Transfigured and Transformed

The second Sunday of Lent always brings us the episode which we have come to know as the Transfiguration of Jesus. This story is a classic example of a theophany, a revelation of the presence of God. It takes place on a mountain which is regarded as the dwelling place of God by the Israelites. The voice of God is heard while the disciples are overshadowed by a bright cloud which is again regarded as a sign of the presence of God by men and women of that time. Jesus refers to the incident as a "vision" and asks his disciples not to speak of it until after he rises from the dead.

St. Matthew uses the story to advance his theme that Jesus is the new Moses. Just as Moses' face shone so brightly that he had to wear a veil over it when he came down from Mount Sinai, St. Matthew tells us that Jesus' face shone as brightly as the sun. Moses and Elijah, two of the most important characters in Jewish religious history, are seen to be conversing with Jesus.

The Gospel story of the Transfiguration is sometimes referred to as a post-resurrection text that is inserted into the Gospel to prepare the disciples for the coming events of Jesus' passion and death. Jesus dies what would have been considered the most shameful of deaths, executed by crucifixion with common thieves. The Transfiguration serves as a proof of honor in the face of such shame. God once again declares that Jesus is the Beloved Son. This time the voice adds that they are to listen to him. The warning not to speak of the incident until after he rises from the dead serves as an indication that they are to understand his passion and death in the light of this vision.

The lessons that we learn from the Transfiguration are different than those learned by the disciples. We have come to believe that Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God. We do not need to be forewarned about the passion and death. So this story serves a different function for us. The Transfiguration helps us to understand the classic language of Lent. We are in the middle of the season which highlights repentance, conversion, transformation, and renewal. Just as Jesus was transfigured, we are asked to transform the world about us by our Gospel life style, by living the Gospel that Jesus preached. We are to transfigure the world by our own response to the universal call to holiness. God has acted to grant us access to God's life, God's grace. Now it is our turn to use that grace to change the world which we touch.

Throughout salvation history God has called men and women to respond to that grace. Abraham was called to move from his country to a land that God would show him, a land which would become the nation of Israel. His name would become a blessing for all who came after him. Timothy is called to bear with the hardships that come with Gospel living and to be faithful as God has been faithful. We have been called to cooperate with the graces that we are given through our faith in Jesus and to use those graces to establish God's reign. This is our vocation, the vocation of all baptized believers.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator