It is your face, O Lord, that I seek

Second Sunday of Lent (C)

For Peter, James and John the experience of the transfiguration of the Lord must have been a completely unexpected event. They had come to know Jesus of Nazareth and were convinced that he was the Messiah. But this event took their experience of Jesus to a whole new level.

St Luke tells us that Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and climbed Mount Tabor, a singular and quite high mountain in central Galilee rising 450 metres from flat country surrounding it. He only took three and not all twelve of his disciples.

St Luke says that he went up the mountain to pray. He withdrew to a place where he would not be distracted. He withdrew for the silence and solitude that enabled him to enter deep and undisturbed prayer.

As he prayed there was a theophany, a moment in which the glory of God was revealed.

In times past on Mount Sinai the manifestation of the glory of God took the form of thunder and lightning. The mountain shook and terrified the people. It was a display of the sheer power of God.

In this instance Jesus is transfigured. He changes as light engulfs him and radiates forth from him. It is silent yet glorious. His three closest disciples are extraordinarily privileged: they see Jesus now not just as Son of Man, but as Son of God. They were overwhelmed by the experience.

The Scriptures reveal many moments in which the glory of God is made manifest, sometimes to individuals and sometimes to whole groups. For instance, Moses is attracted to a burning bush which does not consume the bush and the voice of God speaks to him from the bush. Isaiah had a vision of heavenly glory as he prayed in the temple. There are many, many occasions in the Old Testament when God chose to reveal his glory.

In the New Testament the many miracles of the Lord are, as St John says, ‘signs’ of the power of God in him. And the Twelve witnessed the risen Christ appearing suddenly in their midst several times following the Resurrection.   

Similarly, Christian history records many examples of God’s power and glory being made manifest. One thinks of the apparitions of the Lord to St Margaret Alacoque, revealing his Sacred Heart. Then there are a number of extraordinary appearances of the Virgin Mary – to St Bernadette at Lourdes, to the children at Fatima. The mystics speak of revelations of the glory of God to them while deep in prayer.

Manifestations of the glory of the Lord are not uncommon as we view human history as a whole.

God is not a hidden god. Though for us we must walk by faith and not by sight – God is not manifest in our normal day to day life. However, we may have had a personal experience of the glory of the Lord or some special moment of grace which we know is a direct intervention of God into our lives. Some may be able to attest to a miracle, large or small, which we are convinced is the working of God’s love and mercy in our lives.

The evidence of Sacred Scripture and our Catholic tradition is that God desires to reveal himself to us and that God does act within human history. Of course, he has done this definitively in the Son of God becoming man. Jesus is the great theophany, the epiphany, the manifestation of God in human form.

The Christian life involves an encounter with the transcendent. Turning to the Lord in prayer is such a moment of encounter. In prayer we open our hearts to God. There is an exchange. Grace flows down upon us, silently and mostly imperceptibly. However, sometimes we sense in our spirits the presence or action of God.

Similarly, our prayerful reading of the Scriptures can be moments when the voice of God is heard in our hearts. Or we sense a moment in which are minds are enlightened by divine truth or wisdom. It is the Spirit quickening in us and God speaks to us through his holy Word. We know at these times that what we have received is much, much more than just our own insights or understanding. We have been drawn into a transcendent moment where God acts directly and with purpose.

Each sacramental moment is an encounter. How blessed are we to have the sacraments! In and through the sacraments our lives are caught up in the saving work of Christ. They are not simply mere rituals or religious rites, they are moments of grace. They are the chosen means, ordained by Christ, whereby his redeeming work continues to be accomplished in us.

The Transfiguration was a privileged moment for Peter, James and John. It enabled them to behold the glory of Jesus as the eternal Son of the Father. They had a momentary taste of heaven. They were shown in advance what would happen to Jesus in and through his Resurrection.

While we might long for such a powerful and convicting experience, it is not as though we are without opportunities to taste the glory of God and the wonder of his grace.

The entrance antiphon for this Mass can be our prayer today. It reads:

Of you my heart has spoken, Seek his face.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek

Hide not your face from me.

Archbishop Julian Porteous.

Sunday, 13 March 2022