March 1, 2021
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent (Year B) on February 28, 2021 at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Psalm 116; Romans 8:31b-34; and Mark 9:2-10.
Today we hear again of Jesus’ Transfiguration, believed to have taken place on Mt. Tabor. From the mountain, Jesus, Peter, James, and John would have had a sweeping view of the beautiful Jezreel Valley, one of the most important travel routes connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe. In the ancient world, you couldn’t get much of anywhere without passing through it. Whoever controlled the Jezreel Valley controlled intercontinental trade. For 7,000 years, many important battles between world forces have played out there.
On the strangely semi-spherical Mt. Tabor, overlooking the Jezreel Valley, rich with history and fertile farmland, Jesus and three apostles climbed for reassurance. Was it for Jesus to give reassurance to Peter, James, and John, was it for Moses and Elijah to give reassurance to Jesus, or was it for both? What assurances do we seek, as many of our neighbors continue to struggle in the dark valley of this month’s energy and water crisis?
At this point on our Lenten journey, we once again confess the sins that weigh us down. Let us be reassured that with God on our side, our world can be reconciled, protected, and transfigured through our own fight against evil.
My last out-of-state trip before the pandemic was a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The highlight of our last full day was visiting the Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor. Jesus probably visited Mt. Tabor many times over the years, as it was only about 8 miles from where he grew up in Nazareth. From there, Jesus, Peter, James, and John overlooked the Jezreel Valley, scene of so many important battles – those waged by Egyptians against Canaanites and by Philistines against Israelites. Did Jesus know that it was here that Saladin would defeats the Crusaders, that Napoleon would conquer the Ottomans, or that the Book of Revelation would predict the final triumph of good over evil?
The Jezreel Valley is a place not only of war and death, but also of beauty and life. Two million years ago, it was an underwater channel that connected the Mediterranean Sea to other major bodies of water. As geological forces raised this land upwards out of the water, it became the best farming land in the region, the very “heart” of the Holy Land.
And what Peter, James, and John saw on Mt. Tabor was truly astounding. Jesus was miraculously affirmed in his vocation by God, as well as by the presence of Moses and Elijah – representing the Jewish Law and the Prophets. I imagine that Peter wanted to stay up there because things seemed easy. Jesus was God’s Beloved. Victory was guaranteed. Who would want to go back down into the valley? Jesus had already told them that they were headed to Jerusalem for him to suffer and die. Why pass through this valley where there was death, hard work to do, and many previous defeats?
Mt. Tabor is an interesting place for us to contemplate the differences between three words we often use in Lent: change, transform, and transfigure. To be changed means to become different. Lots of us make changes in our habits during Lent, only to revert to our old ways once Lent is over. To be transformed means to become thoroughly or dramatically different. It’s still a neutral term: transformation may be thorough, but it’s not necessarily better. But to be transfigured means to be elevated, to become thoroughly or dramatically more beautiful. As we will observe with remarkable intensity over the next five weeks, the transfiguration of God’s love for us comes through the elevation of the cross.
This Lent, are we praying for our lives to be changed, transformed, or transfigured? Likewise, are we praying for our world to be changed, transformed, or transfigured? Even when we use the verb in a positive sense, changing the world is relatively easy. We do our part to build towards an easy-to-see, straightforward goal, and we trust that others will do their part, too. We’ve all sat through graduation speeches that have told us that we can change the world. But to transfigure the world requires the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must build consensus towards a harder-to-see goal with no clear pathway to achieve it. Such a goal requires us to believe that God will sustain us at every moment of the endeavor, because we know that we cannot achieve it otherwise.
God knows that we’ve had many sacrifices forced upon us in the past year… and even more drastic sacrifices during the energy and water crisis two weeks ago. But unless we prayerfully contemplate these sacrifices, they are merely involuntary changes, not deliberate actions that will transfigure the world. The story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son disturbs us to our core. But it is the foundational story of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam because Abraham approached the sacrifice voluntarily and with prayerfully contemplation.
Yes, during this pandemic, most of us have reduced our carbon footprint and our consumption of material goods. But it’s only temporary. As Sr. Dianne Bergant said recently: “To say we recycle is kindergarten. To say we reuse is high school. It’s good, but not enough. To say ‘I don’t need it’ is graduate school.”
Yes, during this pandemic, many of us have become more aware of the inequalities in our society. Communities of color suffer higher death rates from Covid-19, face more arduous recoveries from this month’s energy and water crisis, and continue to be underrepresented in our government. But such awareness will not transfigure our country’s economic system.
Mt. Tabor is one of my favorite places to visit in the Holy Land. With a magnificent basilica and a majestic view of the Jezreel Valley, it is a place where everything seems possible. From one generation to the next, it’s easy to see the historical changes there: the flags flying in the region keep changing. But it requires a longer view to appreciate the transfiguration of the area – literally, as God has elevated the land of the Jezreel Valley, it has become more beautiful.
Like our brief mountaintop experience with the gospel on the Second Sunday of Lent, we cannot stay here on Mt. Tabor. We need to return to the valleys of challenge, of risk, of engaging with people with differing viewpoints. We must continually ask the Holy Spirit to inspire us. Even when the path forward is not clear, we must find ways to work together to achieve our dreams for a better world.