LENT II-B

LENT II.
Genesis 22: 1-18; Romans 8: 31-34;Gospel: Mark 9: 2-10

A man and a woman had a little daughter. They lived for her. They were shocked when they discovered that she became chronically ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best doctors, they became totally discouraged and inconsolable. Soon she passed away. The parents were completely distressed, and they shut themselves off from their family and friends. But, one night the woman had a dream that she was in heaven. There she saw a long procession of little children processing like little angels before the throne of God. Every child was dressed in a dazzling white robe and they each held a lit candle. However, when the woman saw her daughter, she noticed that her candle was not lit. The mother ran up to her, embraced her, and then asked her how it was that her candle was the only one that was not lit. She said, "Mother, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out." Just at that moment the woman woke from her dream. They decided to embrace their loss with Christian hope and that they would no longer extinguish their daughter's little candle with their useless tears.

The gospel account of the transfiguration of Jesus tells us that our sufferings will lead to the transformation of our lives.

Transfiguration established Jesus' glorious identity as the beloved Son of God, and placed his divine Son-ship in the context of Jewish expectations about the kingdom and the resurrection. While praying, Jesus was transfigured into a shining figure, full of heavenly glory. This reminds us of Moses and Elijah who also experienced the Lord in all His glory. Moses had met the Lord in the burning bush at Mount Horeb (Ex. 3:1-4). After his encounter with God, Moses' face shone so brightly that the people were frightened, and Moses had to wear a veil over his face (Ex. 34:29-35). The Jews believed that Moses was taken up in a cloud at end of his earthly life. Elijah traveled for forty days to Mt. Horeb on the strength of the food brought by an angel (1 Kings 19:8). At Mt. Horeb, Elijah sought refuge in a cave as the glory of the Lord passed over him (1 Kings 19:9-18).Moses and Elijah had met the Lord in all his glory, because they were champions of suffering for the Lord.

Moses showed courageous faith in God by his willingness to forsake his life in Egypt and suffer affliction with the people of God instead. Moses began to take a personal interest in the suffering of his brethren. Moses had to escape and flee to the land of Cush, after slaying the Egyptian taskmaster. There he stayed for many years. A conspiracy and upheaval in the government of Cush forced Moses to flee again, and he went to Midian. Then Moses was sent back to the Land of Egypt. Moses voluntarily accepted the suffering in the desert. All these led him to great glory.

The same was the case with prophet Elijah. Ahab, the king of Israel, and Jezebel become Elijah's enemies. So, Jezebel wanted him dead and Baal worship established in Israel. God calls the prophet to speak against Ahab and Jezebel's idolatry insisting the nation repent and return to Yahweh the true God of Israel. And he prophesied famine for Israel for which he had to flee the country. As Elijah and Moses accepted their sufferings God assured them of his complete assistance and glorified them.

At transfiguration, Jesus was reassured of his Father's love. Mark tells us that Moses and Elijah were seen on the mountain talking with Jesus. Luke mentions the topic of their conversation: they talked about the suffering Jesus was about to undergo in Jerusalem.

Like Jesus, we are also assured of the Father's love in our sufferings. Our sufferings are designed to strengthen us. "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." says Helen Keller.

Jesus' real transfiguration took place on His resurrection after his passion and death. When we suffer by standing with the underprivileged; when we accept suffering for the sake of justice; when we accept suffering for the sake of a co-worker who is not able to defend himself; or when we accept suffering to build a strong family, we are preparing our way for our final glorification.
With Christ, the pains and sorrows of life become valuable opportunities, springboards for ascending the heights of spiritual maturity. God chose to save us through life's sorrows, not from them - and so, there is no reason to fear them.

Unfortunately, the disciples misunderstood the transfiguration
experience. The disciples were thrilled with the transfiguration's
triumphant mood. Peter even said, "Let us make tents here!" They just wanted to stay on the mountain in the company of Moses and Elijah. They did not want to go to Jerusalem. They were reluctant to carry their daily crosses as Jesus commanded them.

Pope Benedict explains in his encyclical letter on hope:
We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.

During Lent, we love praying the Way of the Cross, but we don't want
to live it. Sometimes we are tempted to say, "Lord, can we skip the
Good Friday and go straight to Easter?" But life is not like that.
There's no genuine Easter celebration without faithfully undergoing
our Good Fridays. Reality bites. We can't run away from our daily
trials. The more we run away from our cross, it becomes heavier. But
when we embrace it, it becomes lighter! That's the irony of the cross.
Stand up for Jesus. Carry your cross. It's your "grace-filled"
opportunity to share in Jesus' Paschal mystery.

Transfiguration is a glimpse of what's ahead of us to encourage us to
hold on and faithfully carry our daily trials and crosses in life.
The transfiguration of Jesus gives us the message of encouragement and hope. In moments of doubt, despair and hopelessness, the thought of our transfiguration will help us to reach out to God and to listen to His consoling words: "This is my beloved son, listen to Him"

Let us offer our Lenten sacrifices to our Lord, that through these practices of Lent and through the acceptance of our daily crosses we may become closer to him in his suffering and may share in the carrying of his cross so that we may finally share the glory of his second “transfiguration,” his Resurrection. Amen.