The Second Sunday of Lent Gn 12:1-4a; Ps 33; 2 Tm 1:8B-10; Mt 17:1-9
Reality or vision, this we have seen.
If it had lasted but another moment
It might have held for ever! But the world
Rolled back into its place, and we are here,
And all that radiant kingdom lies forlorn,
As if it had never stirred; no human voice
Is heard among its meadows, but it speaks
To itself alone, alone it flowers and shines
And blossoms for itself while time runs on.
Thus writes the Scottish poet Edwin Muir (1887-1959) in the concluding verses of his poem “The Transfiguration”. His words reflect the spontaneous outburst of the Apostle Peter, who said: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Which one of us would not wish to hold on to the moment of ecstasy, the moment of beauty, the moment of revelation, when all is clear and we are removed from the turmoil of everyday living?
