The Gospel Reading for the Second Sunday of Lent is always
about the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mt. Tabor. This year, Year B, the story
is taken from Mark 9:2-10.
This is a story about encountering God.
This reminds us that we need to climb up a mountain in order
to encounter God and experience the glory of God.
Why this story is read during Lent?
To simply put it, because it is to remind us what the
destiny of our Lenten journey is going to be like. In other words, it is to hint us that the
resurrection of the Lord, upon enduring his passion and death, will be as
glorious as the Transfiguration.
But, there sure is another reason.
To me, it is to remind us of necessary discipline to
complete our Lenten journey, enduring all challenges on the way. The story of the Transfiguration is also a reminder of necessary disciplines to encounter God in His glory.
Note that the Gospel story tells that Peter, James, and
John, the three privileged disciples, who witnessed the Transfiguration in the
dazzlingly bright light, had to climb up the mountain, led by Jesus.
Anyone who has climbed up a mountain with significant height
knows it is not easy to reach the summit. It demands a lot to endure
up-climbing path with incremental road conditions, as there are rocks and
pebbles, making it dangerous to work and easy to fall and injure. This sure tempts climbers to quit.
But, if we quit, then, we would not be able to reach the
summit. It means no encounter with God and His glory, metaphorically speaking.
I often compare Lenten journey to a full marathon. The 40 days of Lenten journey – the 26.2
miles road journey of a marathon.
The Transfiguration narrative can put Lenten journey in
light of mountain climbing, in addition to completing a full marathon.
Just as completing a marathon demands not only enough
physical strengths but also mental discipline, so does climbing up a mountain.
Likewise, our Lenten journey demands our spiritual and mental discipline to
fend off various temptations that try to make us quit or to derail us from our
Lenten commitment.
Reading the Transfiguration story on the Second Sunday of
Lent reminds us that we need to fix our eyes on the goal of Lenten journey –
Easter. But, the glory of Easter is found only on the mountain top. In other
words, our Lenten marathon finish line is drawn on the mountain summit.
The Gospel story for the Second Sunday not only to inspire
us to endure many more challenging days to come with our hope for Easter but
also to remind us that rejoicing in Easter glory is only for those who endure
the Lenten journey. This is like the fact that not everyone who crosses the
start line of a marathon can cross the finish line. Only those who endure the
challenges on the course, not only with their strengths but, more importantly,
by pacing well with their mental and spiritual disciplines.
As Peter was in the Gospel narrative, it is easy for us to
get carried out by the amazement of the glory and act as if we did not know
what we were doing. So, let this story of Peter as our reminder to focus on our
disciplines. This way, our disciplines will prevent us from acting as silly as
Peter did, with a prospect of the glory in our destiny.
In fact, Lenten marathon mountain-climbing journey is our
annual practice for our eschatological journey into New Jerusalem or New Eden,
which is described in Revelation 22.
After Peter, James, and John witnessed the glory of the
Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, Jesus told them to keep their experience to
themselves until his resurrection. A
reason for this is the same as why Jesus told a leper, whom he cured, not to
tell his experience with Jesus to the public.
It is because Jesus did not want the world to know his divine power too
soon. And, he also knew that not everyone can appreciate his divine quality –
as not everyone who signed up to run a marathon can necessarily endure the
journey and cross the finish line.
Keeping such an exciting experience to themselves demands
some discipline, too. It is easy to let ourselves be carried out by excitement
and fail to keep such a promise. But, Jesus demands those who encounter the
divine power to discipline themselves to prevent their excitement from breaking
the promise.
Knowing that our Lenten journey will take us to meet the Lord
in the glorious light of the Resurrection sure excites us and helps us to
endure challenges on our Lenten journey. However, at the same time, this
excitement has a hidden trap to loosen our self-discipline.
Our journey is so long, like a marathon. The journey is as
challenging as a marathon and climbing a mountain. Undisciplined runners tend
to sprint from the start line and drop out during a marathon. On our Lenten
journey, we shall not be like them. So, let us keep our pace by exercising our
disciplines. For this, let us make sure that our excitement will not let us get
carried away from the pace and course.
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