2ND SUNDAY LENT
REMEMBERING THAT MAKES US STRONG
The Transfiguration – what a showcase! Jesus was at the center stage of everything – resplendent, glorious, pure. Then appeared as supporting actors Moses and Elijah – long dead, but transported back to life to give witness to the greatness of Jesus. Moses was Israel’s lawgiver, but here is the fulfillment of the law. Elijah was Israel’s greatest prophet, but here is the perfection of prophecies.
On top of it all, a booming voice came from heaven, and an encompassing cloud – the Father and the Holy Spirit. Why is this event so dramatic, so star-studded, so magnificent? Simple, so that it will not be easily forgotten.
When the disciples begin to feel the absence of Jesus, and the pain of persecution from their neighbors, they will only need to return to the memory of this day and be strong again and be ready again to confront the future.
Isn’t it true that in our lives, there are moments that cannot compare with any other? These are times that are full of joy, full of peace, full of celebration? And we treasure these moments, reliving them when we enter into the experience of being lost or sad.
And old woman, smiling, leafs through her son’s graduation pictures. An overseas laborer glances at the photo of his wife and children on his barracks wall. A young lady clutches the rosary her boyfriend gave her as a gift. For these things lead to remembrance of special realities that transpired. These things also encourage them to be faithful to the relationships they signify.
As a priest, I gaze on the picture of my ordination day, when my archbishop laid hands on my head, making me servant of Jesus Christ. It is enough to assure me of God’s love and push me on to bear the hardships of ministry. The apostles did not have pictures and albums but what they witnessed was forever etched in their minds and hearts.
Today the Lord wants us to remember the good things that happened to us, the wonderful things that flowed from his gracious hands. We live in trying times and what great temptation there is to focus on the bad, the misfortune, the evil around us. When we do so, the more we are plunged into despair and lack of meaning.
Lent is a time to remember the Lord and his goodness. We remember his pain that saved us. We remember his resurrection that is our inheritance as well. We remember his forgiveness so we can confidently come to confession. We remember only the good, because it gives us hope to transform our lives into what it should really be.
Let us thank the Lord for Transfiguration and the many transfiguration experiences we have had in life. We need them to follow faithfully in the footsteps of Jesus.
