God called Abraham to leave behind everything he knew – his family, his friends, his land – and set out on a difficult journey to a new land. He wasn’t told where he was going. All he was given was a promise of future blessing. We heard that in today’s first reading. Notice how Abraham responded. He went as the Lord directed him. And, we all know the end to that story. Abraham was, indeed, blessed: he became the father of the Jews, Christians and Muslims.
As we heard in today’s second reading, we are also called on a difficult journey – the journey to holiness. We may not be called to leave behind our family and friends – unless they stand in our way to holiness – but anything in our way of life that keeps us from God. For many of us, becoming holy requires a change of mindset – a different vision of the world, different ways of speaking, acting, and relating to those around us. Like Abraham, we are given a great promise, but the challenges are many. How can we, fallen and sinful as we are, succeed in becoming holy? Allow me to explain.
First of all, holiness is impossible for us acting on our own power. We can’t achieve it through willpower alone or through clever behavioral modification techniques. We might be able to build virtuous habits if we work hard enough, but sanctity is something more than mere human virtue; it is a supernatural participation in the life of God who alone is holy.
This means that holiness is not something we achieve as though we ourselves are the sole agents of our sanctification, like winning a gold medal in the Olympics. Rather, it is something we receive as a gift that invites us into a share in the divine life. Saint Paul tells us that very clearly this morning when he explains that we can persevere through all hardships with the strength that comes from God. In other words, it’s God’s power working in us that brings about our inward transformation. This is good news! While we must cooperate with the grace God is constantly pouring out upon us, we know that our growth in holiness is primarily the result of his work in our hearts.
As we make this challenging journey through life, and focus on holiness especially during this Lenten Season, we’re encouraged by the promise of God’s ever-present grace and the hope of what awaits us. We get a taste of what awaits us in today’s Gospel. Jesus gives Peter, James, and John a glimpse of his full glory to strengthen them in preparation for his passion and death. Jesus stands before them, revealing himself as he truly is, full of the strength and power of God.
In the midst of the struggles of our everyday lives, the Transfiguration also offers us hope, for it reveals that we, too, are destined to shine with the very glory of God. Through our baptism, the Spirit of God lives in us and configures us, day by day, into people who shine with God’s glory. The work of our sanctification has already begun.
This means that this season of Lent should be seen as an opportunity most of all for deepening our relationship with Jesus, the Son of God, who accompanies us in this lifelong journey, just as God accompanied Abraham and his descendants, the ancient Israelites. While spiritual practices such as prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are essential to our Lenten journey, holiness does not come from the sheer number of things we do. It comes rather through the spirit in which we do them, as we seek deeper communion with the One who is the source of all holiness.
As we welcome Jesus into our hearts in just a few moments through the reception of Communion, we are called out of our everyday experience into a new reality – from self-reliance to trusting in his work in our hearts. Through our communion with Jesus, we are set free from our fears and our sins so we can follow him on this journey through death and resurrection into the eternal glory that awaits those who are faithful to him.
We hear the reading of the Transfiguration on the second Sunday of every Lent to encourage us to put our trust in God. Like Abraham and Paul, like our Lord and the apostles, we will all be challenged as we put our trust more and more in God and in the Gospel message that Jesus proclaimed. And, like them all, we will face hardships in our journey toward holiness. Remember, those hardships are not accidental – they are all part of God’s mysterious plan for us. But, if we put our faith and trust in God – as Abraham, and Paul and all the apostles did – and, as we unite our suffering to Christ’s, great things will happen. We will pass through death and share in the eternal transfiguration God has in store for us in heaven. Let us reflect on this and renew our Lenten dedication so that this Lent will bring us even more deeply into the Paschal mystery and prepare us to share in our Lord’s glory forever!