25 February 2024: Second Sunday of Lent B

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18	Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19	Rom 8:31b-34	Mk 9:2-10
RCL: Gn 17:1-7, 15-16		RCL: Rom 4:13-25	RCL: Mk 8:31-38

Lent: transfiguration, transformation, metanoia

In the season of Lent, the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, cleanses the temple, explains how God loves, and announces his hour has come. This week’s readings focus on trust that leads to change, transformation, and transfiguration.

First reading (Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18)

The first reading is from Genesis, the first book of Torah. Genesis tells the stories of the world’s creation, Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark and the flood, the Tower of Babel, and the lives of the patriarchs. Genesis introduces Hebrew and Christian scriptures’ key themes: God causes everything; there is only one God; God has a personal relationship with humans; the divine/human relationship is essential, applying not only to God’s relationship with people, but also to the peoples’ relationships with each other.

In today’s pericope, the Genesis author tells the story of “the binding of Isaac,” God’s test of Abraham’s faithfulness. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son. In Isaac, God fulfills the promise of a son to Abraham, and, through Isaac, God will fulfill the promise of descendants “as numerous as the start in the sky.” Although God’s command jeopardizes God’s promise, Abraham faithfully trusts God’s command, without question or objection. In earlier stories Abraham advocates for himself (Gn 15:2-5) and for others (Gn 18:16-33, Gn 21:11), but in this story Abraham’s only response is “Here I am!” At the last moment, God’s angel intervenes, stopping Abraham’s sacrifice. God acknowledges Abraham’s faithfulness and again promises Abraham descendants, land (“take possession of your enemies’ gates”), and, through Abraham, blessings for all nations.

The Lectionary editors chose this reading because Christian interpreters see Isaac as a type for Jesus (a story in which a father sacrifices his son).

Second reading (Rom 8:31b-34)

The second reading is from Paul’s letter to the ekklesiai (multiple communities) in Rome. Romans, written in 56-57 AD, is Paul’s final letter. He has completed his missionary work in Asia and now plans a missionary trip to Spain, with a stop in Rome. He writes to the Roman believing communities to introduce himself and to give an authentic and acceptable account of the gospel he preaches.

In today’s pericope, Paul imagines he is in the courtroom of the Last Judgement, speaking for “God’s chosen ones.” Possibly quoting from an early creed or hymn, Paul describes what God has done for believers: God is for us (Rm 8:31); God handed over God’s own son for us (Rm 8:32); God acquits even the ungodly (Rm 8:33); Christ’s transformative death, resurrection, and glorification allows him to intercede with God for us (Rm 8:34). In sharing his experience of God, Paul provides a form and language through which believers can recognize and experience God themselves.

The Lectionary editors chose this reading because Paul uses the first reading’s Isaac typology (a father who hands over his son) to show God’s love and favor for believers.

Gospel (Mk 9:2-10)

Mark’s gospel is his version of Jesus’ transfiguration. This story is about transformation: Jesus’ transfiguration changes his disciples and changes how we see and understand who Jesus is.

• The disciples are changed. Peter’s mention of “tents” or “booths” refers to the Jewish feast of “booths” or “tabernacles,” a harvest festival. The feast celebrates not only the current harvest, but also looks forward to God’s end-time harvest. When Peter suggests “making three tents,” he recognizes that in Jesus’ transformation, God’s end time kingdom has arrived. The Greek word ἔκφοβος/ékphobos, translated here as “they were terrified,” is better translated as “they were filled with awe” at Jesus’ transformation. Jesus’ transfiguration transforms the disciples themselves: they are “awe-struck” by the goodness of God’s presence and by Jesus’ end-time messenger role.
• Our perception of Jesus changes. The Greek verb μεταμορφόω/metamorphóō, usually translated as “to be transfigured” actually means “to be meta-morphed,” implying not simply a change in appearance but also a change in state of being. For example, Mark says that Jesus’ clothes become “dazzling white, such as no earthly fuller could bleach them.” Mark may be recalling the prophet Malachi’s end time vision of God’s messenger: “for he is like the refiner’s fire or like the fuller’s lye, purifying the sons of Levi” (Mal 3:2). Mark suggests that Jesus’ transfiguration foreshadows not only Jesus’ glorious resurrection and enthronement, but also Jesus’ end-time return in glory.

Summary and reflection

Lent’s readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings ask us to think about how trust engenders change (including metanoia, a change of mind/heart) and personal transformation. Abraham trusts that God will fulfill the covenant promises, despite Abraham’s unimaginable loss of Isaac. Paul expresses his confidence in all that God has done for believers in Christ, and trusts that God will continue to be for us throughout our lives and at the end time. Jesus’ transfiguration reveals his future glory to strengthen the disciples’ faith in Jesus and to trust in God’s revealed presence to transform them.

