Homily for 2nd Sunday of Lent Year B 2018
Genesis 22:1-2,9-13,15-18; Romans 8:31b-35,37; Mark 9:2-10
Introduction
As you can see from my face, I have never been to a plastic surgeon. But I have heard that usually before the surgeon does the surgery, they will show you a picture of what you will like, after the operation. This serves not only to give you some choices from which to pick, but also, that beautiful picture is an inspiration to encourage you to undergo all the pain and suffering of cutting, tucking, stitching, to say nothing about the recovery.
Scripture and Tradition
Jesus seems to be doing something similar, when he brings Peter, James and John to the mountain as we have just heard in the gospel.
Just before this field trip, Jesus had announced to his disciples for the first time that “that the Son of Man* must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days” (Mk. 8:31). 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 suggests that Jesus is out of his mind! To which Jesus responds quite sternly: ““Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Jesus even goes further and tells his followers that they too will 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 needs to give his disciples a morale booster, an antidote, if you like. That is why he takes this threesome, this inner group of close confidants, 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 in the transfiguration, the glory of Jesus, to which they must look forward and for which they must work hard.
- We could think of what they see there as being like the samples of delicious treats that Costco or Sam's Club give customers, with the hope that you will then buy tonnes of the stuff.
- We could also think of what they see there as being like the sneak- peak of a movie enticing you to go and see the real thing.
But what is it that they see at the transfiguration that might serve as a foretaste of the real thing?
- First, Jesus has what we might call a facelift and a wardrobe change: "he was transfigured before them and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them." In other words, Jesus did not just clean up a bit, but was entirely changed so that now they could see he was no ordinary man, but the Son of God.
- Secondly, they saw Moses and Elijah, two pillars of the Old Testament, one representing the Law and the other Prophets, standing there and chatting with Jesus; it was as if these two were saying, "look guys, this the one we told you would come and save God's people."
- The third and perhaps most amazing spectacle was when a large cloud enveloped them and from the cloud came a loud voice: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Surely, 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. 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 would enable them to understand the suffering and death of Jesus and have hope in the resurrection that he promised them.
As you might know, mountains have a special role in the Bible. Unlike the desert we heard about last Sunday, which is a place of testing and training, mountains are the places where God reveals the most important things about himself. Moses himself 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.
And that is why the expression “mountain-top experiences” has come to mean any powerful and inspiring incidents, especially the spiritual experiences.
Christian Application
We are given this gospel during Lent, this second Sunday of Lent, because we too need a sneak-peek, or preview or sample of what heaven is like. We too need mountain-top experiences like the Transfiguration, to encourage us on our journey of faith, especially, the difficult journey of Lenten penance. Perhaps like the disciples we also need an answer to the question: "why do we have to go through all this pain and suffering, crosses and hardships?"
Besides hearing about the transfiguration mountain-top experiences of Peter, James and John, we can also look for and find our own mountain-top experiences today. While they may not be as extraordinary as the experience of Peter and his friends, they should really arouse our interest in the things of heaven and life with God for ever, and help us endure our difficult journey.
- 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.
- 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 occur during our personal prayer and during the liturgy and sacraments, 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 different way.
- We receive him in communion, for he said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (Jn. 6:54).
- We hear his voice in the readings and in the homily of the Mass.
- In fact, when done well, the whole experience of the Mass, being together as a community, the music, the prayers or as they say "the bells, yells and smells" combine to provide us with an extraordinary foretaste of God's banquet awaiting us in heaven.
And 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 that special experience of the Mass inform our life. 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.
Conclusion
But other experiences happen in our personal prayer and life. From what mountain will you draw inspiration this Lent? From a devotional practice like, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Way of the Cross and the Rosary? From going to your annual confession? From attending daily Mass? What will strengthen you to continue carrying your cross daily and following Jesus?
