March 12, 2006 – 2^nd Sunday of Lent "B"

Gn 22, 1-2. 9. 10-13. 15-18 ; Rom 8, 31-34 ; Mk 9, 2-10

Ananda Matha Ashram, Makkiyad, Kerala

H O M I L Y

The event reported in today's Gospel took place at a crucial moment in Jesus' public life. For a while the crowds had accepted Him and his message with great openness and even, at times, with enthusiasm. Then, as he gradually became a threat for the powers to be, the Scribes and the Pharisees staged a constant war against him and the crowds gradually deserted him. At some point Jesus clearly realized that his enemies were going to succeed and that he was going to die. He announced his death to his disciples and from that time on, he dedicated most of his time preparing and forming his disciples rather than preaching to the crowds.

Several times during his public life, especially when he had some important decision to make, Jesus withdrew to the solitude in order to spend some time -- usually a night -- in prayer. This is what he did after announcing his death to his disciples. This time, however, he did not go alone. He brought with him the three disciples that were especially close to him: Peter, James and John.

There, during his prayer, Jesus had to say "yes" to the will of the Father. He had to accept fully his mission, and therefore his death. Then, when every human expectation had been destroyed, when only pure, naked hope in the Father remained, when everything that was not his messianic mission was taken away or falling apart, his real identity was revealed. He was transfigured. The whole of his humanity was reduced to God's will on him. And since the three disciples had been privileged to share this moment of prayer, they were also admitted to this revelation of Jesus' identity.

Jesus did not become more divine than he was before. The divinity that always irradiated from him was probably not any more apparent than at any time before. But he was transfigured "before the disciples" or "in the eyes of the disciples". Something in them was changed -- a change that made it possible for them to see Jesus' radiance and beauty.

In that scene of the Transfiguration, there is a revelation, not only about the person of Jesus, but also about the nature of Christian life. Too often we are inclined to make our faith simply a moral ideal, reducing the gospel message to a rule of life, albeit a particularly noble one. We must let ourselves be transfigured, by becoming identified, in our whole human being, wit God's will on us. This can happen, for us as for Jesus, only when we have the courage to withdraw to the wilderness. Both our Cistercian Constitutions and our Document on Formation say that this is the goal of monastic life: to be transfigured, that is, to be transformed into the image of Christ.

We are also called to see everyone and everything in their transfigured nature. God reveals himself in everything and in everyone, when the eyes of our heart are made able to see. And since only those who have a pure heart can see God, we use the observance of Lent to dispose ourselves to receive this grace of the purity of heart. May this be the gift given us in this Eucharistic celebration.

Armand VEILLEUX

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