In all three cycles of our liturgical year, the Gospel for the second Sunday of Lent is the Transfiguration. The first Sunday of Lent focused on our present journey to holiness which includes overcoming temptations and their resulting faults and sins. This second Sunday presents the final goal of life, our destiny. That goal is glory, and it includes passing through death. When Jesus was crucified, it was a shock to his disciples. They had to explain why Jesus, the Lord, had to die that way when they began to preach about him. During the Transfiguration experience, Jesus is seen speaking with Moses and Elijah “of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” As the disciples reflected on this, they began to understand Jesus’ death as another exodus experience. Only his death free us from our primal fear of death and reveals the state of glory which is our destiny. “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself,” our Epistle today explains. Glory is a codeword for divinity. Divinity signs are all through the first reading from Exodus and the Transfiguration account: stars, clouds, dazzling clothing, fire. We don’t know what it means concretely, but we will be falling into this glory, we will be joined to God’s glory, after death. These are awe-filled Sunday Scriptures!
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia