Transfiguration Sunday
Lent is well begun and so is springtime in Virginia. In fact, it is said around here that Spring
is actually 3 weeks early! Although most
of us are glad to bid winter fair well, Old Man Frost has a way of making a
comeback at the most inconvenient times.
Right now, we are praying that he does not hinder the fruit trees that
are just blossoming, from setting their fruit.
Just as spring, whenever it arrives, seesaws back and forth
between cold temperatures and warm, snow and rain, cloud and sun, so does the
Lenten liturgy center first on penance, then on rejoicing, the cross and
glory. It seems like we cannot go too
long with fasting before we have to take a break and do a little feasting! Has anyone out there ever counted the days of
Lent? I happen to be mathematically
challenged, so I have counted them several times. But even I can usually manage to get to 40! Yet, every time I counted from Ash Wednesday
to Holy Saturday, I always came up with 46.
This puzzle was not resolved until I read that the Church never
considers Sundays as fast days. Since
there are 6 Sundays in Lent, just subtract 6 from 46 and you get…40! So, like I was saying, we cannot go too far
with fasting before we need to feast.
Joy is never far from sorrow, the cross leads to glory.
Today is Transfiguration Sunday, when we commemorate the
vision of glory Jesus granted to his three closest apostles, the same ones who
would soon see His agony in the garden of Gethsemane. He knew that they needed to be strengthened
for the scandal of the cross, so that their faith would not entirely fail. Glory is never far from pain patiently borne
for the sake of love. In fact, it is
simultaneous, although it is hidden.
Christ was most glorious as He hung on the cross, totally pouring
Himself out for love of His Father and for love of us. But that glory can only be seen by the eyes
of faith. Today, as we contemplate a
foretaste of Easter joy in this 2nd week of Lent, let us take
courage, carrying our own cross behind that of our Savior, following Him
faithfully to Calvary and beyond, to a glorious resurrection!
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