Third Sunday of Lent
St Mary's Cathedral
Gen 12:1-4, 2 Tim 1:8-10, Mt 17:1-9
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
3 Mar 2002
Even Catholics can be tempted to think like many of the people around us, that our religion exists to keep society decent and to stop individuals hurting one another. In other words, that our religion is entirely about morality, right and wrong, social justice.
This is a mistake. God is of first importance. Therefore if Lent is a time of renewal, it is a time to deepen and purify our faith as well as battle against selfishness.
It is not enough just to nod towards the Transcendent once in a while.
We are children of one God, as was revealed first to Abraham. The Catholic Church constitutes the central line of progeny in this tradition, which began with the Jews (of course) and contains other Christians, especially the Orthodox Churches. Moslems too are children of Abraham.
Abraham lived around 1800 BC, and God's promises of descendents for him is fulfilled in us, more than 3,500 years, nearly 4000 years later on the other side of the world.
God's revelation was continued, through Christ the Son of God. Jesus was not just the most saintly human and not just a prophet or poet, but the second person of the Trinity. The opening words of the prologue to St John's gospel tell us that "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word was made flesh and lived among us."
Our claim is not that at heart all the great religions have the same spiritual message. Certainly, there are similarities – but also great differences.
We are in the monotheist tradition - the tradition that holds there is only one God (not just the God of our tribe!), who is adored in other monotheist religions. Buddha is silent in God; the Hindus have many Gods, but there are gestures in their literature towards one great God.
Muslims do not believe in the Trinity, nor in the Incarnation.
The incident of the transfiguration is re-told in all three synoptic gospels, and in Matthew's account follows Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ and Christ's subsequent prediction that he will have to suffer and die. Violent tension here for Jews then.
For Matthew, the Messiah is one who will suffer while the title "The Man" (except for verse 12) is a figure of glory.
There is no evidence of any intertestamental tradition of a suffering Messiah, although there is the Isaiah figure of the suffering servant. Therefore the shock and dismay of the apostles with Our Lord's predictions of his death, especially that of Peter, are more easily understandable. Inevitability of political dimension; national security; sacred kingship of Jesus.
It is interesting to look at the details of the transfiguration. Peter, James and John formed the inner core within the apostles, like the organization of Qumran.
Moses and Elijah symbolize the Law and Prophets. Moses led the exodus from Egypt and received the ten commandments. In the duel on Mount Carmel Elijah fought off the prophets of the pagan god Baal. (He is a good model for us today). The symbolic return of Elijah is not a promise of reincarnation! He is usually seen in the figure of John the Baptist.
The shining clothing described in the gospel account is used regularly in the Book of Revelations as sign of heavenly Being.
The Cloud of Glory is a sign of God's presence among man in, for example, the book of Exodus.
We have to keep moving to follow Christ; to do God's will; for example, by giving up sin or occasions which lead us to sin.
It is a law of life that we are getting older! We leave school, leave university, children grow up and leave home. So Abraham had to leave Chaldaea; Moses and Jews had to leave Egypt.
So too we have to leave behind our childish ideas of God, our childish ideas of right and wrong, of justice, and how to follow Christ. As we do the right thing, confront our problems, regularly say our prayers - our understandings change, or should change.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
