Note: apparently I did not post my homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent. Here it is…

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Did you ever wonder why the Church the story of the Transfiguration is always the reading for the 2nd Sunday of Lent? I mean, the Feast of the Transfiguration already has its own day – August 6th every year. It is not a paucity of readings or a lack of imagination. It is a well chosen reading that deepens meaning and understanding of the Lenten journey. Let me give you five reasons.

First, Lent is a journey toward the cross not away from it. The first Sunday of Lent was a story of Jesus in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. But the direction of the story is not clear at least as far as Lent is concerned. By the Second Sunday of Lent, the Church wants us to be very clear about where this road leads. The Transfiguration occurs after Jesus has spoken about his suffering, rejection, and death. The disciples have just heard words they do not want to hear. Confusion and fear have entered the picture. Into that void comes speculation, rumor, and conversations among the disciples of what Jesus meant – all fueling the uncertainty. If that was all we proclaimed in the gospel then Lent becomes a grim endurance until we can finally get to the Resurrection.

The Transfiguration does not cancel the Cross. It reveals who Jesus is as he goes toward it. It is about learning to walk with Christ through suffering, trusting that God’s presence and glory is not absent from it.

We are not unlike the disciples. We have uncertainties, things that keep us up at night, and events that are unfolding in ways not our liking. We are left apprehensive, perhaps even fearful – but do we feel the presence of Christ in and around us during all this or are we just grimly enduring?

The second reason: God strengthens us before the hard part. For Jesus the hard part is that He is heading to Jerusalem, there to be betrayed, scourged, and crucified – and He has told his disciples all that is coming. But Jesus does not wait until after the Resurrection to show them his glory. He gives Peter, James, and John a glimpse before the events unfold. Why? You know why. We want assurance things will turn out well. Jesus knows the disciples are having a difficult time taking this all in and discipleship is about to overwhelm them. They need the strengthening the experience of the Transfiguration will give them.

And so, the Transfiguration functions as consolation given in advance. It is a memory meant to sustain faith when everything later seems to contradict it. Lent works the same way. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not ends in themselves. They train the heart to trust God when stress increases, things slip out of control, and when obedience becomes costly. The Church places this Gospel here to remind us that God never asks us to walk into darkness without first giving us light.

Lent is a journey towards the cross and God strengthens us before the hard part. Third, “Listen to Him” is a Lenten command. At the center of the Transfiguration is not the light, but the voice: “This is my beloved Son… listen to him.” Lent is fundamentally about learning to listen again – stripping away distractions, quieting false voices, and letting Christ’s word reorient our lives. Notice that Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, testify to Jesus, point to him and then fade away.  What remains is Jesus alone. This is not accidental. Lent is a season of re-centering, where all religious practices are meant to lead us back to one thing: attentive listening, reflection and obedience to Christ.

Lent is a journey towards the cross and God strengthens us before the hard part, “Listen to Him” is a Lenten command and fourth: Glory is revealed through obedience. “Obedience” from the Latin, obe dire, to listen through. The Transfiguration shows Jesus radiant but not because he avoids suffering. His glory flows from his total alignment with the Father’s will. That matters for Lent, because it reframes holiness. Glory does not come from success or visibility – it comes from faithful obedience, even when misunderstood. Just as Peter misunderstands. But he hangs in there and eventually figures it out.

The Church offers this Gospel early in Lent to prevent a distortion: Lent is not self-improvement.
It is a gift of memory and hope that we can be assured even if we don’t yet understand, Jesus is present and we’ll eventually figure it out.

Fifth and finally, Hope is essential to conversion. The Church knows something about being human: no one perseveres without hope. The Transfiguration is hope made visible. It tells us repentance and change is worth it, obedience is not meaningless in a world amiss, and suffering does not have the final word. It didn’t for Jesus or the Apostles nor with us. Hope reminds us that suffering does not have the final word. Lent with the Transfiguration leads us to trustful surrender.

• Lent is a journey toward the cross not away from it
• God strengthens us before the hard part
• “Listen to Him” is a Lenten command
• Glory is revealed through obedience
• Hope is essential to conversion

Lent begins in the desert. But this Sunday, the Church teaches us how to walk the Lenten road:

• with eyes fixed on Christ,
• with hearts strengthened by hope,
• with ears open to the Father’s voice,
• and with courage to follow Jesus through the Cross, trusting that glory lies on the other side.

Amen

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Image credit: Photo by Free Nature Stock on Pexels.com