On the second Sunday of Lent we meditated on the transfiguration of
Jesus. We know the story. Jesus showed some of his glory to three of His
disciples. It was like an aperitif. Jesus gave them a foretaste of the beauty
of his glory.
Luke wrote: "While (Jesus) was praying, the appearance of his
face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white". It is a fact that
Luke is using human words that cannot describe the Divine reality. In fact, the
transfiguration of Jesus is only a spiritual aperitif.
Why did Christ’s disciples need a spiritual "aperitif"?
In the region of Caesarea
Philippi, shortly before His transfiguration, Jesus asked His disciples: "Who do you say
that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah of God.” Then Jesus added: "The Son of Man must
undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and
scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." This
idea of a Messiah who must
suffer and die
was not their project. For Jews believed
that the Messiah should be victorious in order to
free them from the Romans.
Jesus knew that he
had to teach them and explain this mystery.
For this reason, during the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were
talking with Jesus about His death, which He was about to accomplish at
Jerusalem. He taught them that God's design is not the same as ours. In the
region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus said to Peter, who did not like the idea of
the death of the Messiah, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block
to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
The transfiguration is God's answer to our fears and
misunderstanding.
The Church celebrates the feast of the transfiguration of Jesus on
the sixth day of August. We can ask: "Why do we remember it during Lent?"
It is important that when we live Lent with faith, we remember God’s project
for Jesus and for us. The Church invites us to resist temptation, to pray, to
fast and give alms, especially during the Lenten Season. These things have no
meaning without a sincere faith in Jesus and his words.
This is why the Church asks us to read and meditate on what Peter
and John and James saw and heard.
They saw two men talking with Jesus. Moses and Elijah spoke about
the suffering and death of Jesus. The face of Jesus was transformed and it was
glorious, and the Prophets and the Law spoke about His resurrection. They
learned that suffering and death are only a passage to resurrection and life
eternal.
His disciples heard a voice that said, "This is my Son, my
Chosen; listen to him!" This was the voice of the Father from heaven that
taught them that Jesus is the way to everlasting life.
Now we see in our minds and hearts the glory of Jesus as God. We see
the prophets who announced the death that Jesus had to suffer as a man. We
still hear them speak about His resurrection.
These are things of the past, but they certainly show us the way
forward in our daily life and they lead us to eternal life. "Listen to
Jesus, My Son!" God tells us from heaven, i.e. "Do whatever he tells
you", as our mother Mary teaches us.
Finally, the Church invites us to remember what Jesus promised us,
in order to be able to receive it. It is very important that we think about
what the Holy Spirit revealed to us through Scripture: "No eye has seen,
nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those
who love him”. (1 Cor 2, 9-10). It is the place where we all want to be forever.
It is very important that we think also about what St. Paul teaches:
"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us" (Rom 8, 18).
Of course, if we are children of God, then we are also His heirs,
and if we suffer with Jesus, we will share in the glory with Him. (see Rom 8,
17).
In truth, this is our faith.
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