HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Second Sunday of Lent (Year C)

Mar 16, 2025

612

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of Genesis (15:5-12, 17-18)

The Lord God took Abram outside and said: "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be," Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. He then said to him, "I am the Lord, who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession." "O Lord God," he asked, "how am I to know that I shall possess it?" He answered him, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." Abram brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them. As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I give this land from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14)

(R) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R)

Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me. Of you my heart speaks; you may glance seeks. (R)

Your presence, O Lord, I seek. Hide not your face from me; do not in anger repel your servant. You are my helper: cast me not off. (R)

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (10:8-13)

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their "shame." Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (9:28b-36)

Jesus took Peter, John and James, and went up onto a mountain to pray. While he was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzlingly white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But he did not know what he was saying.

While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him." After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

The gospels tell us that prayer was an integral part of Jesus' time on earth, and He prayed regularly. He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed alone. Sometimes He prayed in public as he did when he blessed the food before feeding a crowd. At other times, He prayed in the presence of His disciples. Today's gospel, Luke (9:28-36), records once such occasion when accompanied by three of His disciples, namely Peter, James and John, Jesus went up a mountain, identified as Mount Tabor, to pray, (v.28). As He was praying, suddenly "His face changed in appearance and His clothes became dazzling white", (v.29). According to Matthew's version "His face shone like the sun and His garments became white as snow", Matthew (17:3). Just then "two men, Elijah and Moses, appeared in glory and spoke with Jesus", (v.30). It is believed that symbolically the appearance of Moses and Elijah represented the Jewish Law and the Jewish prophets, respectively and that together, they embodied the entirety of the Jewish Scriptures, which Jesus came to fulfil, Malachi (4:5).

We do not know all the details of their conversation. But we do know that they spoke about Jesus' "exodus", meaning Jesus' departure from this earth and "all that He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem", (v.31). As for exodus, Moses had his own almost 15 centuries earlier when with God's help, he led the Israelites out of physical bondage and slavery in Egypt, Exodus (1-15) for the inheritance of the land of God's promise. Elijah had remarkably his own about 800 years before Jesus when he left this earth for the heavenly presence of God in a windstorm accompanied by chariots and horsemen, 2 Kings (2:11). Now, Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about His exodus which would be much different and greater than their exodus. By His death and resurrection, Jesus would free not only Israel but every race and people from spiritual bondage of sin and death, Romans (8:2) and Hebrews (2:15), thereby establishing a new covenant with them, and leading them to everlasting security, peace and life in God. So, we can surmise that as Jesus was entering the last year of His earthly ministry, they conversed about everything that was about to happen in Jerusalem, such as, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His physical and mental sufferings on the cross, His glorious resurrection from the dead, and His ascension into heaven to receive all the honour, power and glory due to Him.

We do not know how long the conversation or transfiguration of Jesus lasted. But we learn that at some point the disciples had been overcome by sleep. When they awoke, to their surprise, everything had changed. Jesus did not look like Himself. His appearance and His garments had changed so much so that the disciples saw Jesus in all His radiant and heavenly glory, (v.32a). They had seen the glory of Jesus when He turned water into wine, when He healed the sick, when He made the lame walk, when He restored sight to the blind, when He cast out evil spirits, when He walked on water, when He multiplied the bread and fish, when He raised the dead, and at many other occasions. But this time they saw a glimpse of something greater, something beyond the ordinary, something heavenly, and something eternal. This amazing experience didn't end there; they also saw and recognized the two men standing with Jesus, (v.32b) but preparing to part from Him.

Overwhelmed by the glorious scene, Peter said to Jesus that as it was so nice to be there, they could set up three tents or dwellings: one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. By proposing to build the tents, Peter was either seeking to prolong their stay or to stay there indefinitely. But it appears he did not fully grasp the magnitude of the situation. Luke writes that Peter "did not know what he was saying", (v.33). It suggests that on the one hand, Peter was clearly overcome with awe and wonder, and truly desired to honour and commemorate the glorious moment by erecting three tents but on the other hand, he placed Jesus on the same level with Moses and Elijah. Prior to this episode, in response to Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am", Peter had declared Jesus as the "Messiah of God", Luke (9:20-21). Jesus then revealed what He would do as the Messiah, "the Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders and chief priests and teachers of the law and, be put to death. Then after three days He will be raised to life", (v.22). So, the event on the mountain was meant to confirm to Peter and the other disciples Jesus' identity as God's Son, His divine nature and future glory. But they didn't fully understand the significance of the event.

