The life-changing moments of grace
March 1, 2026 – Second Sunday of Lent
Readings: Genesis 12: 1-4A; Psalm 33, R. Lord let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.; 2 Timothy 1: 8A-10; Gospel – Matthew 17: 1-9
During the past seven Sundays, I conducted short reflection or formation talks. One of the sessions focused on the life-changing moments of grace. In the Lord’s earthly life, one could point to his Baptism, his Transfiguration, today’s Gospel, and the Paschal Mystery as these moments.
In the Lord’s Baptism, Jesus clearly understood his identity and mission. As Mark Twain put it, the two most important days in our life are the day we were born, and the day we know why we were born.
Am I doing this right?
Jesus clearly understood who he was and the mission he was destined to fulfill. He was the Beloved Son who must be pleasing to the Father. We see this more clearly as he was to fulfill his mission on the Cross. And from this beatific vision, he lived this identity and mission religiously, constantly proclaiming his Father’s love and mercy—“I came to proclaim the good news to the poor.” “I came to establish the Kingdom of my Father.”
His life and mission were lived with total devotion. Yet we can realistically consider that every moment of prayer of Jesus was a moment of checking in with his Father. “Am I doing this the way you want me to do it?”
It was what he had to do, why he had to do it, and how he was to do it. And all this is affirmed—or confirmed—in today’s Gospel.
Affirming his mission
The Transfiguration happened as Jesus and company made their way to Jerusalem, where he was to fulfill his mission—undergo his passion, death on the Cross, and be raised up on the third day. Jesus clearly understood this, as he predicted this several times before the Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration was to assure his disciples that it would not end in death but would end in the glory and joy of the Resurrection. At the same time, it was also an assurance to the Lord himself that he was on the right track. What he always sought to understand in prayer.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah, representing Judaism’s two greatest pillars, the law and the prophets, respectively, affirmed to Jesus that he was continuing God’s covenant and plan. He himself stated earlier, “I came not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them.” This was affirmed in today’s Gospel.
And here the Father repeats, in full hearing of the disciples. “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
A life bookended by temptation
With this affirmation, Jesus proceeds to the final stage of living out his identity and fulfilling his mission. He proceeds to Jerusalem to suffer, die on the Cross and be raised on the third day. But it is important to note that the night before fulfilling his mission, we have the agony in the garden.
It showed us the extreme anxiety, pain, and agony Jesus experienced contemplating his passion and death on the Cross. Some would even feature this as a moment of temptation.
Thus, his ministry and public life are bookended by temptations. These were experiences of temptation where he defined himself as the Beloved Son, who overcame—not just temptation, but evil itself.
The agony in the garden was the shining moment of loving obedience—the moment that led to the moment of the Cross, where Jesus was perfectly and clearly the Beloved Son.
The pattern of our lives
The Cross and Resurrection are the fulfillment of Jesus’ identity and mission. This life-changing moment of grace revealed to us the divinity of Jesus, the ultimate manifestation of God. This was not only a life-changing moment of grace for Jesus, but for all of us. It changed our destiny. We have the path to eternal life. Life does not end in death, but there is now a path to eternity.
These life-changing moments of grace were the pattern of Jesus’ life. It is also the pattern of our lives.
There is a moment in our lives when our sense of our vocation and mission becomes clear. It can come in our youth when we first get a glimpse of our dreams, of why we were born. Through the years, the “why” becomes clearer, and so does the “how.” This is our journey towards greater fidelity to our vocation and mission, and greater constancy in living it out.
It is entering the core of our discipleship, our relationship with Jesus, by sharing in his Cross and Resurrection.
