2nd Sunday of Lent
February 28, 2021
2nd Sunday of Lent:
Theme: Anticipating the Mission
“Jesus’ Transfiguration is our Mission”
By Fr. Emil D. Valeza
Most of us, if not all, might have already experienced “dark moments” in our lives, moments when our life seemed to be abandoned by the light of hope, when we felt so lonely, left out and discouraged by life’s miseries like a sudden death of a loved one, betrayal by a trusted friend, failure to reach our goal because of our inadequacies, struggle from certain addictions or pinned down by mortal sins. And perhaps, the present pandemic brought by Covid 19, not to mention, the inefficiency of many leaders of our society in response to it, could be everyone’s darkest moment so far!
Yes. Many times, we are easily discouraged by such negativities. We find it hard to cope with all life’s sufferings. Thus, we tend to abandon our Christian life and our participation in the mission of Christ.
In our gospel, Peter, James and John experienced the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, giving them a foretaste of his heavenly glory. It was indeed a marvelous sight to behold that Peter, out of amazement, even suggested to make tents for them so that they may stay longer and enjoy more the heavenly bliss.
For quite some time, the disciples of Jesus have not yet realized His true power and mission. Jesus was hoping that by giving them a foretaste of his glory they would remain steadfast until the end of His suffering. And most importantly, they may realize that His Passion in Calvary is a passageway to His victory, to His everlasting glory!
Jesus did not want to spoil everything. He has come a long way in order to accomplish His mission. Thus, He needed His disciples to anticipate the upcoming events, events that will surely test their faith. So, He needed to prepare them for the worse.
That is the purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration: not to show off his power but to give them a glimpse of his true nature, of His light that can never be vanquished by the darkness of evil.
Jesus has given them a heavenly experience, that will remind them and give them hope and strength in times of troubles, especially when the time comes when He will be persecuted, humiliated and killed on the cross. And most importantly, to let them know that everything that will happen to Him will be all according to God’s plan.
How about us? When we find our lives burdensome, do we also remember all of our personal “Transfiguration experiences” with Jesus - moments of grace that inspire us and sustain us, the kindness and generosity we experience from one another, the absolution we receive in the Sacrament of Confession, the love we experience from our family and friends and the like, beautiful memories that remind us that our Lord and Savior is our Victor?
How do we use our “Transfiguration experiences” with Jesus in our personal vocation, in our mission in sharing Him to others?