Sharing the Message of the Transfiguration Today

 

Deacon Dave · Sharing the Message of the Transfiguration Today

Homily for the Second Sunday in Lent, March 5, 2023. Gospel of St. Matthew 17:1-9. Theme: Sharing the Message of the Transfiguration 

Today In today’s gospel, we find ourselves at the Transfiguration of Jesus. For a brief moment, the humanity of Jesus is lifted and the disciples get a dazzling glimpse of Who He really is: the Beloved Son of God. The fact that this event happened on Mt. Tabor was in no way an accident. It was an important sacred place to the Jews because it was the site of a great military victory where God showed Himself to be their protector and savior. So this was the perfect place - and a perfect time coming shortly before his Passion - for Jesus to straighten out his disciples about their mistaken idea of how the Messiah would save Israel and indeed all people. 

You see, many Jews of the time believed that the Messiah promised by God was to be a great Warrior-King who would free them from Roman tyranny. They believed that the Messiah would give Israel another military victory, even greater than the one made famous on Mt. Tabor about one thousand years before the time of Christ. That this divinely sent National-Hero would be arrested and put to death by the Romans was the polar opposite of their expectations! That the liberation which he would bring to them would be spiritual and not political didn't even enter their minds. Neither of these things fit in with their pre-conceptions of what the Messiah would be or do. 

Like their peers, the disciples were also expecting a political Warrior-King. On Mt. Tabor, Jesus showed them that he was, indeed, the promised Hero but not in the way that they had thought him to be. To better illustrate this lesson, two other national heroes of Israel appeared with Christ on Mt. Tabor. But they were not political-military figures such as Joshua, Deborah, King Saul or King David. Rather, they were the spiritual warriors of Israel. There was Moses, who received the Ten Commandments and led the Hebrew Exodus out of slavery in Egypt. And with him stood Elijah the Great Prophet of the Living God. Moses and Elijah were there to show that the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament were being brought to their intended fulfillment through Jesus the Christ. 

Through the Transfiguration, Jesus was visually telling his disciples that yes, he was the Messiah, but no, not in the way that they had imagined. He was God come-in-the-flesh and his victory would not be military but spiritual. This triumph would come about through the Exodus of the Messiah, which means his passing from death to life. He would claim victory in the spiritual battle over Satan, sin and death through the power of the Cross and the triumph of His Resurrection. And as Messiah, the Anointed Savior, He would bestow this freedom from sin and death upon all who trust in Him as the One sent by God. It would be an eternal victory! 

When they came down from that mountain, Jesus told Peter, James and John that after His Resurrection they could share what they had personally experienced. You see, the Transfiguration with its message of hope and victory over evil was not something they were to keep privately to themselves. And it’s a good thing for us that they spoke out! Their testimony helped to form the very foundation of the Church and to produce the Gospels that have given witness to Jesus to billions of people ever since. By not keeping quiet about it, they literally did their part in bringing hope to others and changing countless lives and cultures throughout the centuries. And each one of us is called to become an active part of this on-going message of the Transfiguration. 

There are times when God has somehow allowed us to see Jesus, with spiritual vision, with greater clarity and deeper understanding. These brief grace-filled moments that can come to us in prayer or during times of reflection are like having our own mini-transfigurations. We somehow come to understand a bit better just who Jesus is and what He wishes to do with us and for us. Afterwards, like those disciples we are not meant to keep this spiritual treasure to ourselves. Like them, we are also to let people know that God loves them and invites them to share life with Him in His Kingdom. By being open about what Jesus means to us and how our faith-relationship with him helps us, we can assist others in discovering Christ as the ultimate Hero and Liberator of their own lives. 

There are many ways and opportunities for us to do this. But it doesn’t mean that we are going around preaching to people at work or at home - although this might be necessary every now and then. The best way we can evangelize, which means witnessing to Jesus, is in our normal everyday activities. Quite often this happens organically, naturally, by simply being open in our conversations about our experience of Jesus through prayer and in Holy Communion. We can share with them how wounded relationships have been healed or healthy relationships strengthened by speaking with Christ and trusting in Him. 

Our honesty and openness can bring hope to those who are struggling, which means everyone. Perhaps by our personal testimony they will be encouraged to give it a try themselves and listen for the voice of the Beloved Son speaking to them. Perhaps by our personal witnessing we can help reveal to them the true Jesus, the real Jesus, in whom they will find the love, the acceptance and the peace of heart that they have been seeking.