WE WANT TO SEE YOU, LORD!
Blessed 2nd Sunday of Lent to you. Each year on the 2nd Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to behold the glory of Christ in the account of the Transfiguration.
I had posted a reflection on the Transfiguration last year – you can visit here to read it: TRANSFIGURATION — Church of the Holy Family
The Entrance Antiphon invites us to cry out to the Lord: “Of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face from me.” (cf Psalm 27:8-9)
This drive to seek God’s face in our lives can only come about by our faith in him. This faith sheds light in our often-darkened world so that we can truly see & reach out to the Lord. And this faith is nurtured by all the loving encounters we have with Jesus & the assurances in our heart that he has a perfect plan for our lives.
In our 1st Reading from Genesis 15:5-12,17-18, the Lord gave Abram a glimpse of the glorious future he & his future generations had in store, with descendants as countless as the stars in the heavens. Note that Abram was then still childless & an old man. But Abram believed; he put his faith in the Lord & was justified. To give Abram the assurance that he would indeed inherit these promises of God, the Lord made a Covenant with him.
In our Gospel account of the Transfiguration from Luke 9:28-36, Peter, James & John witnessed the transfigured glory of Jesus on Mount Tabor as Moses & Elijah (representing the Law & the Prophets) appeared to him. Peter was so filled with great awe & wonder at the sight of Jesus’ transfiguration that he didn’t know what he was saying when he spoke to Jesus. So too were James & John.
You may be asking: Why did Jesus choose to reveal his transfigured glory to them? And what does this mean for us, modern day disciples? I believe the answer lies in our 2nd Reading from Philippians 3:17 to 4:1. St Paul draws our attention away from earthly things that are temporary, towards our true homeland of heaven; he encourages us to wait in hope for the coming of Jesus our Saviour, who will ‘transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body’ (cf Philippians 3:21). We have the blessed assurance of Jesus that whatever trials & tribulations come our way, in Christ, we will prevail & overcome; we will be victorious; we will experience His glory!
Whether it be persecution, jail, threats, dangers, physical harm, suffering a martyr’s death like the apostles; or sickness / disease, rejection, despair, fear, failed relationships, business or financial distress, the Risen & Transfigured Lord Jesus Christ gives us the assurance that our challenges are short-lived, & that we will rise up with him in glory, if we have faith in him. Need proof? Here it is: Christ died to save us & was raised up to take his place at the right hand of God to intercede for us (cf Romans 8:34). Christians down the centuries have borne & continue to bear a consistent & united witness to this fact.
So, today, my dear friends, as we continue our Lenten journey, especially in this Jubilee Year, can we walk confidently towards our heavenly homeland as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’? Do we realize that we do not make this journey alone – that we have our fellow brothers & sisters walking with us? Can we recognize the direction & prompting of the Holy Spirit who leads, encourages, comforts & teaches us along the way? And can we trust in Jesus, the Good Shepherd who will always be our guide & protector? IF SO, today & every day of our lives, we can confidently declare our Response in our Psalm today: “The Lord is my light and my help” (Psalm 27:1).
Here's a beautiful rendition of today’s Responsorial Psalm 27 titled “One Thing I Ask” –
https://youtu.be/Ej6l0eDF28c?si=w-ISU-bMDTwqo7fs
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead