LENT II (C) Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18, Phil 3:17—4:1, Luke 9:28b-36

The first reading describes the transforming of a pagan patriarch into a believer in the one God, the transforming of his name from Abram to Abraham and God’s making of His first Covenant with man through Abraham and his descendants as a reward for Abraham’s obedience to God.  In the Transfiguration account in today’s Gospel Jesus is revealed as a glorious figure, superior to Moses and Elijah who appear with him. He is identified by the Heavenly Voice as the Son of God.

Peter has already announced that Jesus is the Messiah. The other disciples probably were still unconvinced. So, at least for James and John, this experience of transfiguration on the mount Horeb provided confirmation that Peter was right. “As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” He was seen talking with Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah had their own mountaintop experiences as well. In the Exodus we see that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and the rest of the Israelites saw Moses, they were afraid to come near him. That’s how brightly Moses’ face shown. Eventually the radiance faded from Moses’ face, but that’s what being in the presence of God did to him.

And again we read about Elijah’s experience with God on Mount Horeb in I Kings 19. Remember he had fled the wrath of Queen Jezebel. He was feeling sorry for himself as he hid in a cave on Horeb, which was called the mountain of God. The writer describes his experience like this: “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”The Scriptures don’t say that Elijah’s face shown, but it is clear his life was changed. You can’t come into God’s presence without something important happening in your life. You may or may not look different, but you cannot help but act different.

Jesus quickly led the disciples back down off that mountaintop – in spite of Peter’s desire to pitch three tents and camp there for a long while. Jesus led them back into the daily routine of teaching and preaching and caring for the broken and hurting people of the world they lived in, back to the reality of life in the valley.

When you experience the mountaintop, don't forget the valley below. Jesus is there in the valley in that foul-smelling nursing home; Jesus is there in the valley of fears and the tears of everyday life; Jesus is there in the valley of the joy of the birth of a child; Jesus is there in the valley of the aching loneliness of the shut-in. Jesus is there at the repeated failures of his followers.

Perhaps you have heard the story of the preacher who moved to his new Church. This particular church didn't have a lawn mower so he was looking for someone to either mow the lawn or sell him a used lawnmower. One day he saw a young man going by pushing a lawnmower. So the preacher asked him, "Hey, looking for a job?" The young man said, "Sure." It turned out that he was mowing yards and trying to earn enough money to buy a bicycle. This preacher was kind of young and didn't mind mowing the yard so he told the young man, "Look, I've got a 10 speed bicycle that I never ride any more. What do you say we trade the bicycle for the lawnmower."

Well, the young man was ecstatic. They swapped and the young man took off on the bicycle. He rode around the block and came back to see the preacher standing in the same place wiping sweat off his brow. The preacher waved the boy over and said, "Hey, I've pulled on the rope a half a dozen times and this lawn mower just won't start."

The young man said, "Preacher, I hate to tell you this but it's a special kind of lawnmower. You have to cuss it to get it to start."

The preacher looked at him and said, "Well, I've been in the ministry so long I don't think I can remember how to cuss."

The young man grinned and said, "Pull on the rope some more and it'll come back to you."

The point is this, we ought not stay on the mountaintop so long that we forget what it is like to be in the crowd, we shouldn’t forget what it is like to pull on a stubborn lawn mower.

We need “mountain-top experiences” in our lives: We share the mountain-top experience of Peter, James and John when we spend extra time in prayer during Lent. 

The “transfiguration” in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength: In each Holy Mass, the bread and wine we offer on the altar become “transfigured” or transformed 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.