2nd SUNDAY OF LENT
Mt. 17:1-9
March 16, 2014
GOSPEL READING: The Transfiguration of
Jesus
After
six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high
mountain by themselves. 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. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are
here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and
one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, 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. “When the disciples
heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid. “And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one
else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus
charged them, “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been
raised from the dead.”
REFLECTION: Lord, it is good that we
are here.
Few years ago,
I had the privilege of joining the summer retreat of our Institute’s
International Juniorate held in Algarrobo, a popular place for summer homes by
the ocean in Valparaiso, Chile. It's a place where anyone, especially the
nature lovers, could actually experience the closeness of the presence of God.
We stayed in a cozy, simple summerhouse located on the slope of a hill
overlooking the calm ocean and serene white sandy beach, which combines the sea
and country landscape. This retreat was totally different. It was the most
unique and memorable retreat I ever had. We were the ones who pleasurably and
delightfully prepared our daily international cuisine. To attend masses in the
nearby churches, we had to make our morning stroll for about an hour while savoring
the aroma of pine trees and the cold breeze of the day. Our morning and evening
prayers, including our meditation, recitation of the rosaries and spiritual
readings were spent either in our own cells or on the beach while enjoying the
soothing sound of the waves gently lapping on the shore, of the colorful yachts
sailing and of the calls of the birds which creates a peaceful mood. When we
had enough time, we also went on trekking and wandering on the rocky part of
the beach. A wonderful way of encountering the Lord! Such a good place to stay
forever!
“Lord, it
is good that we are here.” Jesus’ transfiguration
before the very eyes of the apostles was a special moment in their lives. For
the first time, they witnessed the divinity of Jesus in all His glory. Jesus is
not merely a human being. He belongs to the sphere of God; He is the Son of
God. It was a captivating experience that Peter was overjoyed with the presence
of the vision; he even asked to make three tents and settled down with Jesus
right there to bask in the glory, to experience the bliss permanently. We can
identify with Peter’s sentiments. Peter’s cry of joy often resembles ours when
God gives us consolations. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says, the
Transfiguration reminds us that the joys sown by God in life are not the
finishing end of our lines; rather they are lights He gives us in our earthly
pilgrimage in order that “Jesus alone” may be our Law and His word the
criterion that directs our existence.
The Transfiguration event happens after
Jesus’ predicted His paschal mystery. Jesus’ revelation of His eventual passion
must have scared the apostles. Jesus revealed His glory to His apostles to
fortify them with inner strength and sustain them during later trials and
especially prepare them for the scandal of the cross.
Jesus
led the apostles up on a high mountain by themselves. It was an invitation
for a journey away from the world and up back to God. It is the journey within
one’s good self, to one’s inner self, and up to God. It is an image of
contemplation. But contemplation
does not mean isolating oneself from the world and from its contradictions. On
the contrary, it leads back to the journey and to action.
To remain within the tent cannot be forever. Peter cannot cling to the
pleasure of contemplation. He must come down from the mountain. The Life came down, that He might be slain;
the Bread came down, that He might hunger; The Way came down, that life might
be wearied in the way; the Fountain came down, that He might thirst; and do you
refuse to labor? 'Seek not your own.' Have charity, preach the truth; so shall
you come to eternity, where you shall find security (St. Augustine, Sermon
28 on the New Testament). Security is what we want, but we sometimes seek it by
trying to get away from the problems of the world. But it is not about fleeing
from the world…
A retreat is just one of
the many ways of scaling the mountain to meet God in
prayer and contemplation. In as much as we longed to stay in an amazing place
such as Algarrobo, we cannot remain there forever. Facing the demands and
challenges of our daily life situation is an opportunity of encountering our
Lord. Recognizing His presence in our daily trials, temptations, sufferings and
joy, hardships and tribulations is an invitation for us to have a deeper faith
and trust in Him. It is an experience of the transforming power of His presence
that could lead us to an authentic life, towards transfiguration. We who are
challenged to continuously scale the mountain in order to meet God, may we
never forget the need to come down from the mountain to serve our brothers and
sisters with the love of God and with the strength we have drawn from Him. In
doing so, we will be able to proclaim every experience we have, whether joyful
or sorrowful, “Lord, it is good that we
are here.”
ABOUT THE SHARER:
SR. MARIA ANNABELLE MURILLO, OP is a member of the Congregación de Religiosas Misioneras de Santo Domingo. She is a student of the
Institute of Preaching.
KEYWORDS:
Transfiguration,
Cycle A, Lent, OP Sisters, Contemplation,
Recognition, Challenge, Retreat
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