Jesus' Salvivic Sacrifice

Second Sunday of Lent

28 February 2021 

 

First Reading:  GN 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Responsorial Psalm:  PS 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19

Second Reading:  ROM 8:31b-34

Gospel:  MK 9:2-10

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

 

Today, we behold the story of Jesus' magnificent Transfiguration. Jesus, spending many of His human days with the apostles, had miracles of prophecy, healing, and deliverance to hint at the apostles His divine reality, but in the Transfiguration, Jesus' divinity takes to another degree. At such moment, Jesus transformed before the apostles lucidly so mystically! I can only imagine how incredible a sight it was for the apostles to behold!

The placement of Jesus amid Moses and Elijah, would you believe it has a rather popular and interesting interpretation? It was not arbitrary. To have Jesus situated deliberately in the midst of the two signifies His being culmination of what they represented: Moses, the Law, and Elijah, the Prophets!

In the Transfiguration, God the Father greatly extolled Christ the same way Christ was exulted in His Baptism. In Jesus' Baptism, the Father called Jesus "the Son whom [He] loves, with whom He is well-pleased" (Matthew 3:17). In the Transfiguration, Jesus was held as the Beloved Son, whom we should listen to" (Mark 9:6). It is clear as day in the Transfiguration how to Jesus, we must be all ears, but also minds, hearts, and souls.

Apart from listening, God also assigns us the task of evangelization. He may have told the apostles to observe silence as regards the Transfiguration, but He told them to proclaim Jesus' resurrection. Jesus' Transfiguration gave the apostles a glimpse at His God Nature, with His Ascension to the Father, soon to follow the Transfiguration, meaning we have a Great Advocate to speak to the Father on our behalf (as our Representative) and in our behalf (for our benefit); but it was Jesus' Passion and Resurrection in the first place that meant: in His death and triumph over it, we have One whose sacrifice pays ultimately for our sins. In the Bible,"the wages of sin is death", (Romans 6:23) and to exonerate the guilt, a sacrifice must be paid. Jesus is the eternal Price paid for the cost of our sins—multiple generations of them—would have incurred. This is why it is understandably  apparent the necessity to spread His salvivic Resurrection.

 

Prayer

 

Jesus, thank You for dying for us on the cross and for rising to life. It is with Your triumph over death that we have life. May the life You promise us in heaven afforded by Your sacrifice move us to be cultivators of good here on earth, and as we complete our good work, may we enjoy the fruits of our labors in heaven with You for eternity. Please always be with us and replenish us in our work of spreading You and Your good work. We ask these, in Jesus' most holy Name, Amen.