From the Gospel: The road less travelled
You will see no transformation if you do not seek it
2nd Sunday of Lent. Today’s readings: Genesis 12,1-4a; 2 Timothy 1,8b-10; Matthew 17,1-9.
Commuting has become a hot topic on our islands. A substantial increase in vehicles and a larger population contribute to traffic issues, which can really test anyone’s patience. The alternative is to stay put, never leave your home and get all the necessary services delivered to your doorstep.
Yet, journeying, in all its forms, is actually indispensable. From the migration of the first humans across continents to a tiny ant’s movement in search of food, we are all on the go to some extent or another. On the microscopic level, even a sperm makes an incredibly long and arduous journey to get to the fallopian tubes, designed as it is to reach the female ovum.
The Jewish faith began with a journey. Today’s first reading speaks about Abram, a hitherto unknown figure, whom God asked to travel to an undisclosed location: “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’” (Gen 12,1).
Here, the Hebrew imperative “go” (lekh-lekha) could literally mean “go towards yourself”. This is intriguing, as, eventually, Abram would be renamed Abraham. Evidently, God was not asking him merely to move his body from one place to another but to embark on an inner journey of faith and trust, particularly since he had no idea where God would lead him.
So what does all this have to do with today’s gospel, the main theme of which is the transfiguration of Jesus Christ? Why did I not choose to write about that mysterious and marvellous event where Jesus’s face suddenly began shining like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light (see Mt 17,2)? And what about the bright cloud and the heavenly father’s voice speaking from heaven about his beloved son?
Before true wonder could be experienced, these disciples had to get moving
Truth be told, this time something else caught my eye: “Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves” (Matt 17,1). Before true wonder could be experienced, these disciples had to get moving.
The transfiguration did not take place on a fishing boat on still, idyllic Galilean waters, nor in the hustle and bustle of a Judean town. It only happened after three disciples went on a personal journey with Jesus, all the way up a high mountain. You will see no transformation if you do not seek it. Life could remain as drab as ever before if you do not set out in search of yourself, truth, beauty and God.
Last month, a Maltese man, Steve Chetcuti, crossed the Atlantic solo in a small rowing boat. The crossing was an ordeal but reaching his destination made it all worth it.
A Jewish biblical commentator once distinguished between two forms of biblical expressions, namely “Go in peace” and “Go towards peace”, noting that the latter is more beneficial. This is so because one may “go” in peace but lose it on the way, whereas the idea of going towards peace implies a continued growth and transformation that would ultimately reach fulfilment.
But going towards peace is not a solitary journey. In this regard, the Croatian farewell “sbogom” is enlightening as it does not simply mean “goodbye”, nor is it equivalent to the Italian “arrivederci”. Its meaning is much richer, namely “May you go with God”.
The Way of a Pilgrim is a famous 19th-century spiritual text written by an anonymous pilgrim who sought interiority, growth in unceasing prayer and the practice of the presence of God. It became an Eastern Orthodox classic that had an impact on several influential figures and popularised the so-called Jesus Prayer – “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Lent is all about setting out on that inner, transformative journey once again.
