My sisters and brothers in the Lord,
This Second Sunday of Lent always includes an account of the Transfiguration of Christ in the Gospel and the Great Promise to Abraham in the first reading from the Book of Genesis. These important stories of our Christian tradition illustrate how we are transformed through our relationship with God.
The Book of Genesis in a foundational document for the Jewish people and for us who follow Jesus Christ. Abram would become the father of the Chosen People and eventually of the Christian Family. Abram’s faith, even in the face of being childless, was unwavering. Abram is among the first to hear this calling of the Lord. It is a call to follow the Lord, even when the future outcome seems impossible. Abram, and then Sarai with him, begin to follow God. With immediacy, there is the Great Promise given to the couple: “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,”  he added, “shall your descendants be.” God transformed Abram into a father beyond measure. As we understand more this historical relationship of God with His People, the more we come to understand Jesus coming in the flesh to save us is part of this ongoing relationship. However, flesh (or His Incarnation) is not the heavenly end of Jesus nor us as Christians; we will be transformed.
The Letter to the Philippians expands upon the Great Promise to Abram (beyond being as countless as the stars): “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.” Christians are citizens of Heaven. We await our entrance into everlasting life, when Christ will change our material bodies into radiant and immortal bodies. The challenge for us is to believe and to have the faith that Abram had in this God who loves us and seeks us out and bestows upon us promises. This can be difficult at times because it demands that we look beyond this life, and it demands that we enter into a transformative relationship with the living God on His terms.
The Gospel from Saint Luke gives an account of the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration allowed Jesus’ closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, to see his glorified countenance. This spectacular manifestation of Christ’s divinity strengthened their faith. Poor Peter had such a hard time wrapping his head around the event that he begins to talk about making tents! And, the Gospel tells us that Peter did not know what he was saying. It was clearly such an intense experience that other Gospel accounts speak of Peter sort of being out of his mind! The Transfiguration can have that effect on believers, even on world renown converts to Catholicism.

This post is not 100% written by me