Transfiguration on a Mountain, Transfiguration at Mass: 2nd Sunday in Lent

Listen to the homily here.

Notes:

The second Sunday in Lent

·      We continue to journey this season, pause in Salvation History, which we heard about last weekends

·      Mountains

“Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,and led them up a high mountain by themselves.”

·      I consider, what did Peter, James and John going up a mountain?  What were Peter, James and John thinking about?

·      Did they know of the history of how many mountains were received for relationships with God?  With the Law?  Or just some time to rest, or pray?

Well, an opportunity certainly came up:

·      “And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.”

·      Boom!  Jesus was transfigured, aka, shown as God and a Man

And there appears Moses, and Elijah, who were both called up a mountain: 

·      Moses, with the law

·      Elijah as a prophet, the former to teach God’s people, and the latter to do the same as his people were divided

·      And Peter, James and John, what were they thinking of now?

“…behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;listen to him…they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”

·      Now Peter, James, or John?

o   Guessing they were not experiencing this!

o   They were afraid!

o   “Rise, and do not be afraid!”

Now for you, for us

·      How do you taste reality as our world is connected with heaven at Mass, at the Eucharist?

·      Then, how do we go back to our daily lives, down that mountain?

This weekend, I believe that this passage is to remind us a few truths:

·      God is both with and above us

·      Hopefully we have experienced something on a mountain knowing his connection

·      Eventually, we must come back to our community

·      And during this Lent, how do we serve our neighbors again?

Take these readings to your heart and follow our theme: serve your neighbor