Lent, that season you would say is marked by penance, masterfully takes us by surprise with a Gospel full of sunshine and light. From the 40 days in the desert of sand to the mountain of transfiguration; from the yellow scorching heat to faces bathed in heaven’s light. Lent follows the seasons, beginning in winter and ending in spring.
The path of reality is like that of the spirit: a growth of life. Jesus takes with him the three most attentive disciples, calls again those who were first called, and leads them up a high mountain, asunder.
Holy geography: Jesus leads them high up, where the earth rises into the light, where the blue gently fades into the snow, where the waters that fertilize the world are born. “And he was transfigured before their eyes.” No details are given except that Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white. The light is so intense that it is not limited to his body, but spreads outward, capturing the fabric of his clothes and transfiguring it.
The clothes and face of Jesus are dazzling in the light. Peter’s enthusiasm, that amazed exclamation: how beautiful it is here! They make us understand that faith, to be vigorous, must descend from amazement, from falling in love, from a “how beautiful” shouted with all one’s heart.
Like an open tabernacle, his light envelopes the disciples, his light feeds our lives; he welcomes us into his light; transfiguration is not only about Jesus; you are next, let the light in.