Homily

Lent is not an ordinary time. It is a period during which we are called to reconsider our relationship with God while we go on living our ordinary lives. This is why we are asked to fast from ordinary things, to nourish ourselves more from the Gospel, to strengthen our prayer, to intensify our charity towards the weak, and to convert our heart to the Lord. These forty days before Easter can be days of a true interior journey. We could compare it to the journey that Jesus makes from Galilee to Jerusalem. The best way to let Jesus’ feelings grow within us is to stay with him, accompanying him through the next few Sundays and letting ourselves be guided by his words and his example.
The Gospel that we heard today as we continue on our way towards Easter shows us Jesus climbing the mountain with his closest disciples: Peter, James, and John. We have also been led to a high place, higher than the places to which our selfish and mean habits usually keep us bound. The Sunday Liturgy is neither a command nor the fulfilment of a ritual, but a moment in which we are torn away from our selfishness and carried higher. The Gospel says, “He took them with him.” That means he tore them from themselves and drew them into his life, his vocation, his mission, and his journey. Jesus does not like to walk alone. He does not see himself as a solitary hero, almost condemned to be superior to everyone else. He binds himself to that little group of men and kneads his life into theirs, even though he knows they are weak, fragile, limited, and limiting. Indeed, perhaps it is because of these things that he takes them and does not leave them behind, even if they do not always understand. Jesus is the true shepherd: he never grows tired of his friends and he always takes them with him.
That day he led them high on the mountain to pray. We cannot know the depth and the strength of Jesus’ feelings at those moments. But the description of the transfiguration lets us “see,” or at least guess, what Jesus was feeling. The evangelist writes that “while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white” (Lk 9:29). The change in his face was so great that it was even reflected in his clothes. The Gospels only tell of the transfiguration once, but it is not unreasonable to imagine that Jesus was transfigured - that his appearance changed - every time he began to pray. On that day his prayer also became a conversation with Moses and Elijah about “his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” Perhaps Jesus saw his entire historical life flash by in a rapid summary, letting him glimpse its tragic end. The disciples were there next to him, oppressed by slumber. They did everything to keep from being dominated by sleep, and they stayed awake and saw the glory of God. They understood who Jesus was and what kind of relationship he had with the Father. It was definitely worth every effort to keep looking at that face, so different from the faces of men and women. Words of gratitude and amazement came out of Peter’s mouth, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Perhaps he was out of his mind, but he was struck by the vision.
A cloud surrounded the three disciples and they were afraid. Immediately they heard a voice from heaven, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.” Amid the cloud and the moments of fear, a clear voice is heard. It is the Gospel that shows us the one in whom we should put our hope. When the three disciples opened their eyes, they saw no one besides Jesus. Yes, Jesus is the only master of life. He is the only one who can save us. This was doubtlessly an incredible experience for the three poor disciples, but it can be our experience too, if we let ourselves be guided by Jesus as he pulls us away from our selfishness and draws us into his own life. We will participate in a greater reality, we will feel greater feelings, and we will taste a different way of living. Our lives and our hearts will be transfigured, and we will become more like Jesus. With tears in his eyes, the apostle Paul reminds the Philippians that the Lord Jesus will “transform the body of our humiliation that it may conform to the body of his glory” (Phil 3:21). The transfiguration means breaking boundaries. It means contemplating how good the Lord is, how wide his horizons are, and how deep the demands of his Gospel are. This holy liturgy has let us see and hear Jesus. Let us stay united as we come down from the mountain and enter, with Jesus, into the week that is coming. We will not walk alone - Jesus will be with us as light, strength, consolation, and support as we continue on our journey towards Easter.