The Glorious Vision (2nd Sunday of Lent)

Second Sunday of Lent

Genesis 15: 5-12,17-18  ;  Ps 26  ;  Philippians 3:17 – 4:1  ;  Luke 9 : 28-36

ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Rubens Transfiguration of Christ

We are presented with the Transfiguration of our Lord today, not just to remember something wondrous that happened to our Saviour, but also to be reminded that we too are called to transformation. We are, if you like, being given a vision of our destiny in Christ. As St Paul said,

our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Last week we were confronted with the temptations, and by them, with a vision of an anti-Christ, a diabolical vision, a vision where power is abused. This diabolical vision was of the using of power in order to manipulate and to force. It was a possible future for the Saviour; He had the power, He could do it, but that would have been a fallen Christ, an anti-Christ. Yet the attraction of that way is still entertained in men's hearts, not because they have the power to do what Christ could have done, but more generally for the use of power to try to find ultimate solutions, to try to find salvation in them.

We see in the Temptations of Christ, the temptation to manipulate matter for salvation (stones into bread), which we call technology; or we see the temptation to manipulate human beings with power, with earthly authority in politics (Lording it over all people as an earthly king).

These two temptations are in fact very common in our present age. The potential of technology can be intoxicating, and the temptation to think that by it we can find solutions to all our problems is very great. But not only technology, but also through politics. It is tempting to think that through politics we can find ultimate solutions, that we can find salvation for people. The devil tempted our Lord with supreme earthly authority (if He would worship the devil). But this would, of course, have resulted in an evil despot making Hitler, Stalin and Herod seem quite tame in comparison.

Here today we are presented with a glorious vision not of the abuse of power, but of a transfiguration of Light.

 as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white

Christ resists the diabolical path. His is the path to Light. His is a blessed path, of beatitude: of poverty of spirit, of mourning, of thirsting for righteousness, of being persecuted for being the Christ, of being pure in heart, of being meek. And that is a path which gives Christ authority, but authority over heaven as well as earth, a heavenly authority. This is not about politicking, manipulating, or abusing power at all – it is being the very opposite.

And where does this way get us? Well we seem in the eyes of the 'world', in the eyes of the media of today, as being weak and ineffective. Sometimes we might actually believe that too. But the truth is that the media does not have the eyes to see, nor the ears to hear. On the mount of transfiguration Peter, James and John had the privilege of seeing and hearing the truth, which they share with us.

To the world of Jesus' time how would his 'movement' have seemed to be? Successful? A wandering Rabbi with a group of disciples? How could that line up against the powers of the Temple, and the powers of the Roman Empire? - a group of mostly Galileans following a Nazarene – fishermen and the like. Because of the lack of vision, because the world can only see things in terms of power, this Galilean movement would seem to have no hope. The truth was the opposite; because the power that they had, was heavenly not earthly.

We see this contrast all too clearly when the gaze of the media is upon the Holy See or the Church generally. They can only see things in terms of politics, of parties, of struggles for power.

We are presented today with a vision of what we all are aiming for: divine Light. We are aiming for heavenly solutions, not purely earthly ones. We are to look with eyes truly open, and ears truly open, to see and to hear the things of the Spirit, and not be perturbed by what the world has to say.

…our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.

 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Fr Ian is a catholic priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England. He is by papal dispensation married. He lives in a former convent with his wife and children in Devon, near the sea.