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2nd Sunday of Lent - March 13, 2022
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Transfiguration and our personal Transformation
As we begin the journey of Lent, the Church, invites us to reflect on Christ’s humanity by presenting the temptations of Christ on the first Sunday of Lent. But, on the second Sunday, by presenting the Transfiguration scene, the Church invites us to reflect on Christ’s Divinity. Transfiguration was probably on 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, a veritable wilderness. 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. Moses and Elijah received God’s revelations on mountains. Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17). Elijah fled to Mount Horeb, and there, God spoke to him in “a sound of sheer silence”/ “a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:12). It is those two men who appear on the mountain with Jesus and his companions.
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 and the glory that they themselves would share.
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. If you have Jewish neighbors, you have a firsthand experience of this, as it is a custom that is in practice even today. This feast commemorates God’s protection during the wilderness wanderings (Lv 23:39-43). As such the booths also symbolize a time of rest, which could be interpreted allegorically as the messianic rest. Peter might also be prompted by the popular expectation (Zec 14:16), that the Messiah would appear in glory during the feast of Sukkoth (Tents or Tabernacles). According to Dr. Watson, “the Transfiguration demonstrates the glorious value of Jesus’ suffering and death. This story reminds us that the extent of God’s love for us is revealed in the suffering and death of Jesus, which, though painted in hues of defeat and disgrace, is really an image of unimaginable victory and glory.”.
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). The Jews generally believed that the phenomenon of the cloud would be repeated when the Messiah arrived. 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 because of his filial relationship with the Father.
In each Holy Mass, the bread and wine we offer on the altar become “transfigured” or “transformed” (transubstantiated) 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.