Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR A SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT - 20.2.05 Gen 12,1-4; 2 Tim 1,8-10; Mt 17,1-9 His face shone like the sun! Many
‘faces’ of Jesus.
This year we celebrate Year of the Eucharist. It is natural to explore today’s
liturgy from a Eucharistic point of view. Every year on the 2nd Sunday of Lent
the Church presents us with the scene of Jesus’ Transfiguration and what, we
might ask, does the Transfiguration have to do with Lent? The reason is that, in
Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has just challenged his disciples with the news that
he will be put to death & will rise again on the third day; that the
disciples themselves must practice self-denial, take up their cross & follow
him. Now, so that the disciples would not be discouraged, Jesus worked the miracle of Transfiguration to give substance to his
words that still ‘the Son of Man will come in his Father’s glory, with
angels around him to reward everyone according to their works’ (Mt. 16,21+).
This year, the Transfiguration account comes from Matthew who follows
closely that of Mark. The original Greek word they use, is not so much
“transfiguration” but ‘transformation’ (metha-morphosis), which implies
a mutation of shape as the word ‘amorphic’ implies lack of shape, and as we
imply when we meditate on our Eucharistic Lord under the form of bread and wine.
In our reflection, we get easily lost in questions about ‘what & how’ of
the mystery of Jesus’ presence, transfiguration or abiding in Eucharist. In
launching the Year of the Eucharist, the Pope’s encyclical invites us to
contemplate the many faces of Jesus: He says: ‘to contemplate the face of
Christ & contemplate it with Mary is the program this year... To contemplate
Christ involves being able to
recognize him wherever he manifests himself, in his many forms of presence, but
above all in the living sacrament of his body & blood’. Psychic
phenomena.
In today’s Gospel, Matthew makes no attempt to explain what psychic mutations
may be or how they may come about: he simply tells the story of what the
disciples saw and how they reacted. Indeed, what he really wishes to impress on
us is that Jesus is fulfilling God’s plan for our salvation. This plan had
already been foretold by the prophets & was mapped out in the Scriptures.
According to that plan, Jesus goes to cross, death & resurrection, so that
we -his disciples of all time & especially through the 40 days of Lent- may
have the strength to take up our cross and follow Jesus to Calvary. In today’s scene, it is essential to welcome and include the appearing
and disappearing of Moses and Elijah. not only they are not there by
coincidence, but are the very people, who mapped out the plan of God for our
salvation. They went through their experience of transfiguration. Centuries
before Jesus, they too: went to God’s mountain - were over-shadowed by God’s
cloud - heard God’s voice from the cloud - their face became radiant - their
radiance made the by-standers afraid - & the event happened ‘after six
days’; even the words ‘listen to him’ are from Deut.18,15. To us engaged
in our Lenten journey towards Calvary, Matthew says: Notice how Jesus goes to
God’s mountain, just as Moses & Elijah went centuries before him &
centuries apart one from the other; in God’s plan they fulfill what’s
written in Torah & Prophets. Again Pope John Paul invites us to take up our
discipline, refine our convictions & enrich our relationship with Our Lord,
as we discover & commit our love to the ‘many faces’ of Jesus in the
needy & disadvantaged. In a special way, let us show our love for our Lord,
present in Blessed Sacrament: let’s go “to meet him in contemplation &
adoration & let’s be ready to make reparation for the great faults &
crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease”! ______________________________________ |
