TRANSFIGURATION FROM A DISFIGURED SELF!

MARCH 20, 2011 

Second SUNDAY of Lent
by Lorenz S. Centino, Jr.

MATTHEW 17:1-9

1	And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart.
2	And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light.
3	And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Eli'jah, talking with him.
4	And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah."
5	He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
6	When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe.
7	But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear."
8	And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9	And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead."

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:

A BLESSED SUNDAY TO ALL!

It is very normal for us to want to linger on longer in a situation or experience that is blissful or that which makes us feel ecstatic and overwhelmed by a wonderful feeling of awe and amazement. That would be a therapeutic moment that provides us an escape from a stressful and troublesome daily routine in life. Who wouldn’t want to feel happy a little longer in a party with friends who we seldom see and hang out with? Who wouldn’t ask for an extended stay in a place where one feels secure, safe and contented? Who wouldn’t want to spend more time with popular and famous personalities when one has the rare opportunity of being with them?

In the Gospel today, Peter, James and John desired to stay a little longer in the mountain where they climb because of what they are witnessing up there. They witnessed an extraordinary and spectacular incident. They witness Jesus’ TRANSFIGURATION. His face SHONE like the SUN. His GARMENTS became WHITE as LIGHT. What a marvelous scene that would be to witness and experience. Who wouldn’t be mesmerized in awe with that kind of transfiguration before one’s naked eye? Moreover, what more surprising and astounding to them is seeing prominent and historical figures present within their reach. They saw Moses, a great leader, savior and law-giver, and Elijah, the greatest of the prophets of God, TALKING with Jesus. They could have thought at that very moment to be transported into a different dimension of existence. They could have thought they are in heaven. They could have thought that they were transported into the GLORIOUS COMPANY of God’s SAINTS in His Kingdom. And so they want to pitch a tent up there so they can stay longer.

However, what the disciples have seen and experienced up there will be contrasted completely when they will come down and go up to Jerusalem. Up there in Jerusalem their hearts full of WONDER will be transformed into FEAR and ANGUISH seeing Jesus crucified on the cross. Their desire of STAYING longer in a “HEAVENLY” place will be changed into urgency to RUN AWAY and HIDE in a secret room to secure themselves and avoid the painful fate of their master from happening to themselves. On mount Calvary, who they will see to be talking with Jesus will not be a law-giver but CRIMINALS, not a great prophet but SINNERS. The transfiguration of their master will be clouded with a DISFIGURED image. The glowing face of Jesus will be covered with PAIN and SORROW, and his white garments will be claimed by his tormentors by casting a dice so for him to be displayed NAKED that will show his body full of the BLOODY marks of torture. Up there on mount Calvary, they will have a DISFIGURED master.

The TRANSFIGURATION of Jesus in the mountain is the foreshadowing of what he will GAIN for us through his DISFIGURATION on the Cross. By his suffering and death, Jesus is bringing us and leading us to climb into the mountain of the GLORY in his RESURRECTION. However, to share in the glory of his resurrection, we need to be LIKE Jesus. We need first to DISFIGURE ourselves from being enslaved by SIN in order for us to be TRANSFIGURED into the image of Jesus and share in his glory.

Our Lenten Season is our journey up to our own personal Jerusalem to pray and reflect so that we can break free from anything that hinders us from following Jesus. In such journey Jesus is leading us not to fix our eyes on things that will make us be stuck in the mountain of marvelous experiences of earthly glory and contentment, even on mystical and spiritual experience that will hinder us to go back to the challenges of life. He rather asks us to fix our eyes unto the path of going down from the mountain of our Lenten spiritual exercise and piety to carry our own cross of transforming ourselves to shine the glory of God in our words and actions and put to on the garment of Christ’s teachings that will shield us from back-sliding into our disfigured self by sin. The Gospel today, therefore, bids us to REPENT and to make this Lenten Season our own TRANSFIGURATION from a DISFIGURED SELF by SIN.