2nd Sun. of Lent- the Transfiguration Mk 9:1-15
Dcn. Bill Kenney 2-24/25-2024
The glory of God revealed in the Transfiguration
and in our lives
During school breaks in Tucson, Arizona (GO Wildcats!) we use to drive up to nearby Mt. Lemmon. At 9,000 ft, the air was fresh and cool, a welcomed refreshment from the 90 degree plus valley below. The view was spectacular, even surreal. It was “God’s country”. After taking in the beauty, we made the decent back to “reality”. The thoughts and memories stay with us.
The Transfiguration narrative almost reads like science fiction. St. Mark conveys a vivid spectacle, a supernatural wonder. It begins with Jesus and his inner circle of apostles ascending Mt. Tabor to symbolically be near God, in the peace and beauty of “God’s country”, and to provide a pulpit for an important message. Here we have the revelation of Jesus’ divine glory that shone through him as a blinding light for Peter, James, and John to behold. Jesus’ clothes appeared dazzling white, more than Tide Ultra could ever get them! Jesus Christ, fully man and fully divine, prefigured our lives in all things, except sin, including what our glorified bodies would look like, as revealed in the Transfiguration. He did this to give them and us a deeper faith and trust in his resurrection glory to overcome trials and tribulations about to come on Good Friday. What does the wonder of Jesus’ transfiguration mean to you?
Elijah and Moses, representing the Prophets and The Law, joined Jesus, the Word. The gospels tell us they were discussing Jesus’ upcoming entry into Jerusalem and his passion and death. To heap even more terror on the apostle’s emotional plate, the Holy Spirit enveloped all of them in a cloud and the voice of God spoke to them, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” Only since Jesus’ baptism did all members of the Holy Trinity manifest themselves in such an amazing way. St. Peter, in his shock and confusion, and perhaps from high-altitude light-headedness, impulsively suggests marking the location with three tents in praise and remembrance of this wonder. I can see Jesus rolling his eyes. All’s he wanted is for them to listen and recount this great event after his death and resurrection. As disciples of Christ, in what ways do we recognize the transfiguration in our daily lives?
For love of his Church, Christ makes real what his transfigured body radiates in his institution of the sacraments. Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, and Holy Orders, all these sacraments have dazzling white garments signifying cleanliness, humility, and purity, uniting us to the Lord of light. In the sacrament of Penance, in our sinfulness, “we come blind to the light of eternal brightness” * May the fire of his word and glorified body consume our sins, and its brightness illumine our hearts.
The Transfiguration is a type of the Holy Eucharist. At each Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Holy Trinity, the Communion of saints, and the People of God participate to transform our humble gifts of bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Eucharistic communion is the light which disperses the darkness of our pilgrimage. It is an anticipation of our heavenly glory. At our Tuesday 7pm Adoration, the Host in the monstrance is illumined in dazzling light like the rays of the Transfiguration. It is the real presence of Jesus and is a wonder to behold. How has the Eucharist transfigured your life?
Through the Transfiguration narrative, we praise God who is light and love and who allowed that light to shine from the humanity of Jesus on Mount Tabor. We give thanks for the gift of light that we received at Baptism. We are called to descend from that mount of sacramental grace and joyfully bring that light to others. As we journey through periods of darkness and suffering in our lives, may we sense the light of the transfigured Christ in our hearts to give us, and others, consolation, strength, and perseverance.
May we always listen to and see Jesus in the Transfiguration as our guiding light to better understand the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to believe in the Gospel, and to hope for the resurrection of the body; all these, for the glory of God.