THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Second Sunday in Lent

1 March 2026

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Today's Gospel reading (Matthew 17:1-9) shows us Jesus manifesting His Divinity and Glory to three of His Apostles. Saint Jerome said:

"Let us note that He refused to give a sign from heaven to the Scribes and Pharisees, asking Him for one. Still, here He gives a sign from heaven so that He may increase the Apostles' faith: Elias descending whither he had ascended, and Moses rising from the dead; just as Achaz was bidden by Isaias to seek a sign from on high, or from hell (Is. 7)."

Jesus performed many miracles before multitudes of people, but this one is reserved for a few. Just three of the twelve Apostles were with Him. Peter, the future Vicar of Jesus, is overcome by this revelation of Jesus' divinity, yet he still thinks in terms of time rather than eternity. He is ready to begin building temporal shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elias. The experience is so wonderful that Saint Peter does not want to leave and go back down the mountain. If only they could stay there forever. But this was to be only a foretaste of what is to come.

What was waiting for them when they returned down from the mountain was the hatred, anger, and violence of the Scribes and Pharisees. Peter knew this. Jesus has even explained that He must suffer and die. But Peter was still looking for a way out of all this.

We, too, may be tempted to dwell upon the glory of God and seek to remain forever in this glory, but understanding that suffering and death are necessary for eternal life should fill us with hope and perseverance.

The burdens of our Lenten fasting and penance are weighing us down, and it is hard to resign ourselves to our cross, much less to lovingly embrace it. To persevere, consider prayer and reflection on Jesus' suffering. If we could, we would rise to be with Jesus in His glory without the burden of the cross — we would rather just skip suffering, the cross, and death. Jesus holds out to us all these treasures in Heaven, but He requires that we first die to this world and to ourselves.

He came to show us the way to Heaven, and that path is the way of the Cross. We must follow Him to Calvary and death before we can follow Him in resurrection and life.

The devil uses many false Christians to tempt us to set aside our Lenten fasting and penance, suggesting that it is not necessary, or is superfluous, and even that it is prideful. The lies of demons tell us that we only need to believe in Jesus — not imitate Him. We must frequently remind ourselves of Jesus' words: If you wish to be My disciples, deny yourselves, take up your daily cross and follow Me.

The path to Mount Thabor is relatively easy, but it only yields a temporary glimpse of Heaven. The path to Calvary is relatively difficult or painful, but it yields an eternal entrance into Heaven. It is good for us to occasionally, in spirit, ascend Mount Thabor and behold the glory of God. In doing this, we can increase our faith, hope, and love for Jesus. But we must return to the place God has placed us in this temporal world, and use the temporal means He has given us and shown us as the way to find and enter eternal happiness.

From the lofty heights of our meditations, we must come back to this temporal life and all its burdens. We must face the fact that the only path for us is the path that Jesus shows us. God gives us the beautiful glimpses of the glory and joys that await us, but He demands that we go back down the mountain and pass through our own Calvary with our own crosses before we approach the eternal glories of Heaven.

The joys and glories we sometimes experience in our prayers and meditation are not readily shareable with others. We are therefore admonished not to speak of our experiences with others until they are fulfilled. The world cannot currently understand what God reveals to individuals, and what God reveals to individuals is not intended for general consumption.

Holding on to the secrets God has given us encourages us and fosters humility, reminding us that our personal experiences in prayer are gifts from God, not reasons for pride.

When we are most burdened by this life and the pain seems unbearable, let us lift our eyes to Mount Thabor to find the motivation to take up our cross once again and, with ever greater determination, follow Jesus through Calvary.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!