Our Lady of Carter Lake Catholic Church at 3501 N. 9th Street, Carter Lake, IA 51510 US - Striking Transformations

Precious stones have a magical quality about them, as anyone who has visited the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels can testify. One such stone is the exquisite and priceless blue topaz. Blue topaz is chemically a silicate of aluminum, which of itself has no beauty or brilliance. But under great pressure and heat exerted over millions of years, this dull opaque silicate is transformed into a transparent crystal with a remarkable blue color and clarity. Today’s readings tell us about other striking transformations. In Genesis, not only does God change Abram’s name to Abraham, but his whole destiny is changed as he now becomes the father of many nations. Paul says that our homeland is in heaven. It is from there that our Savior will come “to transfigure those wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body.” Finally, Luke describes the transfiguration of our Lord in the presence of his disciples: “As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning.” The gospel is a gold mine rich with symbolism. Moses represents the Age of the Law and Elijah the Age of the Prophets. With the appearance of Jesus, dawns the central age of history. Last week the devil uses the title Son of God to dare Jesus; today, the Father gives Jesus the same title to establish his identity: “This is my Son, my chosen one.” As for time, Luke places the transfiguration about eight days after Peter’s confession of faith. Perhaps he is hinting at the resurrection when Jesus will rise on the eighth day, Easter Sunday, the first day of the new creation. As for place, the mountain is not named. It is a theological mountain, a place where God reveals himself to Jesus as he did to Moses and Elijah earlier. Jesus’ purpose in going to the mountain is to pray. It was while Jesus was praying that he was transfigured. Prayer marks every significant stage in Jesus’ life. The theme of glory recalls the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem and the Hebrew Scripture revelations that took place on Mount Sinai. The word passage is the same one used for the Exodus from Egypt and anticipates the Passover, which Jesus will make from death to life. The change in Christ’s face reminds us of the radiance on the face of Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai, except here Jesus is resplendent with his own glory. The three booths or tents take us back to the wanderings of the Jews for forty years in the desert. The cloud is a sign of God’s presence just as it was during the Exodus when it covered the Tent of Meeting. As we come down with Jesus from the mountain to follow him on his way to Jerusalem __ where he will be put to death __ we have this transfiguration scene to remind us that the journey will not end in death, but in life; not in ignominy, but in glory. So too with us; our sufferings during Lent will be transformed into the joy of Easter. Our penances will be transfigured into the glory of the Paschal feast. If minerals like silicate of aluminum can be changed by immense pressure and heat into the brilliance of blue topaz, how much more can the ordinary elements of our own life -- with all the pressures and forces that bear upon us -- be transformed by God’s grace into something radiant and beautiful. But for this to happen, we have to be like Abraham and put our faith in God.

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