THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (Cycle A)

The Divine Call: Embracing Our Christian Vocation

(Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9)

   In the journey of faith, every Christian is called to a specific vocation, a divine appointment that shapes not only their life but also the lives of those around them. This vocation may take many forms, such as dedicating oneself to teaching Scripture, engaging in a ministry steeped in prayer, serving the poor, or embracing the sacred call to the priesthood or religious life. For many, it may involve the Sacrament of Marriage, where couples are invited to nurture and guide the next generation of disciples of Jesus. Central to this understanding of vocation is the profound realisation that God's call to all believers is an invitation to embrace a transformed existence marked by faith and purpose.
   Today’s First Reading takes us back to the pivotal moment in biblical history when God invited Abraham to embark on a journey towards a new life, one filled with hope and promise. This call to Abraham is not merely a historical account but a powerful analogy for our own callings, highlighting three crucial elements that resonate throughout our readings:
1. Divine Choice Over Human Preference: The vocation bestowed upon us is rooted in God’s sovereign choice rather than in our personal desires or accomplishments. As indicated in the Second Reading, this calling is not shaped by our merits but is part of God's intentional and loving design for each of us.
2. Stepping Beyond Our Comfort Zones: Accepting God’s call often requires us to leave our familiar surroundings and comfort zones. Both the First and Second Readings remind us that this mission may involve trials and hardships. Just as Abraham left his homeland, we, too, may be called to move beyond our current circumstances to fulfil our divine purpose.
3. Promises of Blessing for Obedience: God’s call comes with the assurance of His blessings, contingent on our willingness to be obedient. In Abraham's narrative, God outlines a threefold promise: the establishment of a great nation, a multitude of descendants, and a blessing that extends to all the nations of the earth. Similarly, the blessings promised to Christians today encompass the gift of eternal life and immortality, culminating in the hope of witnessing Jesus in His glory, reminiscent of the Apostles' experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, as detailed in the Gospel Reading.
In the context of our reflection, the Responsorial Psalm offers a pivotal keyword: the Hebrew term "hesed", which signifies a deep and unique love that characterises the relationship between God and His people. This concept of hesed highlights a covenantal bond, an agreement that reflects both God’s promise of protection and the people's commitment to fidelity and devotion to Him. These biblical covenants signify more than mere agreements; they forge a profound familial connection between God, our Divine Father, and His people, who stand as His obedient children.
The Second Reading offers an inspiring glimpse into the life of St. Paul as he writes his second letter to St. Timothy, believed to have been composed in his prison cell in Rome shortly before his martyrdom around AD 67. In this poignant letter, St. Paul urges Timothy not to shy away from publicly sharing his testimony of Christ, nor to feel ashamed of the sufferings endured for the Gospel’s sake. Instead, he encourages St. Timothy to embrace these challenges, finding strength in the Gospel message of salvation, a testament to the enduring call and commitment that each of us is invited to embrace in our own lives. Through our reflections on these readings, we are reminded that our journey of faith is a response to God’s call to live out our vocations with courage and commitment, guided at every step by a profound sense of His love and purpose.
The story of the Transfiguration, as recounted in the Gospel, offers a profound source of hope for all who identify as Christians. It captures the extraordinary vision that every individual who heeds Jesus’s call to discipleship longs to experience, especially in moments of spiritual struggle or doubt.
In the preceding passages, particularly in Matthew 16:21-23, we see that the disciples and Apostles were likely gripped by deep fear and discouragement after Jesus foretold His impending death. This prophecy must have cast a shadow over their hearts, filling them with foreboding about what lay ahead. To counter this despair and give them a vision to cling to in their darkest hours, Jesus chose three of His closest Apostles, Peter, James, and John, and led them up a “high mountain.” There, He unveiled a remarkable manifestation of His divine glory, a sight intended to fortify their faith and confirm His identity as the Son of God, who possesses the ultimate power to transcend death and return in glory.
This moment becomes even more poignant when we consider that these three Apostles would also be separated from the others when Jesus faced His agonising moments in the Garden of Gethsemane. By revealing His glory to these particular disciples, Jesus equipped them with a deeply transformative experience they could hold onto when their faith would be severely tested.
