A Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent

+ Our Lord well knew that Scripture says: “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered” (Zachariah 13:7 quoted Matthew 26:31). He knew that the Apostles must be scattered on the night of His betrayal, and that He must prepare them for that night. The preparation that Jesus gave His disciples was nothing other than an explanation of how the whole of Scripture is pointing to Him, and more expressly to His salvific act on Calvary. Nothing could be more explicit than the mount of the Transfiguration: Moses and Elijah, the two figures that stand as figureheads for the whole of the Scripture, summed up as the Law and the prophets, stand before Christ their Master.

But it is not only Christ Who is present, the apostles, being fully immersed in the Scriptural imagery, fully recognise the cloud overshadowing the Christ and His two interlocutors. It is the same cloud which was seen over the mount at the giving of the Law, which guided the Israelites through the desert to the Holy Land. It is the same cloud as the prophets saw over, and eventually leaving, the Temple of Solomon. The cloud of the presence of God, which is more fully recognised with the revelation of the Holy Ghost as the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Finally, it is the Father Himself Who speaks to them – “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.”

What is it that the apostles still needed to learn – to be taught with all Three Persons of the Trinity sharing so materially? Peter had already confessed Jesus to be the Christ the Son of living God. Still, however, they believed that Jesus, the Messiah had come to bring them a material liberty from the dominion of the Roman Empire – to be once again a free Israelite state. A belief that was incompatible with His death and Resurrection which Jesus was telling them about at the time.

Still in the garden on the night He was betrayed the Apostles tried to protect Jesus with the sword (Matthew 26:51), then they were scattered. The shepherd had now been struck, and still the disciples did not know where He was leading them. Even after the command to listen, the disciples did not hear what was being said to them.

It was only after the Resurrection, at Pentecost, when the overshadowing cloud once more returned, this time with tongues of fire (Acts 2:3) that they finally understood. The Scripture was now clear, for God Himself had come upon them and lifted the veil which had ever covered the Law (cf. Exodus 34:33-35). Now they knew that the shepherd could not be struck (cf. John 10:11-18), the sheep, therefore, could no more be scattered. Yet the prophecy which Our Lord references goes on from beyond the scattering of the sheep – there shall be a general persecution leaving only a remnant purified by fire and in close unity with God.

In showing His three closest disciples His Transfiguration, Our Lord demonstrated the nature of His Kingdom. It is not of this world, but here and now all must be done to fulfill the Scriptures – yet in so doing He reassured them that this is the way it must be. No longer after this would St Peter react with horror to the prophecies of the Passion. But Peter was still far from following His master to the Cross, for he had not yet been given this grace.

What the Transfiguration had done was to elevate their minds to the things of heaven so as to allow them to undergo the trials that would come upon them, even if they initially fled, without giving up hope in the Resurrection which has been promised to all who “persevere until the end” (Matthew 24:13). Yet our perseverance must stand unshaken against all that is set against us, our virtue must rest sure in Christ Jesus Who alone brings us to life everlasting. Our Lord promises that there will be trials (John 15:20), but knowing that His kingdom will recompense all that is suffered for His Name shall ever hold us true to the shepherd who cannot be struck down. +