2nd Sunday of Lent

In today’s Gospel (Mark 9:2-10), Jesus wants to bring some focus to Peter, James, and John by having them witness the Transfiguration. The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent always includes the Transfiguration. Jesus begins by leading the three Apostles up a mountain – the traditional place to which one went to encounter God. Once there, Jesus is transfigured before their eyes. “His clothes became dazzlingly white…”. And, as a sign that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, he is joined by Moses and Elijah. Suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them and a voice from Heaven declares: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

The Apostles fall down to the ground in fear. Were they afraid of the cloud, the voice, or the message? It was a simple command, but a very tall order: “Listen to him.” There were undoubtedly, several reasons for the Transfiguration. A short time earlier, Jesus had made the first of his three Passion predictions. The Apostles could easily have been overwhelmed by the suffering that Jesus would endure and the scandal of the cross. The Transfiguration gave them a glimpse of the glory that awaited Jesus in the Resurrection and Ascension, and could encourage the Apostles, giving them the hope necessary to accept the Lord’s coming Passion and Death.

Other reasons for the Transfiguration were to identify Jesus as the Son of God, as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and to encourage the Apostles to listen to him, for he speaks with the authority of the Father in Heaven. They were to follow Jesus. Ultimately, the Apostles themselves would suffer martyrdom (except for John), but they, too, would wear the crown of glory.

Christ crucified and Christ glorified is who gives us the strength to work through our own personal ways of the cross that end with “Resurrection grace.” Think of Resurrection grace as the grace of letting go of fear; the grace of letting go of the transient and focusing on the eternal; the grace of vulnerability that allows us to put love of God before any and every other attachment and affection. In this season of Lent, and in every season, may we have such grace.