Gospel & Reflection for 2nd Sunday in Lent 2026
Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Reflection
Friends, forty years ago, there was an Oscar winning, audience pleasing film released called ‘Mask.’ It told the true story of an American teenager by the name of Roy L. Dennis, better known to his family and friends as ‘Rocky.’ Rocky Dennis had been born with a rare disease that severely disfigured his face. Throughout his short life, he died at the age of sixteen in 1978, people often looked away from him in discomfort, while others openly mocked his appearance. His late mother Rusty often recalled a moment from his early teens, depicted in the film, when Rocky and some friends visited a local amusement park, and they went into the House of Crazy Mirrors.
Together, they all laughed at how the reflections from the different mirrors distorted the faces and bodies of them all. However, Rocky stopped at one particular mirror where because of the way the glass was curved, it distorted his disformed face in a way that it made him appear perfectly normal and handsome. For a brief moment, as Rocky stood there, his friends looked on and they saw on the outside, the beauty that had always been his, just hidden within.
In our Gospel for this Sunday, we are presented with the occasion of the Transfiguration – where the friends of Jesus, saw Him for who He really was. They saw Jesus gloriously changed in appearance, witnessing His metamorphosis into His divine nature, which up to that point was hinted at, but had also remained unseen and badly misunderstood. Like the friends of Rocky Dennis, the disciples saw on the outside His true inner beauty and magnificence. But not only had Jesus been transformed, the disciples were changing too. They now see and begin to grasp, that there was more going on than they could ever comprehend, and all they knew for sure was that they wanted to stay within that beautiful and overwhelming experience.
They wished to stay on the mountain and hold on to the spectacular. However, their own personal transformation was calling them down from the mountain and to face the future, just as Christ had to. Their experience would not be an escape from the troubles ahead; it would be a means to help them to face them. This moment of extraordinary illumination was to be their help and reassurance in the dark and frightening days ahead, those days of the Lord’s passion and their own fear and cowardice.
The Gospel reminds us that we are called, as individuals and as a community, to change. This change, this transformation, is about becoming more Christlike every day, knowing that there is a beauty of faith and strength within, wanting always to radiate out. It is about illumining our lives with faith, hope, and love, so that we, like Christ, can become a ‘light for the world.’
Friends, as we make our way through Lent, we are reminded that the light of Heaven, and of God Himself, breaks into our lives every day, challenging and changing us. Every day is a transfiguration day. Christ’s light and love guides, strengthens, and helps us face the knowns and unknowns of our own life. In response, we are called not to ignore that light but to rejoice in it, to want to hold on to it, for it is good for us to be in it.
We are asked to make our world a brighter place, brighter with the love and understanding of God. The world needs that brightness more than ever. So, as we allow our belief and trust in God to transform us, may it help us to change our lives and world, for the better.
Fr. Richard
