{"id":6271,"date":"2017-03-11T16:36:11","date_gmt":"2017-03-12T00:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=6271"},"modified":"2017-03-11T16:36:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-12T00:36:11","slug":"the-god-of-transfiguration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lubukhati.org\/?p=6271","title":{"rendered":"The God of Transfiguration"},"content":{"rendered":"
The God of Transfiguration<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
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Second Sunday of Lent (Year A)<\/span><\/div>\n
March 12, 2017<\/span><\/div>\n
Matthew 17:1-9<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cThey were coming down from the mountain\u2026 (Mat\u00a017:9)\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
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In the Bible, the mountain is the place where God meets His people. On Mount Horeb, Moses saw the burning bush and received his calling to lead Israel out of Egypt\u2019s slavery (see Exo 3). On Mount Sinai, after the liberation of the Hebrews, Moses met the Lord and received the Law in the Mount Sinai (see Exo 19). Again on Mount Horeb, Elijah discovered the gentle presence of God (1 Kings 19:11-15). <\/span><\/div>\n
Psalmists also considered the mountain as the Lord\u2019s dwelling place (like Psa 3:5; 24:3). In fact, one of the titles of the Lord is El Shaddai<\/i>, and one of its probable meaning is: the Lord, the strong mountain (Gen 17:1).<\/span><\/div>\n
In today\u2019s Gospel, Jesus led the three disciples up to the high mountain. There, he was transfigured. His face was shining like a sun and his cloth turned to be white as light. Then two great figures of Old Testament, Moses and Elijah appeared and conversed with Jesus. Finally, the bright cloud covered them and a voice was heard, \u201cThis is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.\u201d<\/i> The disciples were so terrified and overwhelmed. Turning back to the ordinary form, Jesus touched them and assured them, \u201cRise and do not be afraid.\u201d <\/i>Then they went down from the mountain and continued their journey to Jerusalem.<\/span><\/div>\n
The Old Testament motif takes place once again in the New Testament, but looking closely, there are several striking differences. Firstly, people climb the Mountain to see God, but when the disciples were there, they saw Jesus transfigured instead. The episode becomes an early sign of Jesus\u2019 divinity in the New Testament. Secondly, Moses and Elijah were representing the best of Old Testament: the Law and the Prophet. Yet, Moses and Elijah were also the very characters that encountered God on the mountain. They reappeared in the transfiguration because they wanted to tell us that Jesus was the God they had encountered in the mountains. Thirdly, Jesus did not stay forever on the mountain, but He went down and continued His life among His disciples and other Israelites. This is a life-changing revelation: our God does not stay and sit nicely on the high mountain, but He goes down and is staying with us, in our ordinariness of life.<\/span><\/div>\n
Sometimes we are expecting to encounter the glorious God only on the high mountain. For some feel God in the charismatic worship meetings. Others encounter God in the great retreats and long recollections. Nothing\u2019s wrong with these noble devotions and religious practices. Yet, the danger is that we begin to dichotomize the religious life that is limited to the church or rituals and our daily lives outside the church. We must not forget the point of transfiguration that our God is also dwelling among us. Jesus is with us in our family and our efforts in raising our children. The Lord is present in our workplaces as we toil for our daily bread. He embraces us in the moment of trials and pains. He is never far, and we are never alone. And He is our God.<\/span><\/div>\n
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The God of Transfiguration \u00a0 Second Sunday of Lent (Year A) March 12, 2017 Matthew 17:1-9 \u00a0 \u201cThey were coming down from the mountain\u2026 (Mat\u00a017:9)\u201d \u00a0 In the Bible, the mountain is the place where God meets His people. On Mount Horeb, Moses saw the burning bush and received his calling to lead Israel out of Egypt\u2019s slavery (see Exo 3). On Mount Sinai, after the liberation of the Hebrews, Moses met the Lord and received the Law in the…<\/p>\n

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