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Homily for the second Sunday of Lent - Year C
- Lk. 9:28-36
by
Father Daniel Meynen
"Jesus took with him Peter
and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was
praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment
became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and
Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was
to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were
heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two
men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter
said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three
booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah" -- not
knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed
them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came
out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept
silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen."
Homily:
"Jesus took with him Peter
and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was
praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment
became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and
Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was
to accomplish at Jerusalem."
On this second Sunday of
Lent, the Church invites us to contemplate the mystery of the
Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus. It is an important stage. It is a
privileged moment which prepares us to relive the Passion of Christ at
the time of the Great Week: Holy Week, that which comes to a close on
Easter Sunday. For at the time of the Transfiguration, Jesus appears in
Glory, that is to say in that state of beatitude and happiness which is
that of Christ, and that of all the elect who live in him. Now, if
Jesus appears in Glory, and if his disciples see him in this sublime
state, it is precisely so that these same disciples may be comforted by
this celestial vision before passing through the tragic test of the
Passion of the Savior.
"Now Peter and those who
were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his
glory and the two men who stood with him."
It is a strange thing, this
sleep that returns every time that an important event in the lives of
the elect of God is about to take place! For, when God decided to
create the first woman, he "caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man,
and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with
flesh." (Gen. 2:21) Also, it was while they slept that God spoke to
many important people of the Old Covenant: Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, to
name a few. It was also during sleep that Joseph, the spouse of Mary,
received from the Angel the revelation of the mystery of the
Incarnation. But, what relates directly to the mystery of the
Transfiguration is the sleep that fell upon the very same three
apostles: Peter, James, and John, at the time of the Agony of Jesus in
the Garden of Gethsemane. Indeed, after having prayed to his Father,
Jesus said to Peter: "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one
hour?" (Mk. 14:37) Truly, sleep is important in the life of a
Christian, because the eternal life to which he is called consists
precisely in rest and residing in God...
"As he said this, a cloud
came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the
cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, my
Chosen; listen to him!'"
Eternal life consists in
resting in God! It is good to remember this truth: it should give us
the courage and the strength to persevere despite the difficulties of
our present life! And on the way to his Passion, Jesus received for
himself and for his disciples this encouragement from Heaven: the voice
of Father was heard in the cloud! For God speaks to us! And his Word is
Jesus himself. For all eternity, we shall listen to this divine Word
that makes us infinitely happy. What Saint Paul lived on earth for one
instant, we shall live for eternity! This Apostle said, speaking of
himself: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up
to the third heaven... And I know that this man was caught up into
Paradise... and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not
utter." (2 Cor. 12:2-4) "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Deut. 8:3)
"They kept silence and told
no one in those days anything of what they had seen."
What the disciples of Jesus
saw and heard on that day was an anticipation of the Resurrection of
Christ. In advance, and to comfort them before the moment of his
Passion, Jesus allowed his disciples to enjoy a few instants of the
divine glory that is his own. Also, it was not acceptable to speak of
it as long as Christ had not yet returned to life. Saint Matthew
relates the following words of Jesus to his disciples: "Tell no one the
vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead." (Mt. 17:9)
Today, we too shall see,
with the eyes of faith, the glory of the Resurrection of the Savior:
today, during the celebration of the Eucharist, we are going to
contemplate Jesus in his sacrament, seeing him, through faith, as he is
now, in the glory of Heaven! So, already comforted by his Resurrection,
we shall be able to participate joyously in his Sacrifice of Calvary:
we are going to proclaim the Death of Christ in the expectation of our
own Resurrection in the end times! May Mary, who was present at the
foot of the Cross, while having within her, through faith, the fullness
of the Spirit of God, come to help us today and always!
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