Throughout Lent, the readings call us to change our minds and hearts and to transform how we think and act. How does the great mystery of Jesus incarnation and the greater mystery of Jesus’ transformative death and resurrection engender trust in God’s promises? How does Paul’s vision of God being for us always, even when we were godless, change our ideas about our own self-worth and the inherent value of others? How does Jesus’ transfiguration change the way we think about the cross as a new creation and our place in God’s new creation?

—Terence Sherlock

5 March 2023: Second Sunday of Lent A

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 12:1-4a	Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22	2 Tm 1:8b-10	Mt 17:1-9 or Jn 3:1-17
		RCL: Rm 4:1-5, 13-17	RCL: Jn 3:1-17

Lent: called to transform and be transformed

In the season of Lent, the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, gives living water to a woman, heals a blind man, raises a dead man, and arrives in Jerusalem. This week’s readings focus on God’s call to collaborative change and our response.

First reading (Gn 12:1-4a)

The first reading is from Genesis, the first book of Torah. Genesis tells the stories of the world’s creation, Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark and the flood, the Tower of Babel, and the lives of the patriarchs. Genesis introduces Hebrew and Christian scriptures’ key themes: God causes everything; there is only one God; God has a personal relationship with humans; the divine/human relationship is essential, applying not only to God’s relationship with people, but also to the peoples’ relationships with each other.

In today’s pericope, the Genesis author recounts God’s call of Abram. Abram’s call marks the end of primeval history (from Creation to the Tower of Babel) and the start of patriarchal history (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). God asks Abram to leave his homeland, his birthplace (“the land of your kin”) and his extended family (“your father’s house”) and go to an unknown land that God “will show you.” God promises to make Abram “a great nation;” but Abram has neither children nor land, two things needed for nationhood. God promises to protect Abram (“I will bless you”), so much so that Abram himself will “become a blessing,” and that “all the families of the earth will find blessing in you.” Abram takes God at God’s word, acting in faith “as the Lord directed him.” In calling Abram, God intervenes in human history; in accepting God’s call, Abram sets God’s saving plan in motion, changing the world.

The Lectionary editors chose this reading because God’s call of Abram marks the beginning of God’s mystery of salvation.

Second reading (2 Tm 1:8b-10)

The second reading is from the second letter to Timothy, written by an unknown author in the late first century AD. Second Timothy is a farewell discourse: the author, speaking as “Paul,” looks back over his apostolic career and gives “Timothy” (and other new community leaders) advice and encouragement.

In today’s pericope, “Paul,” presents his model of vocation or call by God. “Paul” encourages “Timothy” to persevere (“bear your share of hardship”) in his ministry to the gospel. To meet these hardships, “Timothy” has received God’s gift of the Spirit, the “strength that comes from God.” The author then describes how “Paul” and “Timothy,” along with all disciples, share a common vocation (“saved and called us to a holy life”). God’s salvation is freely given (“not according to our works”); salvation comes through Christ (“grace . . . in Christ”); and salvation has been God’s plan from the beginning (“before time began”). Christ’s coming in history (“the appearance”) and his transformative death and resurrection reveals and makes known (“brought to light”) God’s saving gift to and for us.

The Lectionary editors chose this reading because it continues the theme of God’s call, and describes the culmination of God’s salvation through Christ.

Gospel (Mt 17:1-9)

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus again reveals his identity to his inner circle of disciples. Through symbolic actions and words based in Hebrew scripture, Matthew shows Jesus to be the authoritative teacher, the eschatological victor, and the Son of God.

• Authoritative teacher. As Jesus is transfigured, Moses and Elijah appear, conversing with him. Moses represents the Law (Torah) and Elijah represents the Hebrew prophets; together they represent the Hebrew scripture as God’s revealed teachings. Moses’ and Elijah’s presence at Jesus’ transfiguration, along with the voice’s instruction (“Listen to him,” Dt 18:15), tell Matthew’s Jewish-Christian believing community that Jesus is the correct and best interpreter of Torah.
• Eschatological victor. Jesus’ transfiguration is a visible anticipation of his eschatological glory. Jesus’ “shining” face recalls Moses’ encounter with God at Sinai (Ex 34:29-35). Jesus calls his transfiguration a “vision,” connecting it to Daniel’s end time visions (Dn 8:17-18, Dn 10:7-9). The references to Exodus and Daniel give Matthew’s Jewish-Christian believing community a preview of Jesus’ coming end time glory and the fullness of God’s kingdom.
• Son of God. At the transfiguration’s climax, a “bright cloud” covers the mountaintop, and a “voice” speaks. The “cloud” recalls God’s presence covering Sinai (Ex 24:15; Ex 40:35, Nm 9:18) or at the Jerusalem temple (1 Kgs 8:10-11); God’s thundering “voice” was also heard at Sinai (Ex 19:16-19). The voice’s message echoes the message at Jesus’ baptism (Mt 3:17). The voice that declares Jesus “my beloved Son” reminds Matthew’s Jewish-Christian believing community that Jesus is both God’s Son and promised messiah.

