Transfigured by love
This Second Sunday of Lent, just as we expect to hear scriptural readings foretell the passion and death of Jesus, we read about his transfiguration. Amidst our 40 days of meditation on Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we are given a foretaste of his resurrection, perhaps to assure us of God’s ultimate victory over sin and evil, and also to reassure us of God’s intervention in and reversal of our suffering. Moreover, the insertion of the story of Jesus’ transfiguration might be an invitation, as we enter more deeply into his Paschal Mystery, to reflect on his glorification, which occurs not only at the end – in his resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven, but in the very midst of his suffering – in the invincible power and radiant beauty of his self-sacrificing love unto death on the cross.
The Promise of Deliverance. In our First Reading, the Lord reveals himself as a God of compassion, attentive to the suffering of his children, promising them deliverance from slavery and life in abundance, “your descendants … will be enslaved and oppressed 400 years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions” (Gen. 15:7, 13).
Our Lord of compassion intervenes in human history, reversing negative realities – infusing hope amidst despair, promising land to the dispossessed and emancipation to captives. As though these were not enough, in our Second Reading, the Lord, moreover, promises to deliver us from our mortal, material bodies “into conformity with the body of His glory” (Phil. 3:21).
The Promised Deliverer. In the incarnation, God intervenes in human history in an unsurpassable manner – he inserts himself personally into the human race, becoming truly one of us. God works out our deliverance not while remaining in the heavens, but through his personal immersion and involvement as the Word-enfleshed, the awaited Messiah, in our sinful, fractured world.
However, the predominant image of the Messiah hoped for was of a royal leader in the manner of King David, who would re-establish the former glory of Israel through political power and military might.
Jesus distanced himself from expectations of an invincible political Messiah, and instead, foretold his passion and death. Instead of assuring his disciples places of honor, he asked them whether they were capable of drinking of the cup of suffering that awaited him.
Jesus expanded the notion of the anointed messiah, the upright mighty king, by declaring the intrinsic bond between suffering and authentic power. Jesus is glorious messiah not only after suffering on the cross, but in and through his passion and death. His glory does not consist in political power, but in the power of humble service. The glory of the messiah is revealed not only in the Risen Lord, but in Christ crucified out of love. Jesus’ glory is not found in his suffering per se, but in his steadfast love for the Father and for us, a love faithful unto death.
As we continue with our Lenten observance, let us distinguish between suffering that destroys and diminishes; that is, suffering due to sin and evil, such as poverty due to corruption, and suffering that transforms us and conforms us more closely to Jesus Christ. For instance, suffering as a consequence of sacrifices made for other’s well-being, such as the loneliness of our OFWs; or suffering as a consequence of courageously denouncing evil in society, such as the assassination of Arch. Oscar Romero. This second kind of suffering is redemptive and transformative. During this Lenten season may we love more and more, be willing to embrace suffering as a possible consequence, and be conformed more closely to our transfigured Christ.