Dear Friends

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John to the mountain and showed them a glimpse of his glorious, divine self through the transfiguration. There are several elements to show that it was a divine experience.
A mountain, traditionally, is considered the dwelling place of God. Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Mariah. Moses heard God’s voice in the burning bush at Mount Hereby, Elijah sacrificed to God and showed God’s glory to his enemies on Mount Carmel. Jesus sacrificed his life on Mount Calvary and ascended to his Father from a mountain near Galilee.

The presence of Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus shows that he is the fulfillment of all that has been foretold in the Old Testament. Moses, representing the Law and Elijah, representing the Prophet, make it clear that Jesus is the promised Saviour.

Jesus’ momentary change of bodily appearance and the voice of the Father from heaven tells us of the true son ship of Jesus. The Father’s beloved Son has taken upon himself the salvific mission of God’s people.
The Father reminded the apostles to ‘listen to him’. Listening to him would mean that from now on, they needed to follow him, his way to Calvary, live by his message and proclaim that message to the ends of the earth, even at the cost of their lives.

The event of transfiguration is both comforting and challenging for us today. Comforting because we know that our Lord and Saviour, whose death and resurrection we would celebrate shortly, is truly the Son of God, the beloved of the Father, the glorious Messiah.

Paul in today’s Second Reading tells us that God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us. And if God is for us, who can be against us? It is challenging, because the Father invites us to listen to him, follow his teachings, witness to his love and proclaim his message. This indeed is the transforming experience we all long for in the season of Lent.