Lent, Second Sunday. America: the Land of Opportunity! America used to be a place of boundless optimism. Science, technology, and medicine were constantly improving our lives. If something was still a problem, it was only because we hadn't got around to solving it yet. Today was better than yesterday, and tomorrow would be better still. But over the course of the last 50 years, we have run out of hope. Science has lied to us, medicine has not delivered on its promises, and technology has created better bombs. We respond by desperately clinging to what we have. Our hard work and ingenuity cannot give us the bright future we hope for. We have put our hope in ourselves and we have failed. America has run out of hope.

Today's Gospel shows us where to find new hope: Jesus. We see Him gloriously transfigured. The apostles catch a glimpse of who Jesus really is. They are also catching a glimpse of our own future. We were meant to be glorious like Christ. He himself is our glorious future. God will give us what our hard work and ingenuity will never be enough to achieve.

How do we get there from here? Abraham shows us the way. He is willing to sacrifice his plan and accept God's plan instead. We have to do the same. We have to sacrifice our expectations, our plan, our things and put them in the hands of God. You see, the truth is that Jesus is already glorious. The Apostles just didn't usually see the glory of God on the inside. For one moment, they catch a glimpse of his true glory. And the Apostles themselves are already glorious, radiant in the love of God. Christ has to strip away all the junk that we accumulate to get to the glory that is inside us. He has one the victory and He shows us the future: A Future full of glory so that we can have a Present full of hope.
(4 Mar 2012)