Second Sunday of Lent, Year C, Lk.9: 28b-36

Lk.9: 28b-36
“Unless there is a good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday. ” (Ach. Bp. Fulton. J. Sheen) The heroic witness of Fr. Emil Kapaun testifies to the fact that glory is followed by a struggle. He was born on April 20, 1916, on a farm in Pilsen, Kansas, about 60 miles north of Wichita, to Elizabeth and Enos Kapaun. He was ordained a priest on June 9, 1940. He served as a U.S. military chaplain to troops in India and Burma in the final years of World War II. After his studies at Catholic University in Washington, he served the Diocese of Wichita as a parish priest for two years. Then he re-joined the US Army as a Chaplin. He was sent to Japan in 1949. A month later, North Korea invaded South Korea and his troops were asked to assist the South Korea.
In November, 250,000 Chinese troops entered the war from the north, and his unit was overrun by the Chinese troops. During the Battle of Unsan, he rescued about 30 soldiers and ministered to countless others. He volunteered to remain there rather than fleeing himself, and be safe. He was captured on November 2, 1950 and forced to march 60 miles to a prisoner of war camp. He saved another soldier from execution and encouraged the wounded soldiers to carry others who could not walk on their own. During his seven-month stay in captivity, he dedicated himself totally to the service of others without regard to race, colour or creed. He used to steal food and medicine from the guards to meet the physical and medical needs of his fellow prisoners. He used to sacrifice his own meagre daily ration of millet or cracked corn for the weaker fellow prisoners. Gradually, he developed pneumonia and a blood clot on his leg. As a result, his captors put him in the hospital, which they modified as a death house by depriving him of food and medicine. While he was there, he blessed his persecutors and asked for their forgiveness. He passed away on May 23, 1951. The Cause for the Canonization of Father Emil Kapaun was officially launched in the Diocese of Wichita in June of 2008.
The second Sunday of Lent invites us to reflect on the transfiguration account of our Lord. The gospel passage begins with the statement that the Lord went up on the mountain to pray (Lk.9:28b). The most significant moments of Jesus’ life are marked in the context of prayer, such as baptism, choosing his disciples, Peter’s confession, and the transfiguration… As we are entering into the second week of Lent, let us give a serious thought about our prayer life and see if we did spend time with the Lord, which is highly recommended in this season?
Luke says that ‘after eight days,’ he went up to pray. It refers to the context of the feast of booths that happens in the background of this transfiguration event. During this feast, the Israelites stayed in the tent to relive their Exodus experience of survival in the desert.
We see a prefiguration of Jesus’ transfiguration in Moses, who went up to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. He gathered all the twelve tribes of Israel into the valley of Sinai. Then, he takes along with him Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu. His appearance changed in the presence of the Lord, and his face shone. Similarly, Jesus selects Peter, John, and James from among his 12 disciples to accompany him. His face was changed and became graceful like that of Moses. At Mount Tabor, his clothing becomes dazzling white, unlike that of Moses. We see Moses and Elijah, the representatives of law and prophecy, talking to Jesus revealing to him how the law and prophecy in his paschal mystery would be fulfilled. You may wonder why Jesus needs the instrumentality of Moses and Elijah to know the divine plan. After all, he is the Son of God? Yes, he was fully divine and fully human. We need to keep in mind the fact that he could know the divine plan as much as his intellect permitted him to know it. Therefore, we see a gradual revelation of God’s plan in Jesus’ life. Thus, Jesus’ moments of prayer were intense moments of communication with Abba Father, listening to him and discerning His Will. Do we have a personal relationship with our Abba Father? Do we listen to and discern his will in our day-to-day life? Especially in our daily struggles and problems that we face? Do we make decisions based on his will? Yes, Jesus did. He accepted the divine plan of his paschal mystery wholeheartedly.
When Jesus surrenders himself fully to his Father’s will, we see a cloud covering them. It is a sign of the Holy Spirit descending, and we listen to the voice of Abba. “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Lk.9:35). Jesus wholeheartedly accepts his divine destiny of being the suffering servant of Yahweh: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;” (Is. 42:1) ‘Listen to him,’ implies the fact that Jesus is the prophet raised up after Moses: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.” (Deut.18:15) Abba Father asked his disciples, Peter, James, John, and all of us, to listen to him. He is asking us to listen to his gospel with our hearts and glorify Abba by following in the footsteps of Jesus.
The disciples Peter, James, and John, though they were sleepy, experienced this God encounter in an intimate manner, like Abraham, who experienced God’s presence after the deep sleep that we come across in today’s first reading. This event inspired them to remain there to live in the presence of the Lord forever. This is why Peter tells Jesus that he will build three tents for them so that they can always have access to this divine experience. To give humanity this experience, he must complete his paschal mystery. In the Exodus towards Jerusalem, wherein he himself becomes the paschal lamb, the chosen one of Yahweh. Do we have this eagerness and desire like Peter, James, and John to be with the Lord and experience his glory? Like Jesus, we need to complete our exodus journey towards Calvary, deriving strength from Jesus through our moments of prayer, discerning the Father’s Will, listening to him and growing in faith that, beyond our calvary, awaits the glory of heaven that lasts for eternity. May this season of Lent give us the spiritual growth to experience Mount Tabor here on Earth and help us to carry on our Exodus journey, setting our minds towards Jerusalem, where we meet our Lord.