Their experience did not end there. While Peter was still speaking, the clouds lifted, Moses and Elijah disappeared, and Jesus was alone with His disciples, who were still very much frightened. Then, they heard a voice saying, "This is my chosen Son; listen to Him." Here, the voice from the cloud represents God the Father affirming Jesus' divine Sonship and authority just as He did at Jesus' baptism, Luke (3:22), emphasizing His sovereign election of Jesus as the Messiah and Saviour who will bring about justice to all mankind according to the divine plan of redemption and directing all the disciples, and by extension all believers, to heed Jesus' teachings and authority. Thus, this declaration from the cloud placed Jesus above Moses and Elijah, indicating that He is the ultimate revelation of God, Hebrews (1:1-2), and whom all the world will one day honour and worship as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, Revelation (17:14; 19:16).

When all of this was over, Luke writes, "Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen", Luke (9:36). However, much later, recalling this event, Peter writes in his Second Letter, (1:16-18): "Indeed, what we taught you about the power, and the return of Christ Jesus our Lord, was not drawn from myths or formulated theories. We ourselves were eyewitnesses of his majesty, when he received glory and honour from God, the Father, when, from the magnificent glory, this most extraordinary word came upon him: This is my beloved Son, My Chosen One." "We ourselves heard this voice from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain." John writes in his gospel, "We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only", (1:14).

What is the message for us?

The transfiguration reveals to us that Jesus was indeed more than a mere human being, or a great teacher or a miracle worker during His time on earth. He was both God's Son, John (3:16), and God Himself. He was God in human flesh, 1 Timothy (3:16). In living His life as a human being, Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience and submission to God the Father, thereby setting an example for us to follow. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and is now reigning over heaven and earth; therefore, He deserves worship and honour that only God deserves. However, honouring Jesus with our worship must go beyond our external actions such as building dwelling places or churches or altars in our homes for Him, kneeling, genuflecting, bowing, playing music, singing songs, and performing rituals.

We must also "listen to Jesus", just as God commands us. When God encourages us to listen to His Son Jesus that implies far more than the physical act of hearing. It means that we must listen and obey; listen and follow, listen and do what He says. The first demand of Jesus' public ministry was: Repent and believe in the gospel, Matthew (4:17) and Mark (1:15). It is also the central theme during Lent. Let us, therefore, make repentance to be the first and the most important step in our Christian life. Let us turn away from sin and the false promises of this world, and return to God with all our heart, and with prayer, fasting and acts of kindness and giving to others, especially those in greatest need.
The transfiguration gives us hope in the present moment of our lives. One of the deepest prayers of Jesus for all believers was that they might be in His presence and witness His glory, John (17:24). So, it is possible for all of us to see a glimpse of Jesus' glory provided when we stay awake, alert, active, and attentive; not sleeping, both physically and spiritually. In fact, "the whole earth is full of God's glory", Isaiah (6:3). The whole creation; including human beings who are created in God's image, the Bible that God has given, the Church and the sacraments (especially the Holy Eucharist) which were instituted by Jesus, the community of believers and their acts of love, kindness, and service; reflects Jesus' glory.

Unfortunately, we fail to see and recognize it because like the disciples, we, too, are overcome by sleep. When God wants to reveal His glory, we probably sit or walk daydreaming or doze off or become distracted or preoccupied with the temporal things of the world, disinterested in the things of God or choose to fill the time with something mindless, especially while at Mass. Instead, let us be fully awake so that we may see Jesus' glory.
The transfiguration encourages us to endure suffering. Even though Jesus went through rejection and death, that was not the end, but the way to resurrection and bestowal of eternal life on the world. As His believers, we too can look forward to the glory of life everlasting, if we listen to Jesus and literally follow Him, embracing our sufferings as He did.

So, today and every day, let our prayer be like that of the Collect, or the Opening Prayer for today's Mass: "O God, nourish us inwardly with your word of life and purify the eyes of our spirit, that we may rejoice to behold your glory."

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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