Sunday Reflection
2nd Sunday of Lent Year A
My God is a covenant keeping God
✠ A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There, in their presence, he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain, Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’
1. The three readings of this Sunday focus on the need to persevere in trusting God in spite of the discouraging situations that we witness. In the first reading ( Gen12:1-4), God called Abraham to leave his comfort zone to an unknown destination with the promise to make him great. For a man who was 75 years old, such a call was a big challenge. He, however, accepted the challenge and trusted God. In the second reading,(2Tim1:8-10) Paul invites Timothy to take his part of suffering for the gospel, trusting the promises of God. The Gospel passes the same message of trust in God through the pericope of transfiguration.
2. Jesus was like any other Jewish rabbi, moving and living like others, yet he was God. Appearance can be deceptive. As his death was approaching, Jesus wanted to strengthen the confidence of his disciples in him and took three of his apostles with him to Mount Tabor. In their presence, he was transfigured and showed a glorified heavenly appearance. In that state, two eminent personalities appeared with him: Moses and Elijah, the great figures of the Jewish religion. The high point of the transfiguration event was the voice of God coming from heaven and declaring that Jesus is the Son of God, thereby bringing the prophecies of the past to fulfilment. Reacting to the heaven-on-earth experience, Peter, one of the three apostles present at the scene, asked that he be allowed to build three tents: one for Jesus, another for Moses and then the third for Elijah. This will enable him to experience in perpetuity the wonderful vision. Jesus will call him to his senses by touching him and going down the mountain with the trio to continue his mission with those who did not climb the mountain with them. He ordered them to keep the experience secret until the appointed time.
3. The three readings have a central message: We must persevere in following God and responding to his call even if God appears to be absent. He is always present.
4. The transfiguration experience has some implications for our christian life during this Lenten season:
a. The human person is more than what is visible:
The apostles could not have imagined that the physical body of Christ is inhabited by an immense glory that could only become perceptible through the transfiguration experience. This shows that God invisibly habit the physical body of Christ. By extension, each human person, created in the image and likeness of God, has God living in him even when the glory is hidden. This calls us to treat others with respect and honour independently of their appearance.
b. God’s blessings should be shared with others:
It is interesting to see that when Peter beheld the glory of Christ, he immediately desired to continue enjoying the vision. He wanted to build tents. In thinking this way, he forgot that only three of the twelve apostles were at the mountain. He wanted to remain at the mountain top, forgetting the multitude of disciples who were not privileged to be there with him. The great tragedy of our time is that those who are on the mountain do not remember that those below would also like to experience the goodies of the mountain top. Those on top think that those below can manage while they should remain on top. I once heard a rich man say: “Instead of those who have tasted champagne to stop tasting, it is better that those who have never tasted it should never taste it.” He was wrongly thinking that making others share in a good life could reduce his chance of continuing to live in enjoyment. It is this mentality that makes African Presidents and politicians change the constitutions of their countries for elongation of their tenures. It is the same mentality that makes the rich forget the pains of the poor. It is this mentality that creates class discrimination and tussle. We must learn to share the good things of life with those who have fewer opportunities than us.
c. He who has encountered Christ must be Christ’s witness before others:
Jesus had to insist that the trio keep the vision secret till his resurrection. From his resurrection, they must no longer keep the secret but must share it with others to encourage their faith. This places an obligation of apostolic witnessing on all the followers of Christ. He has risen, and all must know about him. Every human person has the right to hear about Christ, and every Christian has the duty to make Christ known.
5. You know that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You, too, are a son/daughter of God. All are his subjects, his brothers and sisters. Do your best to live out the lessons of his transfiguration by trusting his all-powerful love, sharing his blessings with others, and bearing witness to him in your community. Above all, do not allow the circumstances around to lead you to think that God is no longer in you and with you.
©Vitalis Anaehobi 01/03/26
