Vatican City: Pope Francis urges us to share the divine beauty and glory of Jesus’ transfiguration with others through daily acts of love and service.
On the second Sunday of Lent, the Pope was addressing the faithful from various countries gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City.
The Pope’s message was based on verses 1 to 9 of the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, which was read in the middle of the Mass. That is, it was the part of the Gospel where Jesus was transfigured on Mount Tabor.
‘The Pope shared a wonderful experience where the glory and beauty of God was revealed to his disciples. They witness the light of God’s holiness shining on Jesus’ face and clothing. God’s beauty is God’s love. The disciples saw with their own eyes the beauty and splendor of divine love embodied in Christ. At that moment they were able to experience in advance what the experience of Paradise would be’ – said the Pope, interpreting the passage.
The Pope said the disciples experienced immense joy, awe and wonder as they were overcome by the beauty of the Transfiguration.
‘Jesus was forming disciples through this experience. A little later, when Jesus was crucified and His face disfigured, His transfiguration prepared the disciples to recognize the same beauty of boundless love.
Peter wants to prolong the miraculous experience of the Transfiguration. But Jesus didn’t allow it, because He didn’t want to reduce His light to a ‘magical moment’. Rather, they want to remain a guiding light in their faith and the reality of life.
Christ is the light that guides the people on their journey, just as the pillar of fire guided the people in the desert. The beauty of Jesus does not distance the disciples from the reality of life, but gives them the strength to follow him all the way to Jerusalem and the way to the cross.
This Gospel also shows us a path: it teaches us how important it is to be with Jesus, even if it is not easy to understand everything he says and does for us. This season of Lent invites us to recognize His beauty in the faces of the people who walk with us every day. So many faces we see everyday. Smiling faces, tearful faces… they all speak of love! Let us learn to recognize them and fill our hearts’ – added the Pope.
The Pope encouraged the faithful to be more generous in our daily lives by loving, serving and forgiving more sincerely.
The Pope concluded the sermon by praying that Mary, who kept the light of her Son in her heart even in the darkness of Calvary, may always help us on the path of love.
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