Similar to the First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent always recounts the story of the Transfiguration. This was that event in which Jesus took three of His apostles, Peter, James, and John, and “led them up a high mountain by themselves and He was transfigured before them.” (Mt 17:1-2) It is interesting that we have this account in Lent, given that there is a feast day on which this event is celebrated. (August 6).
In a sermon for this feast day, Pope St. Leo the Great gives some explanation of why this event took place, including the following which highlights its fittingness for being included during the Lenten season:
The great reason for this transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of his disciples, and to prevent the humiliation of his voluntary suffering from disturbing the faith of those who had witnessed the surpassing glory that lay concealed. (Sermo 51, 3-4. 8: PL 54, 310-311. 313)
One of the key lines from the account of the Transfiguration are the words that were spoken by the Father with a voice coming from the clouds which proclaimed: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” (Mt 17:5) Not surprisingly, one of the invocations from the Litany of the Sacred Heart draws upon this scene:
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is well pleased, have mercy on us
But this is not the only place where this voice from above proclaims this message. We also hear it in the account of His baptism in the Jordan River. After coming up out of the water, the Father says: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17) This is significant because it shows the unchanging posture of the Father to the Son, no matter the circumstances. Even as Jesus was hanging on the Cross, we know that the Father continues to be well pleased, a truth that no doubt supported Jesus in His Passion.
On the day of our baptism, we are made adopted sons and daughters of God, and though we do not hear the Father speaking in the same way, we believe that this is His posture toward us, seeing the life of His Son entering into our lives. The amazing thing to consider is that throughout our lives, because of our identity as these adopted sons and daughters, the Father’s posture of loving us and being well pleased with us never changes. This is a very helpful truth for us to constantly recall and foster in our hearts, especially when we are experiencing the difficulties of living the Christian life, when it becomes painful to accept the path on which we find ourselves. In that regard, I would like to conclude our reflection with another line from this sermon from Pope St. Leo the Great:
No one should fear to suffer for the sake of justice; no one should lose confidence in the reward that has been promised. The way to rest is through toil, the way to life is through death. Christ has taken on himself the whole weakness of our lowly human nature. If then we are steadfast in our faith in him and in our love for him, we win the victory that he has won, we receive what he has promised.
When it comes to obeying the commandments or enduring adversity, the words uttered by the Father should always echo in our ears: This is my Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him. (ibid.)