“Abram went as the Lord directed him,” the first reading from Genesis announces. What was the direction the Lord asked of him? “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house.” In other words, leave family, friends, familiar territory and go to an unknown place with an unknown future. One scholar noted that Abram was asked to leave behind a prosperous commercial area to settle in a land that was still relatively primitive and undeveloped. Could I have responded as did Abram who we know as Abraham? It means letting go of our control and trusting God. That ought to be the essence of our Lenten reflection. Are we willing to let go of sin and trust in God’s mercy, doing as the Lord directs us. Or do we hedge our bets, condition our response, try to control God’s plan for us. Sometimes we need encouragement, as today’s Gospel offers. Abraham offered a pure act of faith, which is why we call him our father in faith.
The 2nd Sunday in Lent traditionally presents the Transfiguration, when our Lord took Peter, James and John up the mountain to prepare them for the tough experience they would soon face as they walked with the Lord during His passion, his suffering and death, which we will remember during Holy Week. The same three were with him when he underwent the agony in the Garden.
Peter was so taken with the moment on the mountain top that he wanted to stay. And who would not, they were in the presence of not only Jesus “whose face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light” but also Moses the lawgiver and Elijah the prophet, the icons of the Old Testament. But suddenly the shadow of a cloud came over them and these challenging words of God the Father were heard by them: “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased: listen to Him.” The Gospel tells us that they were then very much afraid. Afraid of what? They had been taught that no one can look on the face of God and live. Jesus reassures yes you can, gaze upon me as I gaze upon you. Fear evidences itself when we are not in control. Jesus then came to them and said, “do not be afraid.” Moses and Elijah were no longer with him. The apostles were alone with Jesus. The message? Jesus alone is all we need to stifle our fears, to give us strength to rise and to go on.
But we must first trust in Jesus alone; not just observe or hear him, but listen to him, which means taking into our hearts what he teaches. He speaks to us in prayer; he speaks to us in Holy Scripture; he speaks to us through the teaching office of the Church; he speaks to us through one another, he especially speaks to us through the sacraments. Our challenge is to not just hear with surface understanding. To listen to Him means to integrate into our lives his message and therefore to change as a result for we are called to be disciples with whom God the Father is well pleased. To listen to him is to be prepared to leave our comfort zones and the familiar to go where he asks with trust, courage and strength. It is not usually a change in location but a change in values and in perspective and in what is important to us. To listen to him is to follow him. When we are open to his call in that way, we can better deal with the difficulties of this world. We can deal with the unexpected vagaries of nature, like earthquakes, storms, floods and the like. When we truly listen to him we can deal with the personal tragedies that come into all our lives like sickness and loss.
Like Peter we would like to stay in those special moments that uplift and encourage us. Yet it cannot be so; the world fallen since Adam and Eve is the world we must live in. Jesus, who led Peter, James and John up the mountainside, also led them down the mountainside knowing that his passion was coming and they would be tested.
When I was in the Holy Land we climbed up Mount Tabor by taxi. It is a pretty steep climb but once on the top it is soothing with wide vistas, refreshing breezes and uplifting sense of peace. On the way back down to the real world the taxi driver drove with breakneck speed which resulted in passengers screaming. The driver looked at us in the mirror with a wide smile on his face. The world as it is came back into focus though the image from atop the mountain remains.
The transfiguration experience served to remind the Apostles that in the midst of their tragedy they could face it with hope. We know the rest of the story, after his death came new life, for He is risen.
As we approach Easter and reflect on the sacrificial love of our Lord who died on the cross for us, let us reflect on whether we really trust in Him. Is he alone enough for us? In the midst of all the noise and unexpected occurrences of our day, natural and man-made, may we take to heart the advice of God the Father; “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” For he alone is our salvation.
We have transfiguration moments all the time, moments of hope. One of them we can experience now. One commentator wrote that Mass has a lot of the marks of the Transfiguration. “It takes us up the mount to this altar. It shows us Jesus in the whiteness of the Sacred Host. In this sacred ceremony we eat and sing together, pray together, greet one another. It is a happy event, a high point, a celebration. With St. Peter every one of us can cry out, ‘it is good for us to be here.’”
Thus strengthened with the hope that is Jesus Christ most fully present in the Holy Eucharist, we can be open to whatever the Lord directs. As someone said, faith is not just about believing, it is also about walking. Our journey continues this Lent.