THE faithful one will walk before the Lord and precious is his death in the eyes of the Lord (Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19). Jesus transfigured is the beloved Son whose glory will be fully manifested when he had risen from the dead (Mark 9:2-10).
Walking faithfully before the Lord
PSALM 116 (115 in the Greek and Latin versions) for the second Sunday of Lent is a song of faith and of thanksgiving. The faith of the psalmist remains constant even amidst his great affliction because he has known how loving and compassionate God is. That is why he confidently says: “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living” (verse 9). He just knows that the Lord is there for the righteous and will not allow him to stumble; as a deeply believing person he intends to walk faithfully on the paths of the Lord. And even in the case of death, which people ordinarily think is a wretched event, the psalmist proclaims his trust that his own death will be precious and of special value in God’s sight.
The bond between God and the psalmist is strikingly graphic: he refers to himself as God’s servant–“your servant, the son of your handmaid”–as in the household structure where the son of a serving girl is born a slave and belongs as well to the master. But God had mercy on him and loosed him from servitude. Released from bondage, he now offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving and calls upon the name of the Lord in praise and gratitude, proclaiming before all the goodness of the Lord. Furthermore, he takes vows to be faithful to the covenant ever grateful for his deliverance, and nowhere else but before the presence of the Lord in the holy city of Jerusalem within the courts of the temple.
Transformed in God’s love
THE transfiguration of Jesus reveals his identity as God’s Beloved Son. This changing in form (transformation) is a manifestation of the eschatological fullness and glorious heavenly form that awaits the righteous—symbolized by a dazzling whiteness. “Up a high mountain” where Jesus is in loving communion with God, divine love permeates his entire being and like a white light at the center radiates outward illuminating the whole surrounding and affecting even his clothes.
High up on that mountain, Jesus shares God’s goodness with two men who also encountered God on mountains and were transformed: Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19) and the prophet Elijah of Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19). The two, prefiguring the prophetic dimension of the coming of the messiah, are seen in deep conversation with Jesus. Also, Jesus shares this mystical depth of himself with an inner circle of his friends, Peter, James and John. They knew and followed him earliest; they needed personally to know him best; they would be formally proclaiming him most. This miraculous vision of Jesus is a gift they would have to reflect upon again and again and share with others to help build a faith stronger than death.
When risen from the dead
THE proposal of Peter that they build three tents on the height echoes, despite their being terrified, the desire to hung on to this tremendous experience. “It is good that we are here.” But a cloud descends on them and covers them–the sense of transcendence deepens; mystery shrouds them. And a voice from the cloud reveals what was revealed to Jesus at the Jordan: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” The whole revelation is intended for the benefit of all followers of Jesus–to make them attentive and obedient to him, to sustain their commitment to him. As the disciples see “Jesus alone with them” without the other two figures, it becomes clear that Jesus is not one of the past prophets but the only one now for all.
The transcendent experience dissolves, and human reality sets in again complete with the shadow of death. Actually, the idea of death was not really absent: the identification of Jesus as “the beloved Son” recalls to mind Isaac, also called a beloved son (Genesis 22:2), set to be sacrificed. Jesus’ divine approval is beyond doubt, but God’s plan for him includes death because it involves “rising from the dead”. The disciples tried to figure out by themselves what “rising from the dead” means, but they would have to wait for the time when Jesus again shares with them that experience of divine mercy and love in his own paschal sacrifice.
Alálaong bagá, Jesus’ glorification is preceded by his death; his transfiguration on the mountaintop is a foreshadowing of the triumph of divine love following his sacrifice on Calvary. His would be the beloved Son’s death most precious in the eyes of God and of inestimable value to all humankind. In the great affliction of His faithful servant, God would come in mercy and compassion, so that all can call upon the name of the Lord in thanksgiving.
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