Matthew ends Jesus’ transfiguration story abruptly (“when the disciples looked up, they saw only Jesus, alone”). In this ending, Matthew reminds his believing community that before his previewed glory can become permanent, Jesus must complete his journey to Jerusalem and to his cross.

Summary and reflection

Lent’s readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings ask us to think about how our call to discipleship is also a call to transformation. Abram, responding in trust to God’s call, changes not only his own life, but also the lives of all believers through time. The 2 Timothy author teaches how the Christian vocation requires perseverance, but is also guided and graced by the Spirit. The transfiguration vision reveals Jesus as teacher, eschatological messiah, and Son of God.

We often think of change as a long, lonely, hard road without clear directions. Yet God’s call to change is always a collaboration with God. Do we find in the work God calls us to do mutual blessings for us and those we serve? Is our vocation sustained by strength given by God and by grace granted by others? Is our discipleship enlightened by unexpected words and by visionary acts that transform how we see and understand our role in God’s kingdom?

—Terence Sherlock

13 March 2022: Second Sunday of Lent C

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 15:5-12, 17-18	Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14	Phil 3:17–4:1	Lk 9:28b-36
RCL: Gn 15:1-12, 17-18			RCL: Lk 9:28b-36 or Lk 13:31-35

Lent: encounters that transfigure

In the season of Lent, the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, tells parables, forgives, and arrives in Jerusalem. This week’s readings focus on how a trusting encounter changes us.

First reading (Gn 15:5-12, 17-18)

The first reading is from Genesis, the first book of Torah. In today’s pericope, God again promises the childless and homeless Abram progeny (“count the stars, so shall your descendants be”) and a homeland (“give you this land”). When God sees Abram’s trust (“put his faith in the LORD”), God recognizes the depth of their relationship (“credited [Abram] as . . . righteous”), and enters into a contract or covenant with Abram. In the ancient world, parties ratified contracts and treaties by cutting up animals. If either party violates the covenant, he will end up like the cloven animals. The Hebrew idiom karat berit, literally “to cut a covenant,” may derive from this legal ritual. After preparing and placing the animals, Abram falls into a deep sleep (“trance”) of darkness. What happens next is mysterious, part of the covenant’s haunting mystery. Smoke and fire are signs of God’s presence (for example, the pillar of fire/pillar of smoke in Exodus; the burning bush on Sinai), but the disembodied furnace (“fire pot”) and torch are unique to this event. The Lectionary editors chose this reading because the theophany (God’s appearance to Abram) includes a trance and enveloping darkness, similar to the theophany in today’s gospel.

Second reading (Phil 3:17–4:1)

The second reading is from Paul’s letter to the Philippi ekklesia. Paul writes to thank them for their help and generosity and to encourage them toward unity, humility, peace, and joy. In today’s pericope, Paul closes his letter by inviting the Philippians to join together as a community. Christians “walk together” in a discipleship journey and learn from others (“imitators”) who have mastered its teachings. The “cross of Christ” is Paul’s shorthand for God’s entire saving plan. The “enemies” may be Judaizing missionaries who visited the Philippians and taught the requirement to follow Jewish dietary laws and circumcision. Paul “weeps over” the disunity and division they have caused in the community. These enemies focus on earthly things that are passing away; disciples must be heaven-focused (“our citizenship is in heaven). The human body is impermanent, subject to illness, disease, and death; Christ’s saving and transformative action has destroyed death. Only the savior can transform a human’s “earthly body” to conform with Christ’s “glorified body” and share in Christ’s resurrection. “Joy” is the letter’s theme. The Philippians are Paul’s joy: he is proud of them (“my crown”) and shares their achievements. The Lectionary editors chose this reading because Paul’s description of our earthly bodies being changed or transfigured by Christ echoes the transfiguration in today’s gospel.

Gospel (Lk 9:28b-36)

Luke’s gospel describes how Jesus is changed before Peter, John, and James, and how Jesus’ transfiguration equally transforms the disciples.

• Changed, transformed, transfigured. Both Mark (Mk 9:2) and Matthew (Mt 17:2) use the Greek word μεταμορφόω/metamorphóō, meaning “to change form,” to describe Jesus’ transfiguration. Luke presents Jesus changed while praying, his face “different” and his clothes “dazzling white.” While in conversation with the Father (“praying”), Jesus is transformed in glory.
• Glory and suffering. Moses and Elijah appear “in glory” and talk with Jesus about his coming “exodus.” In the middle of this present vision of Jesus in glory, Luke introduces Jesus’ future suffering and death, the “exodus” he will accomplish in Jerusalem. Jesus’ transformative saving act (death, resurrection, ascension, and glorification) enables him to give the Spirit to his disciples.
• Silence. When humans encounter the divine or experience mystery, the only possible response is silence. Meeting God in person and in prayer changes us. Peter’s, John’s, and James’ personal transfigurations are complete only after Jesus’ exodus and the Spirit is poured out; only then they become “ministers of the word” (Lk 1:2). In the meantime (“at that time”) they can only reflect in silence and prayer.

