Today, 13 March 2022, is the ninth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis, 266th Pope. Nine years of his Papacy has been a constant accompaniment of the elderly, the poor and migrants: people who are marginalised, victims of the “disposable” mentality. On this day, let us pray for the Pope and his intentions.
On the second Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to reflect on the transfiguration of Jesus. A closer look at the narrative would reveal deeper than a mere record of an event in history, a text of theology drawn up according to the biblical language. St. Luke’s version of transfiguration is the only one that specifies the reason why Jesus went up the mountain: he goes to pray (v.28). Jesus usually spends much time in prayer.
Luke speaks of a change of the aspect of his face. This splendour is the sign of the glory that wraps one who is united to God. Even the face of Moses became brilliant when he entered into dialogue with the Lord (Exodus 34:29-35). An encounter with God leaves some visible traces on the face of the person. After a time of Eucharistic adoration or celebration of the Word lived intensely, we return to our houses joyful, serene, smiling, tolerant and generous. Our faces are relaxed and emit light.
Two characters, Moses and Elijah, appear in the scene. They are symbols of the Law and the Prophets — all the Old Testament. Without Jesus, the Old Testament is incomprehensible, and Jesus, without the Old Testament, remains a mystery. On Easter day, to make his disciples understand the meaning of his death and resurrection, we find Jesus explaining the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Then starting with Moses, and going through the prophets, he explained to them everything in the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).
Luke alone records the content of the dialogue with Jesus: they spoke of his exodus, his passage from this world to the Father. The three disciples: Peter, James, and John, understand nothing of what was happening (Vv. 32-33). In moments that recall the passion and death of Jesus, these three disciples are found sleepy. In the garden of Olives, they would sleep again. Is it not strange that in crucial moments, their eyes are heavy.
Biblical authors often symbolically used sleep. Paul, for example, writes to the Romans: “This is the time to awake … the night is almost over and the day is at hand” (Romans 13:11-12). In the passage, sleep indicates the inability of the disciples to understand and accept that the Messiah must pass through death. When Jesus performed miracles, the apostles were all awake. But when he talks about the sacrifice of life and to become servants, they do not like to understand; they close their eyes to sleep.
For your reflection
The three tents perhaps indicate the desire of Peter to stay put into perpetuating the joy he experienced in a moment of intense prayer with the Master. We can relate to this experience: We prefer to remain in our comfort zones and do not want to face problems of life that cause us fear. But we are asked to do only one thing: “Listen to him.”
Father Josekutty
Mathew CMF
