From Desert to Transfiguration

Last updated on: February 23, 2013 at 6:46 pm by Father Pablo Migone

From Desert to Transfiguration 2013-02-23T18:46:00-05:00 Father Pablo Migone

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Last week, the Gospel passage placed Jesus in the desert, hungry and tempted. We felt compassion for him; we experienced a glimpse of his humanity.

Today’s Gospel passage places Jesus on a mountaintop, dazzling and glorious. We feel excitement for him; we experience a glimpse of his divinity.

What a contrast. Is it contradictory? Not at all. Actually, you cannot have one without the other.
These two Gospel passages together describe the Lenten experience. Lent is a time to meditate on the fact that we cannot experience the transfiguration without first spending time in the desert. It is a time for us to experience here and now the dryness of desert so we may rejoice in the glory of the mountain top.

If I took a couch potato who sits in front of the television all day long and only eats junk food meal after meal to a soccer game and had him play, the site would not be very pretty. He would tire out in one minute and be unable to play.

To play a sport, you must first get in shape and exercise. Before going to battle, you must first get trained, before playing an instrument in public, you must first practice, and practice every day (as my piano teacher would tell me every week at my lesson).

In the same way Jesus prepared his soul for forty days in the desert, Lent is a time for us to prepare and train our own souls in order to be more faithful to the Lord throughout the year. As Jesus had to be strengthened before setting out on his public ministry, we too, can make this season of Lent a time to be strengthened.

We strengthen our will and our resolve to follow Jesus by making sacrifices and penances, offering something, even if small, to the Lord. In offering little things to God like ‘getting up earlier to say prayers’ or ‘not eating second helpings’ or perhaps ‘using facebook less’ or ‘eating no sweets,’ our will will be strengthened. If we can show restraint and say ‘no’ to small things, we will be ready to say ‘no’ whenever temptations overwhelm us and occasions of sin arise.

Being faithful to the Lord by offering him sacrifices will naturally lead us to the Transfiguration: a time when we intensely experience the blessings and joys that come from being reconciled with God and others.

No pain no gain.

The desert will lead us to the transfiguration, but the transfiguration then allows us to return to the desert full of hope and strength.

In the Gospel passage, the Transfiguration prepared the disciples for the trails they would soon face when Jesus was arrested and executed. The Transfiguration sustained them while thoughts of discouragement, despair and hopelessness arose. The Transfiguration was to remind them that there was hope in the darkness of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Transfiguration gave them the hope that allowed them to remain faithful till the resurrection.

The Transfiguration allowed them to survive the desert of Jesus’ passion and death.

When we feel the Lord distant, when we feel discouraged, we need to remember the blessings the Lord has given us in the past, we must return to the Transfiguration and remember we are never alone, because the Lord is always with us.

The Lord gives us the Transfiguration to give us hope throughout the journey of life which is oftentimes a desert. The transfiguration allows us to enter desert confident and unafraid.
Our lives are a constant movement between desert and transfiguration. At times we may feel as if we have one foot in each one.

This coming Thursday at 8pm Roman time, 2pm our time, Pope Benedict will retire as the Bishop of Rome and successor of Saint Peter. I truly believe this decision, announced two days before the
beginning of lent, set a very Lenten feel over the whole church. As a Church we feel sad that Benedict is in poor health and will no longer be our shepherd, yet at the same time we are joyful and hopeful that he has not made a hasty decision and that very soon we will have a new Pope.

Benedict has shown us that Lent is about letting go so that God may accomplish greater things in us and the world. Ultimately this is the Pascal Mystery of Christ: from death, the desert, comes life, the transfiguration, and that life allows us to bring life into the world and others.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 22, 2013

The Chair of Peter

Next Post

February 24, 2013 Roman Lent Station Church: Santa Maria in Domnica

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Article Catholic Lima Christmas Commentary History Homily Immigration martyrs Meditation Pope Reflection Saint Story Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 January 2010 June 2009 September 2008 August 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Shema" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Wait Obey Pray Hear