by Fr. Tommy Lane
Every Sunday in the Creed as we profess our faith we say,
I believe in one Lord
Jesus Christ,
…God from God, Light from Light,
true God from
true God…
Jesus is Light from Light. He is the Light from the Father who is Light. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus as Light from Light, on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured, Light from the Father who is Light. Jesus’ transfiguration was not just for Peter, James, and John. Jesus’ transfiguration is also for us. So, what does Jesus’ transfiguration mean for us?
The words the Father spoke to Peter, James, and John tell us what the transfiguration means for us: “This is my Beloved Son. Listen to Him.” (Mark 9:7) Listen to Jesus. The transfiguration, like Jesus’ resurrection, confirms that Jesus is God and that we are to listen to him. Listen to Jesus. Jesus does not want us at a distance but close to him and listening to him. We do that when we pray to him. Many times in the Gospels we see Jesus inviting us to be close to him and not distant. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says,
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. (John 14:1)
Later again in John, Jesus says,
I shall no longer call
you servants,
because a servant does not know
the master’s
business;
I call you friends,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father. (John 15:15)
Jesus wants us to be close to him, to listen to him, to spend time with him, to pray to him.
In our first reading (Gen 22) we heard Abraham listening to God, that is, obeying God. God’s command to Abraham shocks us. However, Abraham had already learned a number of times before then that if you don’t listen to God, it does not go well. He had learned that lesson the hard way, not just once, but a number of times. So, when God asked the big sacrifice in our first reading (Gen 22), even though Abraham did not know how God would provide a solution, by then Abraham did know that it was better to trust in God because life works out better when you obey God. So, as we heard in the reading, Abraham set about obeying God and God provided the solution: the ram for the sacrifice. That was anticipating the greatest sacrifice of all, God giving his Son for us on Calvary. Our second reading said God, “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all.” (Rom 8:32) Abraham saw that it is better to listen to God. It was better for Abraham to listen to God, and it is better for us when we listen to God.
As we listen to Jesus, pray to him, and spend time with him, we can have confidence because Jesus knows all about what it is like to be human. In the transfiguration we see Jesus’ divinity, but in his agony in Gethsemane we see his humanity. We see his humanity asking the Father to let the chalice of his suffering pass him by before he accepted it (Matt 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42, [John 12:27]). We see Jesus’ humanity when Luke tells us his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Perspiring what looks like blood is a very rare medical condition called hematidrosis that occurs when one is under extreme stress. (The word “hematidrosis” is formed from two Greek words: blood + water) For example, it occurred in soldiers in the trenches in World War I. Here is one description of it by a physician that I found:
What happens is that severe anxiety causes the release of chemicals that break down the capillaries in the sweat glands. As a result, there’s a small amount of bleeding into these glands, and the sweat comes out tinged with blood. We’re not talking about a lot of blood; it’s just a very, very small amount … What this did was set up the skin to be extremely fragile so that when Jesus was flogged by the Roman soldier the next day, his skin would have been very, very sensitive. (Lee Stroebel, The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus p195)
Jesus knows all about stress and being human. The transfiguration shows us Jesus’ divinity, but Jesus certainly knows what it is like to be human. Because Jesus is human as well as God, he knows and understands our struggles, crosses, and troubles and we can pray to him with confidence. Listen to him. Pray to him. Spend time with him.
In our psalm today we heard the prayer of someone trusting in God in a time of trouble:
I trusted even when I
said:
I am sorely afflicted (Ps 116:10)
That was someone listening to God even when the world was falling apart. Our second reading reminded us that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father pleading for us (Rom 8:31-34). Abraham learned a number of times that if you don’t listen to God, it doesn’t go well. It was better for Abraham to listen to God, and it is better for us when we listen to God. Although Jesus is Light from Light, his humanity gives us the confidence to pray to him and spend time with him. Listen to Jesus.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Second Sunday of Lent Year B
Trusting in God while waiting 2024
Related Homilies: Listen to Jesus even as he predicts his passion and death! 2006
Prayer: entering the love of Jesus 2023
Jesus’ transfiguration: a lesson in prayer 2016
Jesus’ transfiguration reminds us who we are and not to be negative
Second Reading: Jesus pleading for us at God’s right hand
stories about light of Jesus and light in Guadalupe