20240225 TRANSFIGURED IN CHRIST
25 February 2024, Sunday, 2nd Week of Lent
First reading |
Genesis 22:1-2,9-13,15-18 © |
The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith
God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I am’ he replied. ‘Take your son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.’
When they arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he said. ‘I am here’ he replied. ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy’ the angel said. ‘Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son, your only son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his son.
The angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. ‘I swear by my own self – it is the Lord who speaks – because you have done this, because you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 115(116):10,15-19 © |
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
I trusted, even when I said:
‘I am sorely afflicted,’
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Second reading | Romans 8:31-34 © |
God did not spare his own Son
With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt17:5 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard:
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel | Mark 9:2-10 © |
This is my Son, the Beloved
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.
TRANSFIGURED IN CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GEN 22:1-2,9-13,15-18; ROM 8:31-34; MK 9:2-10]
As we enter the second week of Lent, the Church wants us to be focused on our journey. We should not be going through the Lenten season as if it is merely an exercise of discipline in food and pleasure, or even in prayer and fasting. When we observe Lent in this manner, we will see the Lenten season as something we wish to get over quickly so that we can get back to living again. Going through it like a dreaded penance is counter-productive.
Once again, we are brought back to mind that the goal of Lent is to renew our baptismal calling, which is an invitation to be transfigured in Christ, sharing in Christ’s sonship. The transfiguration of our Lord is very much connected to His baptism. On both occasions, similar words were spoken by the Father, “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.” At His baptism, Jesus encountered the Father’s call, deeply confirming His ministry and mission to make known to the people His Father’s love. As His Son, He is called to reveal the Father in His life, His miracles and teaching. But it is at the Transfiguration that the Lord once again was confirmed in His final journey to Jerusalem to establish the Kingdom of God. True sonship is revealed in one’s total obedience to the will of God in our lives.
The Mosaic Covenant God made with Israel is the setting for the Transfiguration. Mark noted that this event happened six days later, an inference to the glory of the Lord which descended on the mountain six days after Moses went up to meet the Lord. (cf Ex 24:15-17) Both events happened at the mountain which was always the place of revelation and encounter with God for Moses and Elijah. (cf 1 Kg 19:11-18) Similarly, Moses’ face was radiant with the glory of God after meeting Him. Jesus’ entire being was also transfigured. At the transfiguration of Jesus, the Old and New Covenant met. Moses and Elijah were the teacher and prophet of the Old Covenant respectively. Jesus is the New Teacher and the Prophet of the New Covenant. Just as listening to Moses and Elijah was the way to enter the Promised Land, so, too, listening to the Lord is the way to enter the New Promised Land.
Furthermore, John the Baptist is closely associated with Elijah as he was the fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi that Elijah would come again to prepare the way for the Lord. (cf Mt 17:10-13) John the Baptist not only was the forerunner in announcing the coming of the Messiah, he was also the forerunner in the way the Messiah would die by being put to death for speaking the truth. John the Baptist foreshadowed the death and passion of our Lord. It would be the death of our Lord that would usher the Kingdom of God in His resurrection.
Indeed, the path to glory and being transfigured in Christ is through suffering. The gospel of Mark is against an epiphany Christology. St Mark is weary of focusing too much on the glory and miracles of Jesus. Noticeably, St Mark, unlike Luke and Matthew, did not mention the transformed face of Jesus but only emphasized the whiteness of Jesus’ garments. In Mark’s understanding, the divine manifestation of Jesus can only be found at the end of that journey. This explains why the disciples were bewildered when Jesus predicted His death and they were instructed to keep silent about the incident until after the resurrection.
To disclose the transfiguration before the death and resurrection of Jesus would be a wrong expression of a Christology that speaks of glory without the cross. The blatant truth is simply this: No cross, no crown! The full and final disclosure of the glory of Jesus could come only after His death and resurrection. We must be weary of a kind of spirituality that only speaks of miracles, healings, prosperity and blessings. It is a spirituality that promotes an easy life, a life of comfort without sufferings. This is a false spirituality.
Rather, suffering must precede glory, the cross before the resurrection. The sacrifice of Isaac is a type of Christ. Like Christ, he carried the wood for the sacrifice. Jesus too carried the cross to Calvary. Both sacrifices were offered at the mountain. For Isaac, he was to be sacrificed at Mount Moriah. For Jesus, it was at Calvary. Just as the Father offered the life of Christ for the salvation of all, Abraham was portrayed as the one carrying the fire and the knife. Both Fathers sacrificed their only Son, except that in the case of Abraham, his son was saved by God. God substituted it with a ram caught in the thicket. It was offered as the sacrifice in place of Isaac, but not so for God’s Son. St Paul wrote, “Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give.” Jesus revealed to us the heart of God by His death on the cross. Indeed, we can be certain of God’s mercy and forgiveness. St Paul wrote, “Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.”
Today, if we want to be transfigured in Him and share in His sonship, we too must take the path that Abraham walked. He walked in faith and this faith is manifested in obedience. He trusted in God even when he was asked to sacrifice his only son. He could not understand how God’s promise could still be fulfilled with the sacrifice of Isaac. But he had confidence that God would provide. So when Isaac asked him, “Father, the fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” (Gen 22:7f) Until the last moment, Abraham still believed that God would protect him and Isaac. Against all possible reasoning, God would still provide.
Similarly, Isaac trusted in his father’s assurance that God would provide the victim even as he laid on the altar for the sacrifice. Isaac, a type of Jesus, foreshadowed His obedience and trust in His Father. At the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” (Lk 22:42) On the cross, dying, which looked like a failure of His mission, He said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. (Lk 23:46) God did the impossible by raising Him from the dead and showed that love conquers hatred, life overcomes death. Indeed, as St Paul in Romans wrote, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)
Ultimately, if we want to recover our sonship, we must find our faith in Christ. To arrive at this paschal faith, we need to follow Jesus in acquiring an affective and contemplative faith. If Jesus could go through His mission, it was because of His absolute trust in His Father – a confidence that came from His intimacy with Him. It is the experience of the Father’s unconditional love that empowered Jesus to go through His the passion and death. So too for us as well. This is why, the Father invites us to listen to His beloved Son. Listening is the first step in creating trust and obedience. We need to listen anew to what God is saying about the gift of Jesus His only Son to us. But we cannot listen unless we go to the mountain where in our aloneness God is present. To listen is a necessary stage to prayer and contemplation. Only in prayer, can we be enlightened and bask in the presence of God and His love, like Jesus. When we listen and contemplate, we will be empowered. Like Jesus, when He came down from the Mountain, He went ahead resolutely to Jerusalem, the place of His passion and glory.
Empowerment comes from a deep encounter with God, an encounter that assures us personally that God loves us and is with us. Only this encounter can enable us to give ourselves to God and His will, in total trust and confidence, because we have experienced the overwhelming love of Jesus in our hearts and the enlightenment He has given to us to in our lives, having had a glimpse of the end, so to speak, of the resurrection. It is through prayer and contemplation that, like the disciples, we will see the face of the glory of God in the crucified Christ.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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