February 28, 2023

Part of the work we do at Mercy Home is learning to see things from a different vantage point. Every child who walks through our doors comes with their own experiences, difficulties, and way of viewing life.

Interacting with those who have lives and experiences different from ours is an encouragement to look at life differently. By acknowledging the different vantage points from which others experience life, we are able to be filled with more compassion and understanding.

During this holy time of year we call Lent, the Lord invites us to walk with him as we pray, fast, and do acts of kindness for 40 days. On the Second Sunday of Lent, the Lord brings us, along with his disciples Peter, James, and John, up into the mountains where he is transfigured before their eyes. The disciples see Jesus in a completely new light as they hear a voice in the clouds cry out, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

In this Gospel passage, Jesus is joined by Moses and Elijah, two powerful figures from the Hebrew scriptures. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the best of the prophetic tradition. The powerful image given in this Gospel is that both the law and the prophetic tradition are fulfi lled in the person of Jesus.

On the mountain, from a different vantage point, the disciples are able to recognize who they have been journeying with throughout Jesus’s public ministry: He who is the beloved of God, the Son of God, and the fulfi llment of the dreams and aspirations of the Jewish people, plus much more.

This powerful encounter in the mountains is a turning point in the Gospel, where Jesus’s most trusted disciples see the revelation of God in Jesus. This revelation is incredibly important, for while they have witnessed this revelation and Jesus’s greatness, they will also soon see the same Jesus mocked, discouraged, and crucified in Jerusalem. It is interesting that the disciples wish to stay in the mountains and set up three tents. However, Jesus knows that the mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God does not take place in the mountains but rather amongst God’s people.

The season of Lent is an opportunity for each of us to pause, to pray, and to reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus. It invites us to look at him in a new way and be open to his powerful presence and love in our lives.

As we come to the table of the Lord to celebrate this Eucharist, we, much like the disciples, are nourished and encouraged by the very presence of Christ, the son of God, to proclaim the Good News of the Lord’s eternal kingdom in what we say and how we act.

I wish you a very blessed Lenten season!