SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

All Things Fall Away But Christ

This week, like a good mother, the Church prepares us for the long journey of Easter by nourishing us with today’s Gospel (Luke 9:28b-36). We are encouraged to take confidence in the grandeur of Christ so that we do not become disheartened or weary during the turbulent moments of life. Through the Transfiguration, God prepares the Apostles—and us—for the Passion of the Savior of all nations.

The ecclesiastical writer, Origen, teaches that on the sixth day, Christ led the Apostles up Mount Tabor. This points to a deeper truth: just as God completed His creation in six days, we, too, must rise above our attachment to created things, moving toward the seventh day—Sunday, the Lord's Day, the Resurrection and our eternal rest—where we will behold the Holy Face of Jesus Christ in His glory.

Looking back at salvation history, we recall the Patriarch Moses on Mount Sinai. In our recent reading of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we learned that Jesus Christ is the High Priest who mediates on our behalf. Moses, too, was a mediator, but his role was imperfect. Christ, the fulfillment of the patriarchs and prophets, offers us a foretaste of His perfect sacrifice. Jesus teaches us that we can know God more fully and personally only through Him. On Mount Sinai, Moses was not granted the privilege of seeing the face of God, and it appears that he was unaware of the Holy Trinity. However, in Christ, God is fully revealed. First, at the Transfiguration, Christ leads the Apostles to hear the voice of God the Father, confirming His divine Sonship. Second, He calls all men, from all walks of life—fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners—to become disciples and, ultimately, saints. Third, Christ leads the Apostles to witness the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a cloud, echoing the encounter of Moses on Mount Sinai.

Through the Transfiguration, Christ reveals that all things fall away, but He alone remains. As the Gospel says, "when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus." In this, we find the heart of the Transfiguration: Christ alone is our foundation, our hope, and our guide through the trials of life. He strengthens our faith, revealing God’s plan in its fullness and preparing us to walk with Him through the Passion toward the glory of the Resurrection. Amen. 

–Joel Castaneda

Send Us Forth are reflections written by St. Matthew parishioners and friends.