Our Call to Transfiguration during Lent

 In our readings for this weekend, we see a preview of what we are going to be celebrating as Church at the end of our Lenten Journey. We also see what we are called to become during Lent, and at end of our life here on Earth.

Last weekend, we saw Jesus in his purest and highest state. The story of the Transfiguration in the Gospel needs no introduction to most, if not all of us. We know how Jesus took his disciples up the mountain, and how he was transfigured. We know how two of the most important figures from the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah, were also there and conversed with Jesus. But did you know why Moses and Elijah were there? 

To answer that, we need to go back to the Old Testament, and really look at the purpose of Moses and Elijah’s ministry. For Moses, apart from his mission to rescue the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, he was the giver of the law. The Jewish Torah, which is where we get the first five books of the Bible from, are in fact attributed to Moses. And the law of Moses is laid out across the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. These laws include the ten commandments, the laws for sacrifices and offerings, the law on social issues such as marriage and divorce, and the laws on looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. 

Elijah’s purpose on the other hand, is to be a prophet. As we talked about earlier this year, during the session on appreciating our Baptism, we know that Prophets are those who are called to announce the coming of the Messiah, and to prepare the way for the Lord. And in fact, God also worked a number of miracles through Elijah, such as bringing fire down from the sky when he challenged the worshipers of Baal. 



Putting these two together, and seeing them with Jesus in his purest and highest state, it actually gives the Transfiguration a great significance. With Moses, the representation of the Law, and Elijah, the representation of the Prophets, present with him on Mount Tabor, the Gospel tells us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the laws and the prophets, and that he was going to bring everything to fulfilment through the Paschal Mystery which we celebrate every Sunday, and especially at Easter. The Passion, the Death, and the Resurrection. He was going to fulfil the law of God’s love as the Messiah, through his cross! That’s why Jesus also speaks of this, when he tells his disciples not to speak of this account to anyone until he, the Son of Man, had risen from the dead. Jesus looked forward to his cross. Do we share the same attitude when it comes to embracing our crosses? 

In this prefigurement of heaven, we are reminded that we are destined to become. When we get to Heaven, after going through our own purification, we too will be in our purest state. We too will be transfigured. And Lent is a time to prepare us for Heaven, because after all, the Paschal Mystery which we celebrate at the Easter Triduum, and in fact every Sunday, is a foretaste of heaven! 

And we are asked to prepare by coming back to the Lord with all our hearts, by turning to him in Prayer, by fasting, and by giving alms to those in need. We are called, especially during Lent, to prepare for Heaven by embracing our crosses. This, in a way, is our own purification here on earth, so that we can prepare to love the Lord as fully and as purely as we ought to. 

How do we do this? Well, the Word spoken to us last weekend also gives us some instruction on how to go about it. 

Firstly, as we see in the Gospel, we are called to listen to Jesus, as the voice of the Father tells us. We are called to spend time in prayer every day, not just to tell Jesus all our problems, but to listen to him and to discern his will in our lives. 

Secondly, as we sing in the Responsorial Psalm, we are called to walk with him in this life here on earth, and to make him a part of our life each and every moment of the day, not just for 20 minutes a day when we pray. 

And thirdly, we are called to be obedient to him, just like how Abraham was obedient to God, to the point of being willing to suffer the grief of losing his only Son.  

As we prepare for the full celebration Paschal Mystery at Easter, and for eternal union with God in Heaven this Lent, the Transfiguration reminds us of what we are called to be, and how pure we ought to be. It reminds us that Jesus came to fulfil all the laws and the prophets, so that there’s every reason to trust that God will see us through everything in his time. How will we respond to his invitation to trust and to prepare?


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