Gospel
Reflection
Second Sunday of Lent
16 March 2025, Church Year C
Sunday
is a Little Mountaintop
By Fr.
Richard A. Miserendino
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Physics
reminds us that our world is flooded with light, which we cannot
see. The
electromagnetic spectrum extends far beyond the visible light
that we perceive as color in both directions. There’s more than
meets the eye to the world.
Put another way, the world in which we live and move and
have our being is an ocean of reality that is beyond our mere
perception physically, to say nothing of spiritual perception. How different our
world would look if we were more aware of it, both naturally and
supernaturally.
All of these
reflections come to mind this Second Sunday of Lent as we’re
presented with the Transfiguration from Luke’s Gospel. Jesus draws Peter,
James and John up a mountain to pray. Unsurprisingly, they
doze off (napping seems to be hobby among the apostles). Suddenly, they are
awakened to Christ robed in glory.
Moses and Elijah appear as conversation partners. Peter proposes making
camp, tabernacling, but Christ is the new tabernacle himself,
God’s dwelling in our midst.
Accordingly, the cloud of God’s presence and glory
descends, the Father speaks, and the vision recedes into
“normality,” as if anything could go back to normal after that.
A common
misconception about this passage is that Jesus here receives
some sort of “power-up” during the Transfiguration, or that,
like a human light bulb, he is suddenly “switched on.” Yet, Christ is not an
appliance or a man with superpowers, like Superman receiving an
infusion of yellow sun. Rather,
the real change happens in the apostles. For the first time,
Peter, James and John have their sight elevated and perceive
inwardly a deeper
reality than mere sight alone can behold.
In the
Transfiguration, the apostles are granted vision of the deeper
spiritual reality, present all around us that we cannot see. They see Christ in his
humanity as it truly is, in union with his divinity, dazzling,
glorified, radiant. They
see Christ as the eternal word.
Here again is a possible misconception – Christ is not
receiving a pep-talk from Moses and Elijah. Rather, as the eternal
word, he discourses with the law and prophets, enlightening them
as how both will be fulfilled.
None of this
is ”new” from Jesus’ perspective.
It has always been who he is, just as much as the light
we cannot see is a part of our inhabited universe. But for the apostles,
their unveiling is electric, like the moment “The Wizard of Oz”
goes from black-and-white to color, but for their entire lived
reality. Peter is
so struck by this unveiling that he suggests the traditional
solution – making tents or tabernacles so that God can dwell
with them in a way that isn’t overpowering.
The fathers
of the church teach us that Christ granted Peter, James and John
this vision of his true glory to strengthen their hearts for the
coming of the cross. There,
on a different mountain, they will see God’s glory, might and
love revealed again, though veiled in suffering and death. The two mountains are
linked in symbol, sign and reality. After all, God’s love
is revealed as Christ sleeps in death first, and resurrection
second, ascending in the clouds third. The apostle here
foreshadow it, too. Only
entering into sleep, a sleep akin to death, is their vision
purified to see the love4 of God.
All this
speaks to us as we begin Lent.
Christ wishes to strengthen our hearts, too, to bear the
cross. Two possible
takeaways for refection: First, what are the moments where we’ve
felt God most potently present or at work in our life? Where in our
experience were we most sure there was a God, our vision
uplifted and purified to see spiritually that deeper reality? Ask the Holy Spirit to
harden those memories into spiritual gems so that we can
treasure them, so that those mountaintop unveilings can
strengthen our hearts for when we’re on a different mountain,
one bearing a cross for us.
Second, if
our hearts need a little encouragement this Lent, ask for the
spiritual vision to see the Mass as it really is: We’re present
with all the saints and angels, worshipping on God’s mountain. We sit before the
throne of the Lamb who stands as slain, transfigured in glory. Each Sunday is a
little mountaintop, if only we’re willing to die to ourselves
and let the light of grace come flooding in.
Moses and
the Law, Elijah and the prophets speak in the readings and find
their fulfillment and purifies our vision to see God’s glory –
revealed in our crosses, revealed in our redemption, and someday
revealed when we see God clearly in the kingdom to come.