TRANSFIGURATION

TRANSFIGURATION – 2^nd Sunday of Lent, Year A

            Last week we were in the desert with Jesus struggling with the devil’s temptations. This week we are on the mountain of transfiguration with the transfigured Lord, Moses, Elijah, and God the Father, along with Peter, James, and John. The struggle with temptation and life in the spiritual deserts and valleys is a hardship. But if we keep before us the crucified, glorified Lord Jesus, and understand what the Lord does for us, we become willing to bear the sacrifices of living the life of Christ.

            Many expect the Christian life to be easy, and therefore resist the demands of the Gospel. Paul urges us “Bear your share of the hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God”. We are to do this in light of and in response to what God has done for us. “He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to His own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior, Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

            The hardship of following Christ is gladly accepted and embraced by those who have a basic understanding of the Gospel and a living faith in Christ. What motivates us to live the Gospel are faith transfiguration experiences. A transfiguration experience is an insight into the glory of Christ. By the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can have those all the time if we want to.  Anytime we pray or read the Scriptures of celebrate the Sacred Liturgy, or have an insight into the Lord and the mysteries of His life, we are having transfiguration experiences. When we look into the Old Testament and listen to Moses and Elijah, when we do what God the Father tells us to do, listen to His Son, we have transfiguration experiences. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

            The mountain experiences of transfiguration in prayer are not something far removed from us. They are available to us by the gift of the Holy Spirit if we are praying, listening to the Scriptures, seeking the Lord, and willing to bear our share of the hardship the gospel entails. Peter, James and John wanted deeper insights into His life and person, mission and teachings. Disciples of all ages who are like them have transfiguration experiences. The deeper our transfiguration experiences the more we are willing to undergo hardship in following Christ.

            After the great insight, after Jesus was transfigured before them, the disciples were overcome with fear. The Lord reassured them saying “Rise, and do not be afraid”. The vision gave them the courage to pass the terrible time of the Lord’s sufferings in that first Holy Week, and in the sufferings they themselves had to pass through for their life of faith in Christ after He rose from the dead and gave them the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit transfigures Jesus before the eyes of our faith. We can have the transfiguration experience anytime we look into the mysteries of faith with our faith eyes. It’s our faith vision that determines how committed we become to Christ, the Church, and the teachings of faith. Our faith vision directs us away from sin at the expense of our life with Christ, and even from lesser good realities.

            The vision of Christ promises us more in this life as well as eternal life, and keeps us aware lest we forget. Abraham had to have a strong faith vision in God’s promises to answer God’s call to “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you”. He believed God’s promises to him, which he could not see naturally. We can’t see naturally the great promises we have in our New Testament Covenant with Christ, which we entered in our baptism. We come to know it through faith enlightened by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

            Transfiguration experiences happen all the time to God’s faithful people. They make us more willing and help us to bear our share of the hardship the Gospel demands. Keep Jesus transfigured before the eyes of your faith!

Reflection from Divine Mercy #778

“…there is but one thing that is of infinite value in His eyes, and that is love of God.”