2nd Sunday of Lent
Genesis 22:1-2, 9:10-13, 15-18
Romans 8:31-34
Mark 9:2-10
A. Text/Context
• The gospel today describes us of the transfiguration of Jesus when the whole countenance of the Lord and even his clothing became a dazzling white
• Then a cloud came down and there was a voice: This is my beloved Son listen to him
• Only three of the 12 disciples were there: Peter, James and John to witness the spectacular event the transfigured Jesus, Elijah, and Moses were also there
• What would the disciples think when they heard the voice this is my beloved son listen to him?
• It is the Father in heaven who has spoken to them. Heaven itself has opened and made and a secret revealed by the Father is now given to the disciples
• This transfiguration occurred on a mountain there was no name in the gospel but according to the scholars it happened in Mt. Tabor
• In the tradition of the Jewish people a mountain is very symbolic because it is a place of encounter with God
• God gave the commandments in Mt. Sinai, God has spoken to Moses in Mt. Horeb, now, Jesus is transfigured in Mt. Tabor
• When Jesus needs to pray he will have a quiet retreat in a mountain to have an encounter with God, to meditate, reflect, and pray
• In Genesis in the 1st reading Abraham was also tested and passed the test on a mountain. Because he passed the test God promised him of a life of abundance
B. Human Situation
• What happened in the transfiguration is a revelation of who Jesus is. The 3 heavenly personalities Moses, Elijah and Jesus himself is the impending death of Jesus that will soon happen in Jerusalem. And they keep the secret to themselves
• According to the analysis of the scholars the disciples did not really recognize immediately the 2 men whom he talked with
• They do not have the slightest memory who Moses is, who Elijah is. They may know by name because they know the scriptures but the countenance, it’s impossible to know
• Moses and Elijah are ahead of them hundreds of years before
• But because of the reason that Peter James and John were there to actually see and witness the transfiguration, they were able to recognize who they are
• It was revealed to them by heaven itself they are Moses and Elijah and the most revealing of all is that Jesus indeed is the Son of God
• If you have observed the people who are very prayerful, they make good discernment. They are given the enlightenment to decide what is correct and to do what is right
• The message is very clear that if we pray, we see the face of God from the eyes of our heart and from the eyes of our own faith
• In our encounter with God through prayer we see the glory of heaven and we hear the voice of the Lord and after that we will never be afraid again that our decision is wrong or the solution to our problem is not right
• In summary we too as Christians will also attain renewal of life if we listen to the words of the Lord. He is my beloved son listen to him
• Our life will also be transfigured; from a life of sin to a life of grace. From a very secular to a life of sanctity and holiness
• One of the realities of our Christian faith is that humanity has fallen from grace because we violate God’s commandments
• It is a reality that sin disfigures our soul because sin erases the beauty and the radiance of a soul. In Cebuano “ang sala mao ang makapalaksot sa katahum sa atong kalag”
• The very handsome face of a young man and the awesome beauty of a young woman will remain no matter how much sin they commit
• But what is ruined are the relationships, relationship with your partner, with the family, with the community etc.
• And with that we begin to live a life of wretchedness, a life of seclusion and life becomes ugly and meaningless
• And that is the time that our souls begin to be gasping for breath if we would not even know how to ask forgiveness or grant forgiveness
• Let us reflect on the gospel. Jesus went to the mountain to pray and there his face was transfigured. What does it mean?
• Prayer is one of the methods that can transfigure our soul. Prayer is also one of the methods that will restore our shattered lives and broken relationships
• Because prayer will push us to reconcile with others, to reconcile with God. We pick up the pieces of our broken lives and we will restore our soul once more back to its original beauty
• Our soul will once more be transfigured because of prayer
• Why? Because in prayer we talk to God. When we reflect and meditate on his words, we listen to God! That is why we hear his voice from our hearts pushing us to begin a new life of grace
• But if we do not pray, we are left to our own selves and there is no benefit of the light of God
• If our eyes is the reflection of our soul, our soul is also the reflection of the image of God
• The soul is the very temple where God dwells. How can God live in our soul if all the mess are there? God will always look for a clean household. So we need to cleanse ourselves
• In our state of life now, the body and the soul are fused together, that is why sin both affects the body and the soul
• The physical renewal is easier to do. If you have the money you will come out of the room so handsome, beautiful and fashionable
• With the aid of aesthetic medicine everything is possible: rhinoplasty, liposuction, silicon, botox, even total body rejuvenation is now possible
• Remember Michael Jackson+, he hated his nose he inherited from his father and so he had himself totally changed. His face is now a cross between the beauty of Diana Ross and Brooke Shields
• But these are mere externals and it hardly benefits the reconstruction of our soul. The renewal of the soul from the deepest recess of our hearts is far more important than the physical
C. Challenge
• In this season of lent, let us reflect that a person who is prayerful will really see the light of God
• Prayer is the beginning of renewal. Prayer is one of the ways to transfigure our soul because in prayer we realize that what we did is wrong telling us to make amends of our faults
• Prayer is the food for our soul giving nourishment to restore it back to its good health
• And once more all of us will glow with the radiance of his grace
• Prayer is the beginning of conversion
• Let us begin converting ourselves in this holy season of lent
• Let us begin with prayer
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Mark 9 verse 2-10