2nd Sunday of Lent - Fr. Leo
Central to our faith, is the Paschal Mystery of Christ. This mystery embraces the Christ’s death and resurrection. Resurrection can not be separated from death, and both form the underlying rhythm of our life in Christ.
We see this rhythm in the gospel today as Matthew recounts the disciples experience of Christ’s transfiguration. At one point, they stand in total awe of the fullness of God’s light shining through Jesus as his face shown like the sun. Then they are prostrate, full of fear of what they can’t comprehend.
Think how we experience this dynamic in our own lives as we move back and forth between confidence and fear, peace and anxiety, and sadness and joy. Transition is always this kind of sharing of the dynamic of the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.
When we are at the threshold moments of moving into something new, and as we leave what was so familiar behind, we can experience the fear the disciples felt as they prostrated themselves before God’s glory. All change shares in this emotion, but the beautiful thing in today’s gospel is that, precisely when they are prostrate in fear, Jesus touches them and says, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”
It will help our transformation into Christ if we can have the faith to hear these words addressed to us, and to believe that God is with us and that we don’t need to live in fear. This takes a lot of faith for this to become the foundation of our lives.
Let us pray, that with God’s help, we may have confidence to trust in His love, let go of fear, and make this gift the foundation of our lives and our gift to others. Amen.