The Transfiguration's mountain setting is highly significant. Throughout biblical history, mountains have traditionally been sites of mighty works and divine revelations. Notable examples include the Theophany of God on Mt. Sinai, where Moses received the Law, and the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus articulated key tenets of His teaching (Genesis 22:2, 11; Exodus 19:16-20; 1 Kings 18:19-39). As the “new Moses,” Jesus ascended this mountain not to seek a revelation but to impart a profound revelation of God the Son to His three Apostles. The specific mountain associated with this event has been debated; one tradition identifies it as Mount Hermon near Caesarea Philippi, while the more widely accepted location is Mount Tabor, a prominent, isolated mountain approximately 1,843 feet high. This mountain, located about six days' journey from Caesarea Philippi and west of the Sea of Galilee in the northeast region of the Plain of Esdraelon, has been revered by Christians as the site of the Transfiguration since the 4th century AD.
In the original Greek text, the term “transfigured” is rendered as “metamorphoo.” This term evokes imagery of transformation, particularly in the context of Jesus’s glorious appearance. The radiant description of Jesus, adorned in brilliant white garments, recalls the account of Moses, whose face shone with divine light after encountering God on the mountain (Exodus 34:29-35). Additionally, Jesus’s dazzling appearance mirrors Daniel’s vision of a mysterious figure, posited by many scholars to be the pre-Incarnate Christ, as described in Daniel 10:5-6. This imagery is further echoed in the glorified vision of Christ presented in the Book of Revelation, specifically in Revelation 1:12-15, where a remarkable figure is depicted in similar radiant glory.
The climax of the Transfiguration is marked by the extraordinary sight of the long-deceased figures of Moses and Elijah appearing and conversing with Jesus. Their presence offers compelling evidence of the immortality of the soul, assuring the disciples (and all believers) of life beyond death. In the broader tapestry of the Old Testament, Moses is recognised as the liberator of the Israelites during the Exodus, the lawgiver who entered into a covenant with God at Sinai and conveyed His laws to His people. Elijah, on the other hand, represents the prophetic tradition, serving as a staunch advocate for God's message among the wayward Israelites of the Northern Kingdom. Together, Moses and Elijah symbolise the entire scope of divine revelation through the Law and the Prophets, fulfilling and affirming the continuity of God’s plan leading up to the New Covenant established by Christ.
The disciples had the unique privilege of knowing Jesus in His earthly form during His ministry. However, a pivotal moment in the New Testament, the Mount of Transfiguration, allowed Jesus to reveal Himself to a select few in His divine glory. This extraordinary vision was granted to the hierarchy of His Church, specifically to the Apostles Simon Peter and the brothers James and John Zebedee. They witnessed this profound event alongside two monumental figures from the Old Testament: the lawgiver and liberator Moses, and the revered prophet Elijah.
In this powerful manifestation on the Mount of Transfiguration, the three Apostles witnessed a significant convergence of the Old and New Covenants, with Jesus positioned as both the culmination and the inception of divine revelation. Moses and Elijah embodied the Law and the Prophets of old Israel, while Peter, James, and John represented the new Israel, encapsulating the essence of the New Covenant and the Church that triumphed through Jesus’s teachings within His Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The vision served as a critical reinforcement for the Apostles, fortifying them amid the challenges they would face in the climactic year of Jesus’s ministry.
It is noteworthy that John’s Gospel does not record the Transfiguration, as John typically refrains from reiterating details that the Synoptic Gospels address thoroughly. However, John recounts a different event during Jesus’s second year of ministry, when He travelled to Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Booths or “Shelters” (Jn 7:1-2, 10). This festival was deeply rooted in the Mosaic Law, obliging every man of the covenant to attend (Ex 23:14-17; 34:23; Dt 16:16; 2 Chr 8:13). The specific requirements for its observance are detailed in Leviticus 23:33-43.
Given the chronological proximity of the Transfiguration to the Feast of Booths, Peter’s suggestion to build booths or tents on the mountain, as recorded in verse 4, becomes particularly logical. In making this suggestion, Peter appeared to recognise a transformative understanding: the Old Covenant's ceremonial structure was no longer binding. Instead of making the pilgrimage to the Jerusalem Temple for worship, he proposed that they worship God the Son right there on the mountain. This contextual clue suggests that the Transfiguration likely occurred near the Festival of Tabernacles/Booths.
