On this Second Sunday of Lent, we listen to the Gospel of the Transfiguration which recounts the moment when Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. There, his appearance is transformed. His face shines like the sun and his clothes become dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear and speak with him. A voice from the cloud declares, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
Many important biblical figures go up a mountain to be close to God. That is where they receive Divine messages and inspiration. Abraham went up Mount Moriah where his faith in God was tested and where he was promised “descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore” (Gen. 22: 17-18). Moses went up Mount Horeb/Sinai several times to converse with God. It is there that he received the Ten Commandments. And when he returned from the mountain the last time with the second version of the Ten Commandments he too had changed as “the skin of his face had become radiant” (Ex. 34:29) It was on Mount Horeb/Sinai where Elijah heard God in a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19). Jesus, too went up a high mountain, taking Peter, James and John with him. Tradition holds that the mountain Jesus climbed was Mount Hermon where the Church of the Transfiguration now stands.
The moment of Jesus’ Transfiguration is described in the Gospel of St. Mathew, St. Mark and St. Luke. By contrast, the Gospel of St. John does not mention the Transfiguration choosing to emphasize Jesus’ Divinity throughout the entire Gospel, rather than emphasizing one specific manifestation.
The Transfiguration is considered a pivotal, defining moment in the Gospels. It is the bridge between Jesus’s Galilean ministry and his journey toward his crucifixion in Jerusalem. Occurring shortly after predicting his own death, the Transfiguration was intended to prepare the disciples for the pain of his passion by revealing the glory that was to follow.
After Peter suggests the building of three tent, trying to hold on to the moment, God’s voice, speaking from a bright cloud affirms that Jesus is God’s beloved Son and commands the disciples to listen to him. The presence of Moses who represents the Law and Elijah who represents the Prophets signifies that Jesus is the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets. God’s filial claim combined with the presence of Moses and Eijah affirm that Jesus is the Messiah and needs to be listened to.
The Season of Lent is a time par excellence for us to spiritually journey up the mountain with Jesus in prayer. As we behold Christ’s transfiguration, see his face shine like the sun
and his clothes become white as light, we are reminded of his divinity and the profound mystery of his loving presence in our lives. As we listen to God’s voice claiming Jesus as God’s Son and commanding us to listen to him, we are invited to listen more intently to his teachings, to deepen our faith and seek our own transfiguration.
Our calling to listen to Jesus especially resonates during the season of Lent. The Lenten disciplines of fasting and praying challenge us to quiet the deafening noise in our lives, to be attentive to God’s voice, and to allow the light of Christ to illuminate those parts of ourselves that need healing and change.
May this Lenten season become our own journey of transfiguration. To that end, let us embrace God’s invitation to grow in faith, to be transformed by his love, and to walk humbly with Christ toward the promise of Easter.