Jesus climbs a high mountain. Mountains in the Bible are never just geography; they are symbols. They are like fingers pointing toward the mystery and depth of the cosmos. They tell us that life is an ascent—toward more light, more openness, more heaven.
On the mountain, Jesus’ face shines like the sun, and his garments become radiant with light. That sun-like face is not meant to remain distant from us. It reveals something profound about our own vocation. Each one of us carries within a hidden treasure of light, an inner sun. “You are the light of the world.” We share with God a beauty placed deep within us, often forgotten, sometimes buried, but never erased.
Lent surprises us in this way. A season traditionally linked to sadness, penance, and violet suddenly presents a Gospel full of light. It seems as if the Church aims to remind us that spiritual life is not about entering darkness but about making a joyful yet demanding effort to uncover the light and beauty within us and to help others do the same.
Peter’s reaction captures this perfectly: “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” His amazement reveals our vocation. We are all called to transfiguration—to receive a heart of light. Faith is not first of all duty or effort; it begins with wonder, with falling in love, with a heartfelt “How beautiful!”
Saint Paul expresses this mystery clearly: “By contemplating the Lord, we are transformed into his image” (2 Corinthians 3:17–18). Contemplation transforms. We become what we look at with the eyes of the heart. Prayer is not an escape from reality; it is the slow shaping of our face into the face of Christ.
Perhaps one of the most pressing tasks for Christians today is to reimagine the image of God. To show and declare a God who is neither gloomy nor oppressive, nor a deity of throne and power, but a radiant, sun-like God—whose true home is the brightness of a face. A God who embodies beauty, as seen on Mount Tabor.
This is why Lent is more than penance. It is conversion: turning toward the light. It asks us to stop obsessing over the faults of others and to learn instead how to recognise and call forth the light in ourselves and in everyone we meet. Not to punish shadows, but to search for beauty.
Then a bright cloud over-shadows them, and a voice speaks: “This is my Son… listen to him.” They climb the mountain to see, but God answers by inviting them to listen. The first step toward being touched by God’s beauty is always listening—giving time, silence, and attention to the Gospel.
Today, Jesus presents us with a radiant face, aware that moments will come when life hurts and the brightness seems to fade. However, the Transfiguration offers us a promise: the light is more powerful. Ultimately, the
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
