Second Lent Sunday, Year A
Theme: The Fear of the Lord Is NOT Enough 敬畏上主並不足夠
Today we meditate on the Transfiguration of the Lord. What catches my attention this time is the diametrically opposite reactions shown by the disciples. A moment ago, Peter says, “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” (Matthew 17:4). The disciples were enchanted by the beatific vision of the divinity of the Son of God and His dialogue with Moses and Elijah whom they had never met in person. Just think about it. You’ve heard of historical celebrities, their words and deeds. How thrilled you would be to see and hear them real close! Somehow, you are able to know who they were. Time seems to have frozen. How amazing this foretaste of eternity is! If I were the disciples, I too would not want to leave but to stay at the scene forever.
Immediately after hearing the voice from the bright cloud, “they fell prostrate and were very much afraid” (17:6). Unfortunately reading the text does not enable us to sense the dynamics of the voice the disciples heard: its amplitude, its pitches and duration. It’s difficult to imagine how these words, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (17:5), would invoke any fear! Therefore, the voice and its intensity, not the message, must have been very overwhelming. This brings to mind the reactions of the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. “Now as all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blast of the shofar and the mountain smoking, they became afraid and trembled … and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we shall die’” (Exodus 20:18-19). The Psalter has similar things to say, “The voice of the Lord cracks the cedars; the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon, Makes Lebanon leap like a calf, and Sirion like a young bull” (Psalms 29:5-6). Fear of the Lord is an essential ingredient of Judaism and of most religions. It is a proper reaction to the might and majesty of Yahweh.
But the Lord God is always a God of surprises. The ferocious words and zealous deeds of Elijah reflected his understanding of the Lord he believed in --- a righteous and almighty warrior defeating Baal. Thus, Elijah was eager to incite the Israelites to slaughter 450 false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:40). Yet, when the Lord appeared to Elijah later on Mount Horeb, He was not found in violent wind which rent mountains and crushed rocks, or in earthquake or in fire but in a light silent sound (19:11-12)! Not only is the Lord righteous and almighty just as Elijah understands, but He is also merciful and mild, like a light silent sound. On the other hand, Jesus has been showing His disciples a merciful heavenly Father who is patient and ready to forgive whoever repents. Yet, the disciples cracked in the thundering voice of the Father, showing that He is powerfully merciful! In short, we are unable to take the Lord God for granted and to take Him under control!
And yet nowadays, God has become irrelevant to many modern people whose hearts have been emboldened by exotic scientific discoveries and Herculean technologies. The temptation to play God has never been greater! Nowadays scientists are able to produce the energy output of our sun briefly here on earth. They are able to edit the DNA of human beings at will to produce, say a new breed of man which is immune from AIDS. The advances in artificial intelligence are able to help humanity solve any nameable problem efficiently … And yet, our morality is lagging far behind. Ethical guidelines among professional scientific bodies cannot be craved in stones. In the name of intellectual independence, many a greedy scientist would simply ignore them! Why should we be moralistic or virtuous when consequences can be postponed downstream? Spend now and pay later (by somebody else)! Thus, ambitious politicians have no qualm preying on the commoners to satiate their appetite for power. Team-members show no remorse betraying colleagues to contain personal losses. Ordinary people would resort to frauds, coercion and even murder to get what they want when winners would take all! The law of the jungle is prevailing; conscience seems to be in hiding and God on leave! Not only is there no Purgatory, heaven and hell are also illusions because angels and demons are exorcized from their hearts. Of course, those concepts can be conjured up anytime they are instrumental in the acquisition of power and wealth! It is more and more difficult for modern people to buy the concept of God and to surrender themselves to the will of an ethereal entity called Yahweh.
On the Third Ordinary Sunday, I meditated on the merits of the “Fear of the Lord”. Making use of the concept of “identification” as a defence mechanism is able to explain satisfactorily “like father like son” and the phenomenon of comrades betraying comrades. Therefore, the “fear of the Lord”, which appears in 124 verses in the Old Testament and only once in the New, can be instrumental in helping the Jews identify themselves with the Lord, to reinforce their identity as the Chosen People of Yahweh. Reading in the light of identification, “You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6) and “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2) make a lot of sense. For the Jews, the fear of the Lord is closely coupled with wisdom. Around 14 such verses are found in the Wisdom Literature. For example, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning/training/root of wisdom” (Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 9:10, 15:33; Sirach 1:20). However, if we think we have obtained the whole truth in the “fear of the Lord”, once again we’d better prepared for more surprises awaiting us.
We have spent quite some time meditating on the intensity of the voice and of the Father. Let’s return to the message itself. During the Transfiguration, what did the apostles hear? “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5b). So, what has Jesus taught us?
First of all, Jesus has not come to abolish the fear of the Lord (5:17). He opens our hearts to a better understanding of how to identify ourselves with our heavenly Father. We’re not just “images of God” or “a holy nation” but “children of God” (5:9; Luke 20:36; John 11:52). Jesus teaches us the Beatitudes and the spirit of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount. Therefore, in order to attain our full identity, we’d better focused more on the Beatitudes which Pope Francis calls the identity card of Christians (Gaudete et Exsultate #63). What do some of the Beatitudes tell us about our identity and about our God?
Jesus says, “Blessed are meek, for they will inherit the land” (5:5). I don’t think anybody has ever seen a meek landowner because sooner or later, his land would be overtaken by more powerful ones with claws (outlaws) and jaw (laws)! Well, Jesus tells us, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (11:29). With this verse, Jesus reveals more essences of God to us. God is meek and humble. He must have prepared for His children sufficient land to inherit. Some more capable ones may be given a larger portion to inherit while others less. Some greedy ones don’t know how much they are able to manage and consequently occupy more than they are able to bite. In the end, they would hand the land back to the Creator to redistribute. Therefore, stay meek and let God be God.
Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (5:9). Out of greed and selfishness, people stir up conflicts and confusion so that they may take the opportunity to fatten themselves. But Christians should be peacemakers because our God desires to see peace on earth. How do we know? This Beatitude tells us so. It manifests another aspect of the Blessed Trinity which is a communion of the three Blessed Persons. Thus, not only is God powerful, but He also desires to see peace among humanity because solidarity and communion are also essences of our God.
Brethren! Listen to Jesus. Perhaps we’ll be able to reveal His glorious countenance to our fellow folks, leading them to their salvation. Amen.
God bless!
2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: popsugar.com
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