SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT A
TIME TO BE SILENT
MT 17: 1-9
MESSAGE
What a marvelous sight! What a miraculous spectacle! How glorious it was to see Jesus flanked on both sides by Moses and Elijah, representing the Old Testament Law and the Prophets. The apostles, bewildered though they were, were not untouched by this apparition before them.
The apostles heard the Father’s voice; they were enveloped in the cloud of the Holy Spirit; they beheld the majesty of their poor and lowly Lord. They had a first hand experience of the Most Blessed Trinity.
But why, in the end, the response to all these was to be silence? The Lord Jesus said: “Do not tell the vision to anyone…” At least, not yet, when they were caught up in cloud nine. For Jesus, it was important to keep such intimate experiences as parts of the secrets of God and must be cherished as secrets of the heart.
Why? Jesus knew it was not the proper time… the moment was not ripe for the message; the people’s understanding was not ready; their hearts were not fully mature to hold it in. The glory of Jesus as God, his coming Passion and Resurrection, the sending of the Holy Spirit will come in time. And only after a long and sedulous preparation.
The Gospel of this Lenten Sunday reminds us that certain things must be accounted as precious. Not all things are for Facebook posts or Instagram display. Not everything must be shared immediately. The spiritual life, the knowledge of God, the personal relationship with the Lord must first grow in hiddenness, in darkness, in silence, until such time that the Lord calls for it to be shared with the world.
REFLECT
This Lent, let us ask the Lord for the gift of intimacy with him and dedication to our neighbor in need of love. As we pray, fast and make sacrifices, let all happen within the heart. Jesus will make use of your spiritual gifts when the time is ripe, when you are fully formed in him, when the world needs your words and your witness.