Summary and reflection

Lent’s readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings ask us to think about the changes we need in our own lives. Abram’s faith leads to a deeper and mysterious covenantal relationship with God. Paul urges the Philippians to conform themselves to Christ to be transformed and resurrected. Jesus’ transfiguration reveals and foreshadows the disciples’ own transformations as they continue to follow Jesus to Jerusalem and beyond.

Transfiguration begins with a personal encounter, but requires continuous work. Will we let faith and trust lead us into a deeper and possibly unforeseen relationship with God? Will we allow ourselves to be conformed to, and transformed by, Christ’s death? Will we use prayer and silence to change ourselves and to transform the world?

—Terence Sherlock

28 February 2021: Second Sunday of Lent B

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18	Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19	Rom 8:31b-34	Mk 9:2-10
RCL: Gn 17:1-7, 15-16		RCL: Rom 4:13-25	RCL: Mk 8:31-38

Lent: no cross, no glory

In the season of Lent, the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, cleanses the temple, explains how God loves, and announces his hour has come. This week’s readings ask us to see Jesus in his transfigured glory and in his transformative suffering.

The first reading is from Genesis, the first book of the Torah. Genesis includes the stories of creation, Adam and Eve’s fall, the flood and Noah’s ark, the Tower of Babel, and the lives of the patriarchs. Today’s pericope is from the patriarch section, specifically the story of “the binding of Isaac.” To test Abraham’s faith, God tells Abraham to “offer up” his only son Isaac as a sacrifice. Maintaining his trust in God’s word, Abraham follows God’s command. Seeing Abraham’s trust, God stops the sacrifice of Isaac at the last second and confirms again the covenant God has made with Abraham (“I will bless you abundantly”). The Lectionary editors chose this reading because today’s second reading uses Isaac as a type of Jesus (a father sacrifices his son).

The second reading is from Paul’s letter to the Rome ekklesia. In today’s pericope, Paul concludes his argument for Christian hope (see Rom chapters 5 through 8). Paul contends that God’s love has already triumphed. He argues that God is “for us” because of the love and favor God has already shown in the Christ event. Paul interprets the first reading (the binding of Isaac) and applies it to God and Jesus. Abraham acted to “not spare” his son Isaac, but God did not require Isaac’s sacrifice. God did require the Godself to “hand over” the Son to death “for us all.” If God allowed Jesus to sacrifice himself for us while we were still sinners, how could God not give us “everything else” (righteousness and eternal life)? If God, as eschatological judge, has already “acquitted us,” what greater authority exists to “condemn” us? Not only is God for us, but also Christ, who continues to “intercede for us.” Christian hope flows from the trust that God and the risen and exalted Christ are, and remain, for us. The Lectionary editors chose this reading because the Paul uses the first reading’s Isaac typology to show God’s love and favor for all.

Mark’s gospel tells his version of Jesus’ Transfiguration. This story might be more accurately called a christophany: a revelation of who Jesus really is.

• Fulfillment of scriptural promises. Elijah and Moses represent Hebrew scripture: Moses, the lawgiver, represents the Torah; Elijah, the prophet par excellence, represents the Prophets. Mark shows Jesus in conversation with and as fulfilment of the Law (Torah) and the Prophets.
• God’s beloved Son. The cloud that overshadows or envelopes them recalls the cloud that covered Sinai when God was present (Ex 19:9). From this cloud, a voice identifies Jesus as God’s Son, as God had done at Jesus’ baptism (Mk 1:9-11). God announces Jesus’ identity at the start of his ministry and at the start of his journey to Jerusalem.
• Suffering servant. Just before his Transfiguration, Jesus tells the disciples he must “suffer greatly, be killed, and rise on the third day” (Mk 8:31). After his Transfiguration, he commands the disciples to tell “no one until after the Son of Man has risen from the dead” (Mk 9:9). Mark wants his believing community to understand that Jesus’ glory comes after his suffering, transformational death and resurrection. What is true for Jesus is also true for his disciples: “no cross, no glory.”

Lent’s readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings ask how we trust God. Abraham trusts that if God demands Isaac’ life, God will somehow still give Abraham descendants. Paul tells the Romans that they can trust that God is for us because God has already acquitted us and Christ continues to intercede for us. Mark shows that disciples can trust Jesus as God’s Son and fulfillment of scripture. As disciples, how do we express trust? Like Abraham, can we trust that God will provide what we need, despite seeming impossibility? Like Paul, does our hope spring from the trust that God is always for us? Like the confused disciples, can we trust that God will bring us to glory even when we experience our daily cross of frustration, loss, and exclusion?

