Be Transfigured

Second Sunday in Lent

February 25, 2024

Mark 9:2-10

What does it mean to be transfigured?

In today’s Gospel we hear the familiar story of Jesus being transfigured and Peter, John, and James cowering in fear to see their Lord with Moses and Elijah. The Gospel writers tell us Jesus’s “clothes became dazzling white.” It had to be a fearsome sight indeed to behold Jesus, who they knew firstly as a man, standing there with Moses and Elijah, who they knew to be heroic, but dead.

To be transfigured is to change the appearance of a person or thing distinctly, usually in a very positive and often spiritual way. And clearly, we see this in the appearance of Jesus. I saw this in the face of my wife when our sons were born. And I saw it in the faces of my sons when their children were born. It is not just God or super holy saints who are transfigured. All of us can be lifted up and be made into something more beautiful and spiritual.

What might have happened if Peter, John, and James had not trembled in fear, but rather had embraced the moment and entered into it. Imagine how their lives would have been impacted had they stood there and engaged with Moses and Elijah. Would that have been presumptuous? Perhaps. But what we know of Jesus, there's a (big) part of me that thinks he would have enjoyed and even encouraged it. Instead of fearing the coming passion in Jerusalem, these three men might have been bold and fearless spokespeople to proclaim the goodness of what Jesus was doing. They would have served as unswerving leaders for the disciples and followers of Jesus, instead of denying him.

Even the earth cries out to be transfigured! And it not just the melting ice caps. There is a project ongoing in the Sahara Desert where they are stopping the spread of the desert sands by building grassy and tree lined systems. Known as the Great Green Wall of Africa, it will ultimately stretch across northern Africa from Senegal to Jubouri. The goal is to bring horticulture and agriculture back to the Sahel and prevent the Sahara from overtaking the towns and people along the Senegal River. And this is just one of many projects that are ongoing, showing that, when given a chance, Mother Earth can regenerate goodness, sacredness and be transfigured.

What does it mean to be transfigured?

It means that I can be more than I am today. I do not need to fear being in God’s presence, even if God is standing with some of the giants of our faith. I am worthy and I am loved. I too can be transfigured. I can be a part of transfiguring and transforming our earth. Whether it is supporting big projects like the Great Green Wall or picking up trash along a beach or path or city street. And I can share that transfiguring message with all that I meet.

As St. Francis of Assisi said:

     “Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.

     Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor vexation.

     Where there is poverty and joy, there is neither greed nor avarice.

     Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.”

Every Day