Mt. 17:1-9 “They saw no one when the vision passed, but only Jesus”

  Second Sunday of Lent

Mass Homily by Fr. Raymond

Gospel Matthew 17,1-9.

TRANSFIGURATION  2011

• When Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain and was transfigured before them, with his face shining light the sun and his garments white as snow, he was leading them to an ever clearer knowledge of his divinity.  They did not yet, even after this wonderful moment of revelation, understand it – as is witnessed by the Gospel comment – “They saw no one when the vision passed, but only Jesus.” – but the picture was becoming ever more clear.
• The fact about this vision that would lead the Apostles, when they “pondered on these things”, to believe in the divinity of the Master, was the presence of Moses and Elijah in the vision.
•           The presence of Moses and Elijah in the vision would instinctively call to their minds the fact that these were the two great figures of the Old Testament who had each been granted a very special face to face vision of God.  Moses, on the mountain of God, Horeb, and Elijah at the mouth of his cave on the very same mountain.
•           Besides this wonderful clue to his divinity, Jesus was also teaching them something else.  He was revealing to them the glory destined, not only for his own sacred body, but also that which is destined for the bodies of us all for we are one body with him.  Satan, “the father of lies” takes us to the graveside and points down into the pit of corruption and decay and says: “That is the destiny of your miserable bodies”.  But Jesus takes us up to the mountain top and stands before us shining like the sun and says:  “This is your destiny!”   And we know that he is the absolute Truth.