In the Transfiguration, Jesus gives three of His closest Apostles, Peter, James and John a glimpse of His glory as the Eternal Son of God, the glory that they will share with Him in Heaven one day.
The First Reading recalls another mountain, where Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his long-awaited, beloved son, Isaac. This was a great test of faith for Abraham. God tests all those He loves. In obedience to the Lord, Abraham took his son Isaac and headed for Mt Moriah with fire and wood for the sacrifice. Just as Abraham was about the kill his beloved son Isaac, God stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice, which was caught by its thorns in the thicket. God rewarded Abraham greatly for his great faith and obedience and he would become the father of a great nation, the Jews, and our father in Faith.
About a thousand years later at this very location, King David bought the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite and built an altar to the Lord so that a “plague may be held back from the people” (2 Samuel 24:18, 21). After David’s death, his son King Solomon built a glorious temple on the same site. Solomon’s temple lasted for over four hundred years until it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar’s armies in 587/586 B.C. Not far from here Jesus would lay down His life in sacrifice on Mt Calvary to open Heaven to us.
In the Gospel, after Jesus prophesied his forthcoming death, the Apostles had been saddened. So, Jesus took Peter, James and John up to the top of Mt Tabor and entered into prayer to His Heavenly Father. Suddenly Jesus’ countenance changes and His face and clothes start glowing with the most brilliant light. The light was coming from within Him. All of a sudden, Moses (Representing the Law or first 5 Books of the Bible) and Elijah (Representing all the Prophets), appeared and were talking to Him about His sacrifice on Calvary. This vision sent the Apostles into ecstasy, they experienced an immense joy. Peter hoping that this vision would last forever, suggested building tents on the mountain. When the going gets tough for us, God provides consolation for us too. This vision would strengthen the Apostles hope for the scandal of the Cross. All of a sudden a cloud, representing the Holy Spirit covered them in shadow and the voice of the Father was heard: This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him. We need to listen to God in the Scriptures, because the Word of God is alive and active; the author being the Holy Spirit. God also speaks to us through the Authentic Magisterium of the Church (eg. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church).
Jesus is the God-man and Saviour of the world
In Jesus there are two natures, but one Person. Theologians refer to this as the Hypostatic Union. It reminds me of an old story. Early last century the blacksmith, a devout Catholic in a small town, was hard in his workshop, when an atheist walked in. The atheist was always eager to argue about religion. He watched the blacksmith welding two pieces of iron together over the flame and made the comment:
That is what I mean when I say that Christ is not God. The two pieces of iron welded together make one piece. That is what I mean about Christ. He has only one nature, a human nature. The blacksmith responded: But suppose I took a bar of gold and a bar of iron, heated and worked them together, what would we have then, all gold or all iron? Neither, replied the atheist, there will be a piece of gold and a piece of iron, even though there is just one bar. Although they are completely different, they make just one thing. This is how it is with Christ, replied the blacksmith.
He has a Divine Nature, as God, and a human nature, though distinct, they make One single Person, Jesus Christ, who is our only Saviour and Redeemer.
Jesus is the God-man and Saviour of the world. The Church gives us this period of Lent to help us grow closer to Him, through prayer, penance and almsgiving. There are now only four weeks to Easter. It is important to examine how our Lent is going. There are three steps to take to ensure we live it well. Firstly, examine your conscience and see how you are living up to the Word of God. Secondly, go the Confession, this spiritual carwash in preparation for Easter. Thirdly, trust! Jesus emphasised this in His messages to St Faustina. He said: the more you trust, the more you receive. The attitude of trust has a dynamic character and in Sister Faustina’s life it yielded continuous growth until her complete entrustment to God in all dimensions of life. In order to develop the attitude of trust, Sister Faustina made use of very simple means, ordinary and accessible to everyone, such us: development of faith, hope, love, humility, and contrition – virtues conditioning the attitude of trust, but also the practise of daily fulfilment of God’s will even in very small things. Jesus asked that an inscription be placed beneath the image of Divine Mercy: Jesus I trust in You! In continuing to form our consciences and knowledge we need to remember the three R’s. Read the Scriptures. Reflect on the inspired words and then Respond. That is, conform your mind to the mind of God as reflected in His Word. We are also encouraged to seek silence, make Spiritual Communions during the day and desire that the Kingdom of the Divine Will reign in you and in everyone.
Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!