaps after a period of further transformation in Purgatory, is granted to those who have been found worthy.  The last transformation or transfiguration will be completed at the Second Coming when our glorified body is reunited with our soul.

Life messages: (1) The “transfiguration” in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength: In each Holy Mass, the bread and wine we offer on the altar become “transfigured” or transformed into the living Body and Blood of the crucified, risen and glorified Jesus.  Just as Jesus' transfiguration strengthened the apostles in their time of trial, each holy Mass should be our source of Heavenly strength against temptations, and our renewal during Lent.  In addition, our Holy Communion with the living Jesus should be the source of our daily “transfiguration,” transforming our minds and hearts so that we may do more good by humble and selfless service to others.

(2) Each time we receive one of the Sacraments, we are transformed: For example, Baptism transforms us into sons and daughters of God and heirs of heaven. Confirmation makes us temples of the Holy Spirit and warriors of God.  By the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God brings back the sinner to the path of holiness.

(3) The Transfiguration offers us a message of encouragement and hope: In moments of doubt and during our dark moments of despair and hopelessness, the thought of our transfiguration in Heaven will help us to reach out to God and to listen to His consoling words: "This is My beloved Son."  Let us offer our Lenten sacrifices to our Lord, that through these practices of Lent and through the acceptance of our daily crosses we may become closer to him in his suffering and may share in the carrying of his cross so that we may finally share the glory of his Transfiguration.

4) We need “mountain-top experiences” in our lives: We share the mountain-top experience of Peter, James and John when we spend extra time in prayer during Lent.  Fasting for one day can help the body to store up spiritual energy.  This spiritual energy can help us have thoughts that are far higher and nobler than our usual mundane thinking.  The hunger we experience can put us more closely in touch with God and make us more willing to help the hungry.  The crosses of our daily lives also can lead us to the glory of transfiguration and resurrection.

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Afro-American Wimbledon player was dying of cancer. He received letters from his fans, worldwide, one of which read: “Why did God select you for such a dreadful disease?” Ashe replied, “The world over, 5 crore children start playing tennis, 50 lakhs learn the game, 5 lakh turn professional; 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach Grand Slams, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to the semifinals, 2 to the finals. When I won the Wimbledon crown, I never asked God, “Why me?” Today, in pain, I shouldn’t be asking God, “Why me?” Wimbledon crown, cancer cross. That’s Christianity! That is why Jesus reminds his three apostles about his death and Resurrection immediately after his glorious transfiguration.

(Source: Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)

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