Second Sunday of Lent
This weekend we continue our journey through Lent and hopefully the various aspects of penance alms giving and fasting that we are undertaking are not too hard. This Sundays gospel story is about the Transfiguration. This momentary vision of Christ, in his glory, was given in order to strengthen the three Apostles Peter James and John to face the trials to their faith which the sufferings and crucifixion of their beloved master would bring to them. For the very same reason this Gospel is retold to us today, in the early part of Lent so that we will strengthen our resolve to keep our faith. The voice of the Father told the apostles “This is my Son, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” What is so important about listening to Jesus? Wouldn’t we rather have the spectacular vision as a sign of God’s presence in our lives of course we would. We live such regular, ordinary lives most of the time and such a vision might help us get stirred up and enthusiastic again. Well it’s not really about the big splash, or the spectacular vision on the mountain, instead its all about listening to Jesus and hearing what he is saying to us in our own time and place.
To really listen to anyone with your heart is a hard thing to do sometimes we have to listen to someone going on about something that is or at least seems to be complete rubbish to us but is really important for them. Listening to Jesus means not just hearing his words, but listening to his words with your heart and learning from everything his life and his story tells us about how we should live our lives as a children of God. There are many people out there who listen to the story but don’t take it to heart. Jesus, trusted His Father’s plan completely with faith that recognized his dependence on his Father. This is the same sort of faith that you and I are asked to embrace during lent and throughout our lives. Through prayer we remain in contact with the heart of God which allows God’s love to transform and transfigure us and to ‘burst forth’ in goodness. Being transfigured is about allowing the presence of God to completely transform us; it’s a revolution of mind and heart driven by God’s Spirit and enabled by our open heartedness to that spirit so that God is seen in, and experienced through us. It takes faith and perseverance to dare to allow ourselves to be tempted by the passion, hope and vision of God rather than what we want for ourselves. if we have faith in the living word of Jesus the son of the Father then as a result of that faith by our words and actions we will be able to transfigure our own lives and the lives of those around us as we continue our Journey of faith during Lent. Let us remember the words of our Father in heaven from this Gospel Reading who said “This is my Son, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Fullerton T 