Sometimes things happen, and different events occur, and we see a radically different side of people that maybe we thought that we knew.  And we’re like, “Where did that come from?”  And it changes the way that we look at them forever.  Take Helio Castroneves for example.  We’ve watched him race for years now.  He’s won the Indy 500 a couple of times.  He’s kinda a funny guy.  He climbed the fence at the Speedway and earned the nickname, Spiderman.  But who knew that he could dance?  I still can’t believe that he won that Dancing with the Stars thing last spring.  And it wasn’t just a popularity contest, he really could dance!   Did you ever have anything like that happen with someone that you know personally?  When I was in high school, I had a good friend named Tim, who was a hog farmer.  Tim always smelled a little funny, but he was a great guy.  What do all hog farmers say about that smell?  They call it “the smell of money.”  I don’t understand this because I’ve had a lot of money in my wallet over the years and it has never smelled like pig manure.  He had a really good sense of humor and he was a lot of fun to be around.  Tim was kinda a cross between Adam Sandler and Larry the Cable Guy.  And Tim and I were pretty good friends, so I was completely blown away one day, when I went to a concert with Tim, and the local band invited someone from the audience to come up on stage and sing with them, AND TIM DID!  Not only did he get up and sing in front of all those people, he sang well.  He sounded good.  Apparently, he was singing to those pigs all those years.  I had no idea that my friend could do that.  It changed my image of him.  He was no longer just a pig farmer, but he was a pig farmer who could really sing.

       Today in our Gospel, Peter, James, and John get quite a surprise about their friend, their teacher, Jesus.  Today we hear the story of the Transfiguration.  Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with Him, and they go up a mountain.  Tradition tells us that this was Mt. Tabor, in the plain of Esdraelon.  And maybe the three Apostles thought they were going hiking or camping, but what ended up happening on Mt. Tabor changed their entire image of Jesus forever.  It came out of nowhere.  All of a sudden His face shines like the sun, His clothes glow, Moses and Elijah appear and are conversing with Him.  All of a sudden, this is NOT their carpenter buddy from Nazareth any more.  And in St. Matthew’s Gospel, the three Apostles who witness this, don’t understand what they are seeing.  Poor Peter, wants to start putting up tents for everybody.  But from this time on, Jesus is changed in their eyes.  And then there’s that voice from Heaven again, just like at Jesus’ Baptism, there’s that voice that say, “This is my Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.  Listen to Him.”  I was shocked when my friend got up on stage and started singing.  Could you imagine what it would be like to hear a voice from Heaven, calling your friend “His Son” and telling you to listen to Him?  Peter, James, and John must have been completely blown away.  The Transfiguration refers to the fact that Jesus’ image was transfigured right before their eyes.  But isn’t the truth really that Peter, James, and John were so changed by what happened, what they saw and what they heard, that they would never be the same again.  They had experienced Jesus on a whole, new level.  Things could never be the same again.

       My brothers and sisters, this Lent, Jesus is asking us to see Him in a completely new light also.  He doesn’t want to be somebody that we have hanging over our bed on a cross, but that we ignore and pretend that He isn’t real.  He doesn’t want to be that friend that you talk to only on Sundays when you’re at His house for an hour or so.  He doesn’t want to be just another person or another thing in your life.   Jesus the Christ wants to be the Lord and God of your life, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year – 366 days this year!  This is NOT a part-time God.   This is a God Who is serious about all of us following Him and being His people every single day.  When the Apostles came down that mountain that day, they knew that their relationship with Jesus could not ever be the same.  This wasn’t just another teacher, or friend, or religious leader,  THIS WAS GOD.   And things CAN’T be the same when you’ve experienced God that closely.  And that’s what we are supposed to be doing this Lent -  experiencing God THAT closely.  Is that happening for you this Lent?  And if not, WHY not?  So much of our Faith has to do with the EXPERIENCE of the Risen Christ.  We know that He is real because we EXPERIENCE Him.  How are you experiencing Jesus this Lent?  Give Him the chance.  He’s there.  He’ll prove Himself.  He’ll show you more than you can ever imagine.  And you won’t even have to climb a mountain.

Use this Lent well.  It’s a gift from God to all of us.  May He amaze and transfigure us today!

May God bless us on our Second Sunday of Lent,  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…    AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti…Pray for us !!!