—Terence Sherlock

8 March 2020: Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 12:1-4a	Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22	2 Tm 1:8b-10 RCL: Rm 4:1-5, 13-17	Mt 17:1-9 or Jn 3:1-17 RCL: Jn 3:1-17

Lent: the calling that transfigures

 During Lent the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, gives living water, heals a blind man, raises a dead man, and arrives in Jerusalem. This week’s readings ask us to hear God’s call and to prepare ourselves for what is to come.

The first reading from Genesis recounts God’s call of Abram, who was from the town of Ur (near modern Mugheir) in the land of the Chaldeans (modern Iraq). In Genesis, Abram’s call marks the end of primeval history (from Creation to the Tower of Babel) and the start of patriarchal history (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). Scripture scholars note that the curses begun with Adam and Eve are now reversed: God promises Abram and his descendants blessings, rather than curses. Beginning with Abram, God acts in human history by calling individuals; those who respond becomes a channel to manifest God’s will in the world. Salvation history is humanity’s response to God’s call, beginning with Abram and culminating in Jesus and his disciples. The Lectionary editors chose this reading because God’s call of Abram marks the beginning of salvation history.

The second reading from the second letter to Timothy was written by an unknown author toward the end of the first century. The author imagines Paul awaiting his second trial in Rome, and writes Paul’s “farewell discourse.” Despite urging the believing community to good works, the author is clear that good works are not the source of redemption, but rather the effect. Salvation comes from God’s plan, not human works. In Jesus, God’s plan is made absolutely clear (“made manifest”); Jesus’ words and actions illuminate “life and immortality.” The Lectionary editors chose this reading because it continues the theme of calling and anticipates the disciples’ enlightenment in the gospel.

Matthew’s gospel is the Transfiguration story. As they make their way to Jerusalem, the disciples are granted a vision of who Jesus really is and what he will be in God’s kingdom. Matthew interprets this experience as a “vision” and links it symbolically with other apocalyptic visions.

• Jesus’ metamorphosis. Matthew’s detail about Jesus’ face “shining like the sun” parallels Moses’ encounter with God on Sinai (Ex 34:29-35). Jesus’ transfiguration is a visible anticipation of his eschatological glory. Jesus’ transfiguration reveals to his disciples who he is and encourages them as they hear his passion predictions and see the Jewish leaders’ growing opposition.

• Jesus’ talking partners. Matthew’s detail about Jesus “talking together” with Moses and Elijah suggests that Jesus is in conversation with and completing the Law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). Matthew may also be thinking that Moses and Elijah were taken up into directly heaven (Dt 34:6, 2 Kgs 2:11). In Matthew’s believing community, this detail highlights the harmony between Jesus’ teaching and Hebrew scripture.

• The voice’s approval. Matthew repeats the message heard at Jesus’ baptism (Mt 3:17). The message combines allusions to the messiah (“my son,” from Ps 2:7), the “beloved” (Gn 22:2), and the servant who “pleases” God (Is 42:1, Is 44:2). God’s command to “listen” recalls Moses’ promise that God would raise up “a prophet like me” (Dt 18:15). Like the vision, these words are for the disciples’ benefit, to strengthen them for Jesus’ coming passion and death.

The Lenten Lectionary readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings ask how we are responding to God’s call and preparing for what happens next. Abram’s call reflects our own call to discipleship; we respond to God in faith without knowing all the details. Timothy’s ambiguity is our own; we trust in God’s plan, not our actions. The Transfiguration is a vision of what awaits us in the kingdom; it’s silent on what will happen on the way there. Discipleship is a call to transfiguration. Will we let the works of Lent change us? Will we use the scriptures to plot our way? Will we hear the voice that comforts our suffering and acclaims our coming resurrection?

—Terence Sherlock

17 March 2019: Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 15:5-12, 17-18 RCL: Gn 15:1-12, 17-18	Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14	Phil 3:17–4:1	Lk 9:28b-36 RCL: Lk 9:28b-36 or Lk 13:31-35

Becoming reconfigured

 During Lent the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested, transfigured, tells parables, forgives, and arrives in Jerusalem. This week’s readings ask us how and where we encounter God, and how such encounters change us.

In the first reading from Genesis, Abram argues with God about God’s promises. Although God judges Abram righteous because of Abram’s faith, God also sees Abram needs more than a promise. God offers Abram a covenant or a binding contract between two parties, expressed as a ritual common in the ancient world. Abram, in a “trance” or altered state, encounters God “in person” (in the form of a “smoking furnace” and “flaming torch”). The Lectionary editors chose this reading because the disciples also experience a divine encounter while in an altered state of reality.

