His face shone like the sun

Second Sunday of Lent

Collect

O God, who have commanded us to listen to your beloved Son, be pleased, we pray, to nourish us inwardly by your word, that, with spiritual sight made pure, we may rejoice to behold your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading
Gn 12:1-4a

The call of Abraham, the father of God’s people.

A reading from the Book of Genesis

The LORD said to Abram:
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
   and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.

“I will make of you a great nation,
   and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
   so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
   and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
   shall find blessing in you.”

Abram went as the LORD directed him.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

R. :

℟. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Upright is the word of the LORD,
   and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
   of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

℟. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
   upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
   and preserve them in spite of famine.

℟. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
   who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
   who have put our hope in you.

℟. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Second Reading
2 Tm 1:8b-10

God has saved us and called us to be holy.

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy

Beloved:
Bear your share of hardship for the gospel
   with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
   not according to our works
   but according to his own design
   and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
   but now made manifest
   through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
   who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
   to light through the gospel.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
cf. Mt 17:5

From the shining cloud the Father’s voice was heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Gospel
Mt 17:1-9

Jesus’ face shone like the sun.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
   and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
   his face shone like the sun
   and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
   conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
   “Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
   one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
   a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
   then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
   listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
   and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
   “Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
   they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
   Jesus charged them,
   “Do not tell the vision to anyone
   until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection

As we continue on this journey of ongoing conversion throughout this Lent, today the Liturgy presents to us the passage known as the Transfiguration of Jesus.

After encountering Jesus  being tempted by the devil in the desert on the First Sunday of Lent, today we see him on Mount Tabor, in all his glory, together with Moses and Elijah.

Matthew’s gospel was primarily intended for a community of Jews who had converted and become Christians, while still cherishing their Jewish faith and heritage. For this reason, Matthew writes his Gospel in such a way that Jesus appears as the fulfilment of all the promises that God made to the Jewish people as found in the Old Testament. Thus, every element in the account of the Transfiguration has parallels with elements in the Old Covenant.

The mountain was always the privileged place where God meets man and reveals himself to him. We see this, among other instances, in God’s encounters with Moses and Elijah on Mount Sinai. Through the Transfiguration of Jesus on Tabor, and through the voice which said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Mt 17:5), Saint Matthew wished to affirm Jesus as the Son of God.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah together with Jesus represents the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). For the Jews, the two most important divisions of the Hebrew Bible (equivalent to our Old Testament) are the Torah and the writings of the Prophets. The Torah, or the Law, consists of the first five books of Scripture, traditionally attributed to Moses. In them we find the laws which the Jewish people were expected to observe on their part in the covenant made with God. The prophets were those who guided the Jewish people in remaining faithful to this covenant. Rather than merely foretelling what was to come, the prophets warned the people when they failed in their fidelity to God, and their mission was to lead them back to the right path by renewing the Covenant between the people and God. Therefore, the appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus on Tabor signifies that both the Law and the Prophets find their fulfilment in Jesus.

With the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Law and the Prophets no longer remain the principal means guiding us in our fidelity to God. Now it is Jesus. In order to understand this, we must experience what in Greek is called metanoia, a radical change of mind and heart. As Saint Paul says to Timothy: “[God’s] own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim 1:9–10). The Law and the Prophets are effective means in this journey of conversion insofar as they are an expression of our faith in Jesus as our one and only Saviour.

Prayer

Lord, teach us to recognise you ever more as our Lord and as the only Way that leads us to the Father. Amen.

 

Read Past Sunday Readings