02 March 2014
by Frank J. Hernando
Synthesis:
Today is the last Sunday of Epiphany and the coming week the Season of Lent begins. It is part of the Christian calendar that we talk about the transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain prior to the our scriptural and theological readings and reflection on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With the texts both from Exodus and the Gospel of Matthew in cycle A of the lectionary readings, we hear from the scripture how Moses went up the mountain for prayer and fasting for many days and thereupon the mountain received the commandments from God, we commonly know as the giving of the ten commandments, a summary of the laws and regulations that had bound the entire Hebrew people to God and each other as a nation.
Also we hear from Matthew how Jesus went on a mountain to pray and there together with three of his closest disciples, he was transfigured or metamorphosed into Moses and Elijah. Both biblical personages have been considered the bastion of the law and prophetic utterances respectively. Accompanying the transfiguration was the voice of God saying, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” This transfiguration leaves a mark on the connection of Jesus with God and his predecessors, Moses and Elijah who both stood for the unity of the Hebrew nation, given that the Hebrews were not a mono-ethnic nation, but a confederation of tribes which was very difficult to handle politically, socially and economically. Jesus’ mission to realize the reign of love through justice and unity by ending the system of blood sacrifice, received the affirmation that he is the Son of God and that his mission was a once and for all the blood sacrifice that will end the sacrificial system that had oppressed people in history and in the present.
Jesus Christ’s transfiguration for believers and disciples then and now discloses both personal and social aspects of life. The sacrificial system has not disappeared on the face of the earth, therefore the continuing confrontation goes on until the reign of love, justice and peace is realized. This can be seen in how many people have lost their dignity and have been alienated from the sources of abundant and meaningful life. Laborers, even with long hours of work could not receive just wages, the poor are marginalized and many people living in cities are deprived of their rights to healthy environment and basic social services. Jesus’ transfiguration is an assertion of the God’s holy will for the unity of the nation and solidarity of nations towards just, loving and peaceful world.
Our own personal and social transfiguration entail repentance, fasting from the habits and use of laws and regulations that prevent God’s love to grow in our lives. This transfiguration should encourage us to be like Jesus Christ who was not afraid to face the cruelty of the Jewish and Roman authorities but challenged them so that new life will emerge and transform society. The necessity of having a religious faith that transfigures our values and our character is much needed. We should transcend religiosity that perpetuate the sacrificial system to prosper. When we are able to transcend this, we are transfigured in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. +
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