In the second reading from Paul’s letter to the ekklesia in Philippi, Paul describes how the resurrected Christ “will transform our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.” Christ, as firstfruits (1 Cor 15:20), makes possible his disciples’ own resurrections and bodily transformations. The idea of transformation/transfiguration links the second reading to the gospel.

Luke’s gospel describes how Jesus is transfigured before Peter, John, and James. Luke uses dense references to Hebrew scripture to describe the disciples’ mystical and transformative experience.

• Prayer. Luke understands the transfiguration as a prayer experience. In Luke’s gospel, when Jesus prays, something important happens, such as the theophany after his baptism (Lk 3:21), his choosing disciples (Lk 6:12), and Peter’s profession of faith (Lk 9:18). Just as Jesus’ prayer initiates his transfiguration, so our prayers transform us: a change of heart/mind (metanoia), a divine encounter, or seeing another person in a new way.

• Sleeping/awaking. In the ancient world, people frequently experienced alternate reality in visions and trances. In the first reading, Abram meets God in “a trance.” Prophets like Isaiah (Is 6:1-13), Jeremiah (Jer 1:11-19), and Ezekiel (Ez 1:4-28) describe their experiences of God in visions or ecstatic states. In Hebrew scripture, sleep is often the medium for heavenly encounters or visions (Gn 15:12, Dn 8:18). Modern societies lose their appreciation for the mystical when they expect scientific proof from dreams and visions.

• Change in perception. Peter, James, and John could not fully understand what Jesus’ transfiguration meant until after they experienced his resurrection. Jesus’ transfiguration was not permanent; it foreshadowed his resurrected self. Once resurrected, Jesus is able to transform us, as Paul says, “to conform with” him. Baptism foreshadows what we might be at the parousia; as we allow Jesus to reconfigure us, we change how we understand ourselves, others, and God.

The Lenten Lectionary readings call us to walk with Jesus as he prepares for his transformative death. Today’s readings invite us to encounter God “in person.” We most often find God in private or public prayer. We also meet God in the presence of others, in the physical body of the believing community, in hearing the scriptural word, and in the ritual of sacraments. Like Abram and the disciples in today’s readings, we may also touch God in a “mountaintop experience:” an intense personal, spiritual, or emotional encounter. Each encounter can provide us with a new insight into God, others, and ourselves. How are we actively seeking God’s presence? Are we transfigured by prayer? Are we able to see the divine in the everyday?

—Terence Sherlock

25 February 2018: Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18	Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19	Rom 8:31b-34	Mk 9:2-10

Fathers and sons, sacrifice and service

 During Lent the believing community follows Jesus as he is tested and transfigured, and as he foretells his coming glory. For RCIA participants, Lent is a time of rites and prayers that prepare them for the sacraments they will experience at the Easter Vigil. Today’s readings, centering on the Transfiguration, ask us to consider discipleship’s service and sacrifice.

In the first reading from Genesis, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son. The literal reading emphasizes Abraham’s faithfulness to God’s word. Christian hearers recognize Isaac as a type of Christ (a son who is to be sacrificed). The Lectionary editors chose this story to match today’s second reading.

In the second reading, Paul reminds the Roman ekklesia that God’s love is an all-conquering power that overcomes every obstacle to a Christian’s salvation. God manifested that power fully when “God did not spare his own son, but handed him over for us all.” Paul presents Abraham and Isaac as a type or model for God and Jesus. Both fathers are willing to sacrifice their sons. Abraham offers a mortal son. God hands over God’s immortal son. God stops Isaac’s death, and through Isaac a new people of God (the Jews) arises. God allows Jesus’ transformative death, and through Jesus a new believing community (the ekklesia) arises.

Mark’s gospel recounts Jesus revealing his divine glory to Peter, James, and John. Jesus’ transfiguration confronts his disciples and Mark’s readers with the mystery of God’s kingdom and the place of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection within it. God the Father speaks only a few words in Christian scripture; when the Father speaks in today’s reading, we should listen:

• My beloved son. The voice from the cloud identifies Jesus as God’s son. God first announces Jesus’ sonship at his baptism, the start of Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Mk 1:11). Today God reiterates Jesus’ sonship at the Transfiguration, the start of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Mk 9:7). At Jesus’ death on the cross, a Roman centurion witnesses again to Jesus’ sonship (Mk 15:39).

• Listen to him. The Greek verb ἀκούω (ah-KOO-oh) means “to heed” or “to hear and understand.” God’s message to the disciples recalls Moses’ promise that God will raise up another prophet, and they must listen to him (Dt 18:15). Today God tells Peter, James, and John that Jesus is more than a prophet. The Son of God is the Word of God; Jesus’ teachings are God’s own teachings. Jesus teaches what kind of messiah he is (Mk 8:31) and how disciples should act (Mk 8:34).

