May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
It was a word of invitation, a response of obedience, and the
revelation of divine promise and consolation.
On this second Sunday of Lent the Church places before us the call of
Abraham, the encouragement of the Apostle Paul, and the Transfiguration of
Jesus Christ.
The call of Abraham was an invitation to depart. Abraham was invited to go forth from the land
of his father and from all of the comforts of home. He was invited to depart from the house of
his father so that he could become the father of many nations. Abraham would receive the divine blessing and
through Abraham the divine blessing would be received by the whole world. Abraham received the invitation. He responded in obedience and he became the
recipient and the agent of divine blessing.
St. Paul in his second letter to Timothy encouraged the young
bishop and he encourages us to endure our share of sufferings for the sake of
the gospel. The Apostle echoes the
invitation of Jesus Christ and calls each of the disciples of the Lord to a
holy life. It is to this life of
holiness that the Lord has called us. It
is for this life of holiness that the Lord has destined us and has equipped us
by his grace. Before the call of
Abraham, and before the foundation of the world, God was preparing to bestow
his grace on us in Christ Jesus. The
gift of the divine invitation and the revelation of the divine promise and
consolation have been given in anticipation of our response in obedience. We have been loved enough and trusted enough
to receive the invitation of God.
The Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus is an invitation to
draw near. Peter, James, and John were
invited up a high mountain by the Lord Jesus.
And there, the three disciples saw the glory of the only Son of
God. Jesus Christ was transfigured
before them. They looked upon the face
of a man and they saw the face of the Eternal God. In the transfigured glory of Christ, the
disciples saw Moses and Elijah. They saw
the law and the prophets standing with him who is the fulfillment of all law
and all prophecy. They heard the voice
of the Father declaring the identity of his Son. Earlier in the gospel, Peter had proclaimed
the identity of Jesus in faith. Now the
voice of the Father announces his identity in fact. The three disciples had been invited up a
high mountain. They had entered into the
holy presence of the Most Holy God.
But they could not remain there. Three tents could not hold the presence of
the law and the prophets and the Savior of the world. The Transfiguration was a moment of
encouragement and consolation for the disciples in anticipation of the
suffering of the servant in Jerusalem.
It was a gift to them in anticipation of the greatest gift which is the
Resurrection. The Lord Jesus called them
from their vision of glory, and told them not to be afraid. He invited them to give up their fear and
their comfort on the mountain, and to be consoled by Jesus alone. Three tents on a high mountain could not hold
the divine presence . . . but three crosses on a low mountain would. There the Son of God would offer the perfect
response in obedience to the invitation of the Father. We were given the grace of the invitation in
Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world, so too we make our response of
obedience to the Father in Christ Jesus in each moment of our lives. Through him and with him and in him we
respond to the word of invitation.
The Lord Jesus did not invite us to a high mountain today,
but to a parish church. And yet, in our
midst, the words of the prophets and the precepts of the law are announced. The voice of a man will speak with the power
of the Son of God, and veiled in the simple gifts that only faith can
recognize, Jesus Christ is made present to us.
The Lord has invited us. We are
responding in obedience. Let us receive
the word of consolation and divine promise, and proclaim, with Peter, “Lord, it
is good that we are here.” Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
