Gn 12:1-4a; II Tm 1:8b-10; Mt 17:1-9
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As children, many of us watched in wonder as a caterpillar became a butterfly. It didn’t happen instantly. It took time, silence, and hidden change. That image helps us understand what Lent is about: transformation.
Today’s Gospel from Gospel of Matthew tells us about the Transfiguration of Jesus. He takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. There, His face shines like the sun, and His clothes become dazzling white. For a moment, the veil is lifted, and they see who He truly is. The One who will suffer, and die is also the glorious Son of God.
Why does this happen? Because the road to Jerusalem will be hard. The apostles will see betrayal, suffering, and the Cross. Jesus gives them this glimpse of glory to strengthen them. The message is clear: the Cross is not the end. Glory comes through sacrifice. Resurrection comes through the Cross.
That message is for us. In the first reading from Book of Genesis, God calls Abram: “Go forth from your land… to a land I will show you.” Abram leaves everything familiar. He trusts. He walks into an unknown future. That trust transforms him into Abraham, the father of faith. Lent is our “Go forth.” Go forth from sin. Go forth from old habits. Go forth from whatever keeps us spiritually comfortable but stagnant.
In the second reading from Second Letter to Timothy, St. Paul tells us: “Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” Notice he doesn’t say with your own strength. Transformation is not self-improvement. It is grace. God does the changing, but we must cooperate.
My dear parish family, this is very personal for us. Some of you are carrying heavy crosses right now illness, family struggles, financial pressure, loneliness, grief. Like the apostles, you may wonder where God is in it all. Today Jesus takes you up the mountain and says, “Trust Me. I am with you. Do not be afraid.”
But we cannot stay on the mountain. Peter wanted to build tents and remain there. We also would like to hold on to consolations good feelings at Mass, moments of peace in prayer. Yet Jesus leads us back down into daily life: into our homes, our workplaces, our responsibilities.
The great gift that strengthens us is right here the Eucharist. At every Mass, through the mystery of Transubstantiation, ordinary bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. Outwardly nothing seems different, but inwardly everything changes. That is transformation.
And when we receive Holy Communion worthily, something else happens we are meant to be transformed. We receive Christ so that we may become more like Him more patient, more forgiving, more generous, more loving.
Lent is asking each of us:
What in me needs to be transfigured? Is it my temper? My lack of prayer? My unwillingness to forgive? My indifference to the poor?
Jesus is also “transfigured” in another way He hides Himself in the needy, the lonely, the difficult person in our own family. Do we recognize Him there? When we show compassion, when we forgive, when we serve, the light of Christ begins to shine through us.
The Sacraments are moments of transformation in our lives. In Baptism, we became children of God. In Confirmation, we were strengthened by the Holy Spirit. In Confession, we are restored when we fall. In the Anointing of the Sick, God brings healing and peace. Each time we receive these Sacraments with faith, grace reshapes us.
So during these remaining weeks of Lent, let us be intentional. Spend a little more time in prayer. Make a sincere confession. Fast in a way that truly costs you something. Reach out to someone in need. Even small acts, done with love, allow the Holy Spirit to work quietly within us like the hidden work inside the chrysalis.
My brothers and sisters, the Transfiguration reminds us that suffering does not have the last word. Sin does not have the last word. Death does not have the last word.
Glory does. If we walk with Christ through Lent through prayer, sacrifice, and charity we too will share in His Resurrection. And little by little, the light that shone on the mountain will begin to shine in us. May our parish become a community where that light is visible where faith is strong, love is real, and hope is alive. And when others look at us, may they see not just ordinary people, but people being transformed by Christ.
Amen.