This week RCIA candidates and the believing community hear about fathers and sons, and sacrifice and service. Abraham struggles with fatherhood and faithfulness. Paul envisions a Father who is so for us that he gives his Son to save us. The Father tells us to listen and understand the Son, whose words and actions teach discipleship. Are we like Peter, not knowing what to say at the thought of suffering? Are we like James and John, terrified of taking up our own crosses? Can we hear that the Father sent the Son to destroy every obstacle that we might ever face? Are we even listening?

—Terence Sherlock

6 August 2017: Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Dn 7:9-10, 13-14	Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9	2 Pt 1:16-19	Mt 17:1-9

Transfiguration: changing our view of ourselves and others

This week we interrupt Ordinary time readings to celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. In Lent the Transfiguration readings foreshadow Jesus’ coming glory at Easter; today’s readings emphasize Jesus’ glory at his second coming (parousia).

In the first reading the prophet Daniel describes his eschatological, or end-time, vision. For Jewish hearers, Daniel offers the consolation that God will bring about their victory over their oppressors. Christian hearers recognize Daniel’s promised “son of man” as Jesus, who will fully establish God’s kingdom when he returns. The Lectionary editors pair this reading with the gospel because of its parallels to the Transfiguration, including brightness (Mt 17:2), the clouds (Mt 17:5), and Jesus’ self-identification as “the son of man” (Mt 17:9).

In the second reading the author of 2 Peter gives his final message and advice. Scripture scholars place this letter’s composition around 135AD, making it the last written text of the canonical Christian scriptures. The author assures his hearers that Peter’s apostolic message is reliable because he was an eyewitness to Jesus’ glory (the Transfiguration) and he received the prophetic message (Jesus’ teachings). The author documents Peter’s experience to preserve the historical facts about Jesus’ life and teachings, and to capture the truths of the faith until Jesus returns.

In the gospel, Matthew describes Jesus’ physical transfiguration before Peter, James, and John. The Transfiguration story is full of scriptural references:

• The mountain. In Hebrew scripture, God always appears to humans on a mountain (for example: Abraham, Gn 22; Moses, Ex 3; Elijah, 1Kgs 19). By placing Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountain, Matthew is telling us that Peter, James, and John are about to encounter God.

• Moses and Elijah. In Hebrew scripture, Moses, who received the commandments from God (Ex 19), represents the Law; and Elijah, one of Israel’s great prophets, represents all the prophets. First-century Jewish tradition stated that both Moses and Elijah would return to announce and to welcome the messiah and God’s kingdom. By placing Moses and Elijah on the mountain in conversation with Jesus; Matthew is telling us that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the prophets, he is the messiah, and God’s kingdom is near.

• The cloud. In Hebrew scripture, a cloud indicates God’s presence among the people (for example, the pillar of cloud, Ex 13:21-22; surrounding the ark, Ex 4-:34-36; filling the Temple, Is 6:4). By surrounding Peter, James, and John with a cloud, Matthew is telling us that they will experience God’s presence.

Today’s readings invite RCIA participants and the believing community to reflect on the Transfiguration as a glimpse of future resurrection and parousia. But the Transfiguration has a message for us right now. Every day we see other people transfigured, and we ourselves are transfigured. We encounter someone whose words or actions make us see them differently. Or we have our own “mountaintop experience” that transforms our understanding of ourselves or our world. The Transfiguration did not permanently change Jesus, but it did permanently change Peter, James, and John. Are we open to God’s presence and the change it brings? Do everyday transfigurations transform our relationship with God and others? Is God well pleased with our words and actions?

—Terence Sherlock

12 March 2017: Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 12:1-4a	Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22	2 Tm 1:8b-10	Mt 17:1-9

Transfiguration: invited to be part of the story

 On the second Sunday in Lent–Transfiguration Sunday–the Lectionary readings invite RCIA participants and all the believing community to consider how God calls us and how such invitations can change us.

In the first reading, God calls Abram. God’s invitation marks the beginning of salvation history: God calls Abram and his descendants as the chosen people. Abram’s response allows God to enter into and to act in human history and allows Jesus, a descendant of Abram, to save all nations.

In the second reading from the second letter to Timothy, the author describes a Christian’s vocation–a “call to a holy calling.” God invites us to share in the grace and benefits of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection as God’s free gift to us; we have done nothing to deserve God’s invitation.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus appears transfigured. As a theological vision full of symbols, the transfiguration reveals Jesus as fulfillment of Hebrew scripture prophecies and hopes, divine Son, prophet, and messiah. The transfiguration includes the following actors:

• Peter, James, and John. Jesus invites these three disciples, his inner circle, to witness his transfiguration. They are present for both this vision of Jesus’ revealed glory, and for  Jesus’ agony in the garden (Mt 26: 36-46). Some scholars see the transfiguration and Gethsemane as mirror stories, showing Jesus’ seeming conflicting divine glory and human struggle. Peter, James, and John represent us at both awe-full and bewildering occasions.

