On the Second Sunday of Lent, the Church leads us on a gentle hike up the slopes of Mount Tabor, to witness Our Lord’s Transfiguration. The three apostles who accompany Our Lord there will be those most intimately associated with His Passion. On Holy Thursday, we shall see how Peter, James and John will be invited to go with Him into the Garden of Gethsemane. There they will be present while He sweats blood at the prospect of what is to come. On Tabor, they are given a glimpse of His Glory. This is to prepare them – to prove to them that when Jesus suffers, it is only because He has freely and deliberately laid aside the glory and majesty which belong to Him by right and by nature.
The Transfiguration reminds us that behind the ordinary appearances of things there lies a much greater reality. Think of what happens when a grumpy little baby is baptised. It remains invisible to us, but once the water has touched that child's head, he is now a living Temple of the Holy Ghost. If only we could see the splendour of that soul in a state of grace, its brilliance would be too dazzling for our mortal eyes to behold. Likewise, if we saw the horrible effects of mortal sin on a human soul, it would be much too dreadful for any human language adequately to describe.
In the Blessed Sacrament, what presents itself to our human senses is common bread and ordinary wine. The reality, however, is infinitely more extraordinary and sublime than words can ever express. The Cure d ’Ars used to say that if we could see Our Lord Jesus in the Sacred Host, we would die – not from fear, but rather from love. It is a mark of God’s tenderness that His glorious presence remains veiled, otherwise we should never dare to approach the altar rails, never mind consume Him. Bearing this in mind, may we use this Lent to reflect carefully on the preparation we make before receiving Holy Communion, and the devotion with which we receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is so easy to live life on the surface, never really penetrating to the much greater reality of God’s presence in His creation. Holy Scripture tells us that every man, woman and child is fashioned in God’s own image. But how often do we really think about that in our dealings with difficult colleagues at work, or in our attitude towards the Sunday drivers who hog the road when we are cutting it fine to arrive in good time for Holy Mass? We surely need to remind ourselves that every human soul is intrinsically beautiful and valuable to God.
Lent, then, is a time for readjusting our focus, so that we look beyond the surface of things and contemplate those realities which are eternal. It is a season for reminding ourselves that all earthly gain and glory ends in dust and ashes – ashes which are just as dry and dead as the ashes we receive on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday. And to assist us in this readjustment of focus, the Church encourages us to fast, to pray and to give alms. In giving alms, or devoting some extra time and energy to those in need, we give honour to that divine image which is emblazoned on our neighbour's soul, and this is a form of worship which is exceedingly pleasing to God and an indispensable element of “true religion”. In fasting, we unite ourselves with Our Lord's Passion through self-denial, and we detach ourselves from worldly distractions. In praying, we lift our hearts and minds beyond the here and now to God in Heaven.
The glory we see in Our Lord's Transfiguration is a glimpse of the glory which we have been made to share. It should encourage us to make the best use of this season of Lent.
Father Julian Large