As the event unfolded in verse 5, while Jesus was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, casting a shadow over the scene. From this divine cloud came a thunderous voice declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” The Greek term for the shadow cast by the cloud is episkiazo, a word that appears in the New Testament account of the Holy Spirit overshadowing the Virgin Mary during the Incarnation (Lk 1:35). It also parallels terminology found in the Greek translation of Exodus, where God’s Spirit overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 40:34). Throughout Scripture, a cloud is a recurrent manifestation of God’s presence (Ex 16:10; 19:9; 24:15-16; 33:9; and 2 Mac 2:8).
The Divine Voice that resonated from the heavens recalled the voice heard at Jesus’s baptism (Mt 3:17). The proclamation, “This is my beloved Son,” served as a profound confirmation of Peter’s earlier declaration of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, articulated just days before in Matthew 16:16. Yet the command, “listen to Him,” served a dual purpose. It not only rebuked Peter’s earlier rejection of Jesus’s foretelling of His imminent Passion (16:22-23), but also affirmed Jesus’s identity as the prophet akin to Moses, a promise foretold by God in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. This prophecy concluded with a solemn warning to heed the prophet's voice, emphasising the severe repercussions for those who chose to disregard His teachings (Dt 18:18-19).
When the disciples heard the divine voice from Heaven, a profound fear gripped them, and they fell prostrate on the ground. Their terror was overwhelming, for they were not only witnessing a miraculous event but also experiencing the awe of the divine presence. In this moment of vulnerability, Jesus approached them, gently touched them, and reassured them with the words, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” As they lifted their eyes, they found only Jesus with them, His radiance of glory fading back into His familiar earthly form.
   This parallels the experiences of the children of Israel, who heard the voice of God during the momentous Theophany at Mount Sinai (Ex 20:18). Similarly, it echoes the extraordinary vision the prophet Daniel had, in which he was enveloped in fear as he witnessed a divine figure (Dan 9:15-18; 10:7-9). Just as Daniel felt overwhelming fear and fell to the ground, so too did the three Apostles, paralysed by awe of the Holy. Yet, as Daniel was comforted by the enigmatic “man dressed in linen with a belt of fine gold and burning eyes,” who assured him not to fear (Dan 10:10-12), Jesus immediately sought to calm the Apostles' hearts and spirits.
   Once they had regained their composure, it became clear to them that Jesus’s appearance had reverted to what they had recognised before the Transfiguration. The descent from the mountain carried significance beyond the mere event; Jesus instructed the Apostles to withhold the extraordinary revelation of His true identity until after His Resurrection. This command was not merely about secrecy; rather, it symbolised the profound nature of the experience they had just witnessed. The Transfiguration was a pivotal revelation of Jesus's divine identity, showcasing His transformation from His human form to the glorified Divine Son.
   This miraculous transformation enabled the Apostles to make sense of the impending events of Jesus’s Passion and death. Although the news of His suffering was difficult to grasp, the reassurance that His ultimate demise would lead to the glorious triumph of His Resurrection on the third day became more poignant (Mt 16:21). The experience also offered deeper insight into the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, as the Apostles witnessed the presence of God the Holy Spirit in the Glory Cloud overshadowing Jesus, and the voice of God the Father resonating from Heaven, affirming the sanctity of God the Son.
The narrative of salvation in the Gospel has always been interwoven with God's divine plan, initiated at the dawn of Creation. The entirety of Jesus’s mission of redemption is destined to culminate in a grand unveiling when He returns in glory at the end of the Age of Humanity. In that monumental moment, all of humanity will have the opportunity to see Him as the three Apostles beheld Him during the Transfiguration (1 Thes 6:16-18; 1 Tim 6:14; 2 Tim 4:1). Jesus’s redemptive work has two paramount effects: it signifies a resounding victory over death, both physical and spiritual, and it confers the gift of eternal life. Consequently, the sacrifices and sufferings endured on Earth for the Gospel of salvation will pale in comparison to the eternal rewards that await believers.
The Transfiguration ultimately offers an unwavering source of hope for all who profess faith in Christ. It embodies the transformative vision that every disciple who heeds Jesus’s call longs to witness. At the time of judgment, we will either behold Jesus in His heavenly glory as we stand before the throne of God, with Jesus as our Advocate, or encounter Him in His transfigured state should He return before our deaths. This promise of divine revelation and glory fuels our hope and instils in us the courage to proclaim confidently: “Come, Lord, Your servant is waiting!”