SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
25 FEBRUARY 2018
This
story of Abraham about to sacrifice his son is horrifying. The ancient author rushes through this story
with sparse details. Our modern minds
cannot conceive of a situation in which a mentally stable father would think
about sacrificing his only son. (Can you
imagine Abraham saying to Isaac later that year, “Isaac, let’s go on a
father-son camping trip?” No thanks,
Dad, I’ll pass!) Even worse, we wonder
what kind of God would demand such a sacrifice!
Our modern
instincts miss the real point. This
passage is really about an all knowing and all loving God, and about a man who
places his entire trust in God. It is
about a man who trusted that God would keep his promise to give him his own
land. It is about a man who trusted that
God would make his descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and the
sands on the shore of the sea, even when he asks for the sacrifice of the son
who is the link to that promise.
Saint Paul
takes this dynamic and turns it on its head.
He describes a Father who loves us so much that he has sacrificed his
Son for our sakes. The Father proves his
love by allowing his beloved Son to suffer a horrible and humiliating death for
us. Saint Paul writes these words to
encourage the Roman Church to put their trust in Jesus Christ, even when they
are being persecuted and killed for their faith in his death and resurrection.
Saint Mark
has a similar intent in telling the story of the Transfiguration to disciples
struggling with the cross. After Jesus
tells his disciples that they must share in his suffering, cross, and death, he
takes them up a high mountain. On that
mountain, he is changed in appearance.
Surrounded by the two great heroes of the Old Testament, his clothes
became so white that they are nearly blinded.
Peter wants to build three tents.
And then they hear a voice from the cloud affirming, “This is my beloved
Son. Listen to him.”
The three
disciples are given a mystical experience.
And that is what the Transfiguration is – an experience of spiritual
things within the ordinary, using classic symbols to describe an experience
that is impossible to describe in human language. Mystical experiences place us on a mountain,
where we have a clearer vision of how everything fits together. Mystical experiences provide clarity of light
– the ability to see beyond the ordinary.
Mystical experiences create a need for worship. That is why Peter wants to build three tents. His suggestion connects with the Jewish feast
of Tabernacles – when they camped out in tents or tabernacles, like the
Israelites had had camped out in tents in the desert and housed the tablets of
the law in a Tabernacle. The voice
confirms that this is a very personal connection with God.
Many of us
have had mystical experiences at one time or another. Today’s Gospel invites us to reflect on one
of those times when we could not put what happened to us into words. At the Mass when I was ordained a deacon, I
had one of these experiences. After the
Archbishop of Cincinnati laid hands on me and a priest friend vested me, I was
on a mountain. Everything made
sense. I could see clearly. After months of struggle, I had made the
right decision. Even though that feeling
stayed with me for days, I could not put it into words. God was with me!
Be sure to
reflect on a transfiguring moment in your life.
It may have allowed you to perceive the spiritual within ordinary
appearances. It may have called you to
worship, to thank God. You may have
instinctively known that God loves you personally. These mystical experiences convince us that
the spiritual reality is greater and more beautiful than ordinary
experiences. We need to hold these
mystical experiences in our hearts, because we too must carry the cross and die
to ourselves. As we continue our journey
through Lent, these mystical experiences convince us that death is not the
end. The end is in resurrection!
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