• Moses and Elijah. Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the prophets) stand for the Hebrew scripture as the revealed word of God. Having Moses and Elijah present calls attention to their similarities with Jesus: Moses and Elijah worked miracles; fasted for forty days, were rejected by some of the chosen people; and encountered God on mountains. In Jewish tradition, Moses and Elijah have eschatological (end-time) roles: another prophet like Moses will appear (Dt 18:15-19); Elijah will return to announce the messiah (Mal 3: 23-25).

• God the Father. The cloud that overshadows everyone announces God’s presence, as it did at Sinai (Ex 24:15) and the Jerusalem temple (1 Kgs 8:10-11). God repeats the words from Jesus’ baptism (Mt 3:17). God’s command–“Listen to him”–recalls God’s promise to raise up a prophet like Moses; the people should hear and follow him (Dt 18:15). Jesus is both God’s son and promised messiah. The words, like the vision, are for the disciples’ benefit, to strengthen them for Jesus’ coming passion and death.

As we progress through Lent, the Sunday readings proclaim the sweep of salvation history. In every time and generation, God invites humans to be part of something greater than themselves. Abram’s call set in motion God’s saving plan accomplished in Jesus. Today’s letter tells us that God calls each one to be part of God’s continuing saving story promised at the transfiguration. As disciples who have witnessed the resurrection, we understand the transfiguration as a vision of our own future glory promised by Jesus’ own resurrection. What is our role in God’s story? Where does God fit in our own story?

—Terence Sherlock

21 February 2016: Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1	Response	Reading 2	Gospel
Gn 15:5-12, 17-18	Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14	Phil 3:17-4:1	Lk 9:28b-36

 

Transfiguration: God meets us; we are changed

On the second Sunday in Lent–Transfiguration Sunday–the Lectionary readings invite RCIA participants and all the believing community to consider how God meets us and how such meetings can change us.

The first reading, from Genesis, describes God and Abram’s meeting and covenant. Throughout the previous three books, God and Abram have been building a relationship. Finally “Abram puts his faith in the Lord” and he and God make a covenant together. God appears to Abram in smoke and fire to “pass between the pieces” of the sacrificed animals–that is, to “sign on the dotted line.” After this meeting Abram becomes Abraham, the father of nations, and his descendants inherit the promised land.

The second reading, from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, discusses citizenship and transformation. Philippi was a Roman colony (kolōnia, a settlement for retired Roman troops), and many Philippians were Roman citizens. Paul reminds the Philippian believing community that their real community and membership is with Christ, not with the Romans. It’s the Lord–not the Romans–who will “transform our lowly body,” into his glorious one. Paul uses the word μετασχηματίζω (meta-skay-mah-TIHd-zo), meaning “to transfigure, transform, or change;” this word connects the second reading to the gospel.

The gospel, Luke’s account of Jesus transfiguration, tells how Peter, James, and John understood a transformed Jesus and encountered God:

• Overcome by sleep/now fully awake: In the first reading, Abram encounters God while “in a trance.” Luke describes the disciples first as “weighted down (with sleep)” and then suddenly “awakened thoroughly.” In the ancient world, visions and trances were common. Prophets like Isaiah (6:1-13), Jeremiah (1:11-19), and Ezekiel (1:4-28) write about meeting God in dreams, visions, ecstasy, trances, or other altered reality. Luke’s hearers understand the sleep/wake language as a prelude to an encounter with God.

• Moses and Elijah: Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophets, are two important Hebrew scripture heroes who met God face-to-face. Both Moses and Elijah encountered God on a mountain (Horeb/Sinai). Luke places Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountain surrounded by scripture heroes who have seen God.

• The cloud and the voice: The phrase “cast a shadow” can also be translated “to envelop in a brilliant haze” or “to invest with supernatural influence.” In Hebrew scripture clouds, fire, and smoke often signal an encounter with God. God’s message–“This is my chosen son; listen to him”–is nearly identical to the words heard at Jesus’ baptism (Lk 3:22). God’s voice identifies Jesus as God’s son and chosen one (suffering servant), foreshadowing Jesus’ coming glory and his coming suffering.

The authors of today’s readings struggle with human words and ideas that describe and explain encounters with God. Such experiences change us and change the way we see the world. As with Abram, God meets us where we are. As our relationship with God grows and we journey in faith, we, like Paul, recognize where we belong, where we are citizens. As we encounter God daily–in others, in prayer, in sacraments–we are transformed. Are we open to meet God? Are we ready to be transfigured?

—Terence Sherlock