In this Sunday's first reading, God makes a triple promise to Abraham: of land, descendants and a "name". From him will come a great nation and God concludes: "All the tribes of the earth will be blessed because of you.". These promises are actually a foretaste of the greater blessing of eternal life in God. Not an earthly territory, but the heavenly kingdom; more than human offspring, to enjoy eternal bliss with God's people, including all those who have reached heaven through our help-our spiritual offspring; and more than an earthly name or fame, to share in the divine glory.
Another Old Testament text suggests this same idea. When God tells Moses how the people should be blessed by the priests newly instituted, he says: "Say unto Aaron and to his sons, Thus shalt thou bless the people of Israel: thou shalt say unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace." (Num 7:23-26). Blessing", then, is that the face of God, his face, be turned towards us, to see the face of God. This was a great desire in ancient Israel and was expressed in the psalms: "My heart says to you, I seek your face, O Lord." (Ps 27:8). St. Paul would later explain that heaven is to see God "face to face" (1 Cor 13:12).
But what is this "face" of God, if God is spiritual? Jesus Christ gives the answer, or rather is the answer. In his human flesh we see the face of God. And in today's Gospel we see him give his closest disciples a glimpse of it. We read that Jesus "he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as the light." If heaven is seeing the face of God through the glorified human face of Jesus, this episode was a glimpse and a foretaste of heaven. Peter rightly exclaimed: "It's good that we're here." and wanted to extend the experience by building three stores.
Jesus wants to encourage his disciples, who will see him soon "despised and rejected", "without figure or beauty that we should look upon him, nor beauty for us to wish him". (Is 53:2-3). This vision of his glory should strengthen them for the ignominy that awaits them. That is why our Lord insists as they come down from the mountain: "Speak to no man of the vision, until the Son of man be risen from the dead." Now is the time of suffering and rejection, which is the necessary path to the Resurrection. It is necessary to die in order to rise again.
– Supernatural Lent teaches us that, in order to see the divine and human face of Christ in heaven, we must contemplate and share his sorrowful face on earth: both through our own self-denial and acceptance of suffering and by looking with love at the faces of others who suffer around us.
Homily on the readings of the Second Sunday of Lent (A)
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaA short one-minute reflection for these Sunday readings.
