Westminster Tower Ecumenical Service
From the Gospel for the 2nd Sunday in Lent
Matthew 17: 1-9
Dc. Larry Brockman
We’re in the middle of Lent! You know, Lent, that 40 day period just before Easter when you’re supposed to fast and abstain from something and give alms and pray. At least that is what us Catholics are supposed to be doing during Lent. I’m resolved to give up beer and TV, for example. That should give me more time to reflect, and a clearer head to reflect with.
Now, I see where lots of folks from the other Christian denominations were distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday. I helped distribute ashes at a local hospital; and a Baptist minister was there too, helping us. I think they may have distributed ashes here, in fact. And since Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, that means that Lent is something all of us Christians are paying more attention to these days. Since these nice folks from Westminster Towers asked a Catholic to preach at their Ecumenical Service, I thought I would share some perspectives on Lent with you.
Now you might ask what the Transfiguration described in our scripture has to do with Lent. Well, first off, did you know that the three people who were transfigured- Jesus, Moses, and Elijah- shared something in common that echoes one of the Lenten themes I mentioned a moment ago? Namely, all three of them fasted for 40 days and 40 nights at some time during their lives. And they all fasted in the same desert wilderness- the region around Horeb. They fasted for 40 days and 40 nights- which is exactly how long Lent is. And all three of them did that in order to get close to God. Fasting has that effect because when you fast, you have a tendency to become more sensitive, more feeling. Fasting opens your senses because you realize that something is missing, you can just feel it, and so, you can be swept into a heightened sensitivity to other things while you are fasting. Fasting will help you to concentrate on God and listen to His message for you.
Now, as I mentioned, along with fasting, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah got away from people by going into the wilderness to make sure that they could use their heightened sensitivity to focus on God and God alone. There are two classic ways of getting away- going into the desert, and going to the top of a mountain. Let’s focus on the Transfiguration itself for a few minutes because it is an example of going up a mountain. Jesus takes his three most trusted apostles- Peter, James, and John up a mountain- but not just any mountain, a high mountain. Some scholars think it was a mountain nearly 10,000 feet high. That took some time; you just don’t climb a 10,000 foot mountain over night. And you can’t really take a lot of food with you either. So, these guys were in a fast of sorts as well. And so, this was a very isolated place where the Transfiguration took place, days away from civilization.
Once there, Jesus is Transfigured. But what exactly does that mean? Well, it comes from the Greek word “metamorphosis”, which implies a change in state. For example, when a caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis, it changes to a butterfly- a completely different manifestation, but the same creature.
So this means that Jesus changes in some very significant way right before the Apostles’ eyes, but is the same person. We hear “His face shone like the sun; and his clothes became white as light”. In other words, Jesus experiences a metamorphosis to His glorified state. Then, along with Jesus’ change, Moses and Elijah appear in a similar “transfigured” state. And what was the Apostles’ reaction? They were dumfounded- absolutely petrified. And so, in his frightened and confused state, Peter says something stupid about erecting three tents or booths or tabernacles- depending on which translation you read, as if doing such a thing can sustain this incredible and dazzling vision. It is then that we hear these words coming out of a bright cloud, as the voice of God the Father proclaims: “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”. These are the exact same words that God the Father proclaimed out of a cloud when Jesus was Baptized.
Indeed, these three most trusted Apostles took days to climb up that mountain with Jesus; all the while living sparsely. And once there, in an isolated spot, away from everyone and everything else, they had a direct encounter with Almighty God, an experience which was both awesome- because they saw a prefiguring of the Glory of God; but at the same time, an experience that was frightening- hence they fell prostrate in fear.
Now before going on, I want to take a few moments to talk about the symbolism in the Transfiguration scene. Most scripture scholars feel that Moses represents the law; and Elijah represents the Prophets of the Old Testament. And so, the Transfiguration links Jesus and His mission to fulfill the promise for a Messiah in the Old Covenant with the Old Testament covenant as defined by the law and the prophetic message. During the Transfiguration, Jesus meets and discusses this fulfillment with the very people through whom God chose to reveal the Law and prophecies in the Old Testament- Moses and Elijah. The Transfiguration, then, represents a kind of lesson that Jesus shared with his most trusted Apostles He gave them the opportunity to get away from everybody and everything so that they could see how he came in contact with God and discerned his own mission. And so, the Apostles saw Jesus in his own future Glory, the Glory of the only Son of God; and they experienced the awesome power of God the Father. The Transfiguration validated Jesus claim to be God, and demonstrated how one could come to the mountain in isolation, pray, and discern God’s will.
But the Apostles didn’t see any of this at all. They missed the point that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God, and that he was discussing his role in life- to be the Messiah that fulfills the Old Testament Covenant. They missed the point that they needed to reflect in a similar way on their mission in life by going into the desert or up the mountain to encounter God, and listen to His will for them.
During Lent, we are all challenged to use the 40 days that the Church calendar provides to prepare ourselves for the Resurrection experience that comes on Easter Sunday by fasting and praying; and by reflecting on our lives and our mission in life. The Transfiguration can be seen as an incident in which Jesus shares with us a formula for all of us to follow. First, fasting and preparation; then, the journey to the desert or the mountain; and lastly, listening to God and what his will is.
Our fasting doesn’t have to be difficult. It just needs to be substantive enough to sensitize us; to remind us that fulfilling our wants and desires is not what life is all about, but rather, doing the will of the Father. And our journey to the desert or mountain can be simple as well- the privacy of our rooms or a quiet corner in a garden, for example. It can be any place where we separate ourselves from the distractions of the world. And if we listen, we may just hear, or sense, the presence of God as the Apostles did.
One way to heighten such an experience is to imagine yourself in the midst of one of these biblical scenes- like the transfiguration we just heard this morning, or John’s story of the Woman at the Well; or a healing story, like the raising of Lazarus or the healing of the blind man. First, read the scripture several times slowly so you are familiar with it. Then, close your eyes, and go through everything the scripture describes as if you were a bystander or participant. And then maybe, just maybe, God will speak to you in some way. A hint, a nudge, a feeling, may come to you that will help answer your prayers whatever it is that you may have been looking for. God is always listening to us when we pray. But sometimes we don’t listen to him because we are looking for different kind of answer. God’s wisdom is a knowing kind of response Rather than a detailed roadmap on the steps to follow to solve one of our problems. It’s a validation- a warm feeling that things are OK. It’s a vision of something that leads us in the right direction; and it can also be an uneasiness that tells us to look elsewhere.
Every year we hear about Lent, and for many of us we start off resolved to make a special effort to get in touch with God. But like New Years resolutions, days, even weeks pass, and before you know it, the opportunity for our self examination and our purification is over. Before you know it, Easter has arrived and we are celebrating the Resurrection. Don’t let that happen this year. Rather, savor the season of Lent. Use it to find out how to make a change in your life to align yourself with the will of God. Then, the Resurrection experience on Easter morning will be one of true joy, knowing that you have made the effort to align yourself with the will of God.