The word “transfigured” is used in today’s Gospel on this second Sunday of our Lenten journey, but that really is not a word we use in everyday conversation. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “transfiguration” as a change in form and appearance, or an exalting, a glorifying, or a spiritual change. We see a transfiguration or a transformation in Jesus and in his surroundings in today's Gospel on the mountaintop: his face shines like the sun, he wears a dazzling white garment, thee appears with him the great Jewish prophets Moses and Elijah, and a thundering voice comes down from heaven. This transformation occurs in front of Christ’s disciples to reveal his identity to them. Up to this point, the disciples have seen Jesus perform many healings and have seen him walk on water; they are starting to understand Jesus' identity as the the Son of God.
We can imagine how frightening it was for the disciples to witness this event on the mountaintop. Jesus approaches the disciples, touching them and telling them not to be afraid. He brought them down from the mountaintop; they could not remain there forever. He explained to them that he would die and would be raised from the dead; he intimated that his journey would involve suffering and agony, not just the glory of the mountaintop experience.
Not only was Jesus transfigured in that event, but the disciples were transformed by what they saw. God can come to humanity not only in a thunderous voice from heaven or in words etched on a stone tablet and presented to a great prophet, but God comes to each one of us in the words and actions of Jesus, in words and actions that are present to us each day in different ways. Jesus leads us down from the mountaintop to the people below: to those mourning the death of a loved one, to the lonely and the afraid, to those coping with an addiction, to those hurting and in pain, to the prisoner locked behind bars, to those who are shunned and oppressed in society, and to those looking for meaning in an empty life. The voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son:…listen to him.” But we don’t just listen to him with our ears and our intellect. We also listen with our hearts. It is similar to the way we are called to seek God in all things during this Lenten season. We seek God, and perhaps we find him and recognize him, we hear the message he communicates to us, but that is not enough. If that message does not transform us, mold us, and convert our hearts, then we are not really being open to God? We have these little magnifying glasses as our symbol during Lent, but not only must we seek God, but we need to be open to the way he can transform us once we indeed find him.
An article in the Catholic News Service said that Pope Francis’ most common message to us the faithful can be summarized in one word – the Italian word “Avanti”, meaning “Go forth!” The Pope says that the Church has a mission to evangelize and to go out of herself. Sometimes going out into the world can be frightening, but Pope Francis says that we must not forget that we are the sheep of Christ’s flock, that we are to persevere and to go out into the world in humility preaching the Gospel, even in situations that are frightening. When we are transformed by Christ, we are go out as witnesses with a smile, to become living witnesses of Gospel joy, love, and charity. We are to accept the responsibility of sharing God’s grace with the world, especially the poor, those in need of healing, and those on the periphery of society.
We are transformed in a lot of ways in life. But in order to be transformed by God on our journey of faith, we need to be open to that transformation.
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