Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, March 1, 2026. Gospel of St. Matthew 17:1-9. Theme: The Transfiguration & Christian Meditation
In our 2,000-year heritage of Christian spirituality the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus has been cherished by monks and mystics as an example of having an spiritual experience of God through prayer. It teaches us that if we seek a deeper understanding of who Christ is and what he means in our lives, then we need to spend some time with him away from the daily grind. This is what Peter, James and John did on that memorable day when they went with Jesus up Mount Tabor. They were caught up in an awesome revelation of Christ as the Beloved Son of God and through this spiritual experience their relationship with him was deepened, personalized and strengthened.
For centuries the Transfiguration story has been used as a guide for practicing the form of Christian prayer that is called meditation. It’s also known by other names such as prayer of the heart, contemplation, quiet prayer or sometimes just plain and simple pondering. And it’s very different, worlds apart really, from the types of meditation we often hear about today such as yoga-mindfulness or Hindu transcendentalism. These eastern forms of meditation encourage people to empty their minds, to get in touch with their so-called inner-energy and focus on themselves. But Christian meditation is the polar opposite. It’s not at all about focusing on oneself or trying to become empty inside. Rather, it’s all about focusing on God and being filled up with the Divine Presence. We can find in this Gospel story the recipe for a spiritually fruitful prayer time which depends upon three key ingredients.
The first of these is solitude. Jesus brought the three disciples up a mountain, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and apart from the noisy crowds that were always around them. This teaches us that we need to intentionally find someplace where we can be alone and undisturbed for our prayertime. We need to get away from the many distractions that life throws at us, so that we can devote quality time to our relationship with God in peace and quiet. Mystics have often compared our rendezvous with God in prayer to a Divine Romance which, as for any couple, can only blossom in time spent alone together. Only in this solitude and silence can we hope to hear God’s whispering voice speaking to our hearts and minds.
The second ingredient is to spend time gazing upon Jesus as the disciples did on Mount Tabor. One way to do this is by turning to the Gospels. Jesus promised that he and the Father would come and dwell within those who cherish his Word (see John 14:23) and so by faith we know God is truly with us in this endeavor. We reflectively read a passage of the Gospel and use our imagination to picture Jesus doing and saying what we are reading. We ponder the story and take our time with it. In doing so we are like Peter, James and John looking at the transfigured Jesus and just taking it all in. We permit thoughts presented to us in prayer to penetrate our minds and hearts. This personal time with Jesus and his Word deepens our faith and enriches it, much like the way chili or pasta sauce increases in flavor the longer we allow it to simmer on a burner.
Lastly, like Peter we speak with Jesus. We ask him to show us what he wants us to learn from this experience. We obey the command of God the Father and listen to his Beloved Son as he speaks to the ears of our heart. His words might come to us as a phrase or an idea or perhaps an image that comes to mind. We respond to Jesus, sharing with Him the thoughts, feelings and insights that have come to us in our time of solitude with him. The key here is to relate with Christ in all honesty, letting go of our facades and defenses. We open up our hearts to him in vulnerability, just as he opened his heart to us when it was pierced on the cross.
Then after our meditation we come down off the mountain of our prayer. Like Peter, James and John we return to our daily duties, treasuring our prayerful experience of Jesus. St. Teresa of Avila, whom the Church holds up as a great teacher of meditation, declared that a person who devotes even just 15 minutes a day to meditation will surely be saved and reach Heaven. Now, she was confident and bold in saying this because she knew by experience the personal spiritual transformation that comes from meditation. She knew that if we practice this form of prayer regularly, we will become more aware of the presence of God dwelling within us and see the finger of God touching everything around us. She knew that through this prayerful pondering Christ would become more real. more meaningful and more personal in our everyday lives. St. Teresa was confident that God, who is never outdone in generosity, would see to it that this relationship with him that we took time to nurture here on planet Earth would reach its most beautiful and ultimate expression in the divine intimacy and ecstasy of Heaven.
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