by Msgr. Joseph P. Calise
In today’s Gospel, Jesus brings Peter, James, and John up a mountain, a place considered the dwelling of God, where, from a cloud, also a reference to the presence of God as in the pillar of cloud that went before the Israelites during the Exodus, they hear the voice of God declare Jesus, “My beloved Son.”
Yet, as they come down the mountain, Jesus tells them to tell no one about the vision. That is going to be a difficult secret for them to keep. It is also not the first time Jesus imposes silence.
In Chapter 16 of St. Matthew’s Gospel, the chapter immediately before today’s Gospel, Jesus and his disciples are in Caesarea Philippi. He asks them who they believe him to be, and Peter makes his first statement of faith, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” After which, Jesus calls him “blessed” and the “rock” upon which the Church would be built. Then, he instructs all the disciples to tell no one that He is the Messiah. He knew they did not completely understand what those words meant — as was proven a few verses later when, after Jesus tells them the Son of Man is to suffer much, Peter rebukes him and is called not blessed but “Satan” and told to “get behind me.” Jesus did not want the wrong understanding of the right information to be circulated.
The contemporary understanding of the Messiah was that he would be a savior who would liberate the Jews from all enemies and allow them to live in freedom as the Chosen People. In introducing the reality of suffering into the definition, Jesus is teaching them a radically different concept of what it means not only for him to be the Messiah but also for them to be his followers. He is going to reveal to them a kingship that comes through a cross, a cross that he will invite them to carry.
Presumably, Jesus took them up the mountain to pray. Instead, there he is met by two Old Testament figures, Moses and Elijah, both familiar with the mountain-top experience of God. It was on Mount Sinai, under the cover of a cloud, that Moses would meet God and eventually receive the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Elijah, the great prophet, met God on Mount Horeb, where he recognized him not in the strong wind or earthquake but in a still, small voice.
The law giver and the prophet meet Jesus on a mountain and, as they speak to Him, the disciples see him transfigured and hear the Father’s proclamation, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” They have heard about the cross and now realize that that will not be the end of the story. Jesus’ transfiguration transfigures them! They know that being his disciples will ultimately mean more than just suffering, but that suffering will be part of the rite of passage.
But they must remain silent. They are told not to tell of the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. After the resurrection, they will understand it more fully, and after Pentecost, they will be able to proclaim it more boldly. With the grace of those two moments, they will not only understand what their discipleship means but will also be able to live it faithfully.
Lent gives us the opportunity to reflect on the crosses we are asked to carry in life, from simple day-to-day inconveniences to the acceptance of sickness in ourselves and in those we love. But since the resurrection and Pentecost are already real for us, we reflect on them with the trust that all discipleship promises that the cross will lead to resurrection. To paraphrase today’s second reading from the Second Letter of Paul to Timothy, may we bear our share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God, who in Christ Jesus destroyed death and brought life and immortality.
Msgr. Joseph P. Calise is the pastor of Transfiguration-St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Maspeth.