Lent 2nd Sunday
Gen 12:1-4a; 2 Tim 1:8b-10; Mt 17:1-9
Change Direction!
In today’s complex, contemporary world, many enticements focus primarily on improving externals, failing to address the truly important things — those that deal with improving our spiritual lives. A true understanding of change involves examining the spiritual, intellectual, and physical aspects of our being, in that order of priority. This weekend’s liturgical readings offer us a way of making true and meaningful changes in our lives. Let us consider three ways by which we can improve our spiritual well-being.
Change by God’s Direction: The call of Abraham is an inspiring story. In obedience, he follows God’s directions. Abraham sets out on a journey of faith — literally to “God knows where!” He relies solely on the promise of God. His life is changed, and he becomes a blessing to his people. The faith journey of Abraham tells us that God continues to reveal and give directions to us. There are times when we are confused and lost, paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, searching for direction and desiring to make right choices.
At the various crossroads of life — which we cannot avoid — only our faith in God can lead us into the unknown. With the transforming power of faith, we begin to see things more clearly as we proceed on life’s journey. Change can occur in our lives, but only if we follow God’s direction as Abraham did. Will we follow it? Will we be obedient? It is never too late to change, to respond to God’s call.
Change by Prayer: The episode of the Transfiguration of Jesus reveals his divinity while he was in prayer with the Father on the mountain with three of his disciples. They see God’s glory shining forth through him — a beautiful example of Jesus’ oneness with the Father. It is in communion with the Father that Jesus receives the direction he is to take in his journey to Jerusalem and the Cross. This encounter transforms his entire life.
The Transfiguration presents the ancient prophets, Moses and Elijah. These two men represent the Law and the Prophets. Through Moses, God gave laws to the people, and while all of these laws pointed to him, they were nevertheless inadequate for entry into heaven. Jesus came to perfect all the old laws. Elijah was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. He served the Lord God at the risk of his life, performing many miracles to strengthen the faith of his people.
Jesus is the Prophet par excellence; he is the fulfillment of all the laws and prophets of the Old Testament. It is to him that we must look for our true direction in life.
Change by Listening: At this glorious moment, a voice is heard: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” It is the same message as at Jesus’ Baptism. We must listen to what God says and accept it in order to make it our own and identify with it fully, just as Jesus did.
Mother Mary told the servants at the wedding in Cana, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). The way to experience miracles and participate in the Resurrection is to listen to Jesus, not to worldly voices. So far, the disciples were not doing this — they were hearing but not accepting. The splendor of the Transfiguration would also be present in our lives if we truly listened to God; unexpected change would occur.
Move On for Change: The apostles recognized the beauty of what was happening on that mountain, so Peter offered to build three tents for their permanent stay. We too often want the good experiences — the peak moments of life — to last forever. We are afraid to let go and move on; we want to remain in the present rather than go where the Lord wants us to go. But the reality is that we have to come down from the mountain. We must move forward.
When we are in a cinema watching a film, we cannot shout to the projection room, “Stop the movie right there! I like this part.” Life moves on. It was true for Jesus, and it is true for his followers. We have to keep moving forward and come to terms with the happenings in our lives. Jesus came down from the mountain to be with the people — in their pains and sorrows, their fears, anxieties, sicknesses, disabilities, and sinfulness.
It is wonderful to make a beautiful retreat at a lovely retreat house deep in the countryside. It is uplifting to participate in a meaningful Mass with a good homily, a lovely choir, candles, and incense. But the experiences we gain must be shared in the joys and sorrows of our brothers and sisters. In this way, we become the salt of the earth, the leaven in the dough, and the light on the lampstand. We become instruments for helping people to know, understand, and experience God’s love for them.
The mountain experience transformed the apostles. We too can be transformed and share in God’s glory if we spend a little time in prayer daily and listen to and follow him. Though we like novelty and desire to see changes in and around us, we are often traditional and prefer to continue as we always have. Sometimes we wish we could change, but often we do not believe that we can. We give many reasons why we cannot — and so, we never do. Yet life is full of changes! True change, however, does not come from the outside but from within. Through active participation in the Holy Mass and the worthy reception of the Sacraments, we can climb the spiritual mountain of the Lord. Let us change our direction during this Lenten season for a better life!
