Homily for 2nd Sunday of Lent Year A 2020
Genesis 12:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9
Introduction
Coming from Africa as I do, I never cease to be amazed by how little Americans know about the geography of Africa. Some think that Africa is one country, instead of a continent with 54 countries, and they will ask me who is from Uganda, if I know someone from the Gambia. Others think Africa is all desert unaware that besides the Sahara Desert that occupies the northern part of the continent, the rest of the continent is mainly rain forest and savannah. There are rivers and lakes, including the longest river in the world, the River Nile and the second largest lake in the world, Lake Victoria, both of which I am proud to say are partially in my home country of Uganda. Africa also has mountain ranges and plains thus providing a very diverse geography.
And in case you are wondering “where is he going with this?” Well, partly, I am doing a commercial for the tourist industry in Africa, but more seriously because the Scriptures are also full of a diverse geography which God uses to reveal himself to us. Last Sunday’s gospel, for example, was set in a desert, where Jesus was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights, thus providing us with a lesson on Lenten penance, especially the practices of fasting and prayer which are like the hardships of the desert. But on this second Sunday of Lent, our gospel passage takes us to a different environment, the top of a high mountain, where Jesus reveals his glory to a close group of his disciples.
Scripture and Tradition
Jesus did not pick this location randomly. In the Bible, mountains have a special role, as the places where God reveals the most important things about himself. For example, Moses himself often met God and received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai; and Elijah defeated the false prophets and showed them that the God of Israel is the one true God, on Mount Carmel.
Jesus does similar, when he brings Peter, James and John to the mountain. Just before this field trip, Jesus had announced to his disciples for the first time that “he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” The disciples found this message unthinkable. How could their Messiah suffer? How could someone who should come in glory and power be killed? In fact Peter even suggested that Jesus was out of his mind! To which Jesus responded quite sternly: “get behind me Satan.” Jesus even went further and told his followers that they too would have to suffer like him. For “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”
And so, having proposed this rather stark picture of what it means to be a disciple, Jesus needed to give his disciples a morale booster, an antidote, if you like. Or you could say he did what marketing experts do and gave them a preview of what was to come after all this suffering. He did what Costco or Sam's Club do when you give samples of delicious treats, hoping that you then buy tonnes of the stuff. Jesus does what the Movie industry does when they give you a sneak-peek, so that you can then go and see the real thing.
And so Jesus takes this threesome to show them that this suffering, both on his part and on their part, is not for nothing. It is the means by which they will share in the glory of the Father. And so on the mountain, they experience the transfiguration of Jesus and so have a sneak-peek of that glory, to which they must look forward, for which they must work hard.
Perhaps an even better image is that of plastic surgeon, who shows the patient, what they will look like after all the cutting, tucking and stitching, so that they can endure the pain and suffering. Similarly at his Transfiguration, Jesus shows them a foretaste of what he will look like after the Cross.
- They saw the face of Jesus shining like the sun and his clothes becoming white as light.
- They saw Moses and Elijah, two Old Testament heroes, appearing in glory, standing there and chatting with Jesus.
- But best of all, a large cloud enveloped them and a loud voice cried out: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Any of us would have been impressed, not just by the facelift and wardrobe change of Jesus, but especially by the appearance of revered dead men and the voice of God the Father himself.
And so, this transfiguration experience gave them a preview of who Jesus really is, the Son of God, and what living with him in heaven will be like. It is an experience that will enable them to understand the suffering and death of Jesus and have hope in the resurrection that he promised them.
Christian Application
And that is why the expression “mountain-top experiences” has come to mean any powerful and inspiring incidents, especially the spiritual ones. We Christians also need this encouragement that Jesus gave to his disciples. We too need these mountain-top experiences like the Transfiguration to give us a sneak-peek, or preview or sample of what heaven is like, to encourage us on our journey of faith, especially, the difficult journey of Lenten penance.
And indeed the Lord has not left us without encouragement; he has provided us with various mountain-top experiences.
- Sometimes this sneak-peek into things heavenly is our experience of nature, like a beautiful sunset, a breath-taking mountain or even a refreshing evening at the beach. In the wonderful works of nature we see the hand of God who created an orderly and beautiful world. We see a little of what Adam and Eve gave up, what Jesus won for us.
- Sometimes this sneak-peek into things heavenly is our experience of the goodness of others, of the innocence of children, or even of falling deeply in love. In all these things we see God at work.
But the most compelling mountain-top experience should be our prayer and the celebration of the liturgy especially the Mass. Thoughtful as ever, Jesus left us this weekly mountain-top experience we call the Mass. Like the three disciples who went up the mountain, we come to Church every week and temporarily leave behind the cares and concerns of the everyday world, so as to have a foretaste of what life with God will be like. The weekly Eucharist is for us the mountain of the Lord, where we experience and receive Jesus himself in a very special way, in his Word and in his Body.
Conclusion
But then having experienced this special communion with the Lord, we must come down from the mountain and live life fully. We cannot like Peter decide to build three tents and remain on the mountain; rather we must bring our experience from the mountain-top to the valleys of everyday life. Just like we cannot just keep eating the samples in Costco without buying anything, or watch only previews of movies, without seeing any of them, we must let our spiritual mountain-top experiences inform our daily lives.
For Peter that meant coming down and enduring the suffering and death of his Lord and Master as well as his own; for us this means that we must return to the world ready face the daily hustles of family life and work life. And indeed if we let ourselves enter into the experience of the Mass fully, we can proudly leave Mass reassured that the crosses of our daily life are not in vain; there is light at the end of the tunnel. That is why when the deacon or priest dismisses us: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life,” he is asking us to come down from the mountain and get to work.
I recently came across the words of Martin Luther King, in the speech he gave at Memphis on the day before he was assassinated, ominous words in which he speaks about the mountaintop. He says:
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
Martin went up the mountain of the Lord, saw the glory of the Lord and decided to come down and continue doing God's will. You and I also have been to the mountaintop of the Lord many many times. What are we doing with that experience?
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