Introit

Collect

O God, who have commanded us
to listen to your beloved Son,
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (RM)

First Reading Gn 12:1-4a 1

The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Responsorial Psalm 33:4-5,18-19,20,22 

 R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

 

Second Reading 2 Tm 1:8b-10 2 

Brothers and sisters: 8 Join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 

 Verse Before The Gospel Cf. Mt 17:5

Gospel Mt 17:1-9

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “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.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Catena Nova

In the presence of chosen witnesses the Lord unveiled his glory. He invested his bodily appearance with such splendor that his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as snow. This is the body he shares with us! You see, the primary purpose of this transfiguration was to remove from our hearts the scandal of the Cross, the one we have to bear with Him. He reveals the hidden glory that God gives. This is to prevent faith from being shaken by the experience of self-abasement and suffering. He underwent it voluntarily and we by the Providence of God. Why did he do all this? He was laying the foundations for the Church. The change which we are to receive fully in resurrection is revealed in order to lay the foundations for the hope we have as Church. The change we see in Christ is one the entire Church will receive. We need to be schooled in looking forward to the change, the glory, and the new life seen in Christ. (Pope St. Leo the Great)

That same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when (the Lord) was praying. This shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, and that the radiance occurred and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, and that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. True beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face. (St. Gregory Palamas)

Beneath our individual strivings towards spiritualization, the world slowly accumulates, starting with the whole of matter, that which will make of it the Heavenly Jerusalem or the New Earth.... The only human embrace capable of worthily enfolding the divine is that of all men opening their arms to call down and welcome the fire. The only subject ultimately capable of mystical transfiguration is the whole of mankind forming a single body and a single soul in charity.... We shall never know all that the Incarnation expects of the world’s potentialities. We shall never put enough hope in the growing unity of mankind. (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

Homily

     Some traditions place the Transfiguration on the Sunday before Lent while the Roman tradition places it on this Second Sunday of Lent after the Lord's temptations.  In either case, Mountain and Desert or Desert and Mountain, we are reminded of the stark contrasts that form the rhythms of our personal lives as well as those of society and the world. 

     I can't think of a more poignant example of life's movement between these two places than the recent Olympics and the stunning loss of ice skater Ilya Manilin whom everyone expected to come away with gold.  After helping Team USA win a gold medal, he ended up in eighth place after falls and missteps dashed his hopes in a solo performance.  Such was "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" to quote a once-familiar phrase.  

     While on the national stage, desert moments seem all there is.  From policies that will hasten climate disaster, to perjury by those sworn to uphold the law, to revelations about the utter corruption money brings to the elite class, to attempts to prevent people from voting in the midterms, to the construction of veritable concentration camps throughout this country, to masked thugs terrorizing our cities and now to another war — the state of the union is a parched and lifeless wilderness.

     But then I find some light in what Catholic commentator Christopher Hale from Letters from Leo said in a recent interview: 

The era of Catholicism as lived witness is reasserting itself. That matters. As Pope Francis frequently warned, for decades American Catholicism allowed itself to be reduced to a narrow set of culture-war skirmishes. Meanwhile, immigration, war, ecological collapse, and creeping authoritarianism intensified around us. And let’s be honest: authoritarianism is the defining moral threat of this moment.  Christian nationalism and its MAGA-adjacent politics do not have a stable home for Catholics.  The alliance is transactional. The theological roots of that movement are not Catholic. Eventually, Catholics will have to decide whether they are currying favor with power or defending human dignity. It is about being Catholic first. Not Democrats who happen to be Catholic. Not Republicans who happen to be Catholic. Catholics — shaped by a global Church, a sacramental imagination, and a tradition that insists every human being bears the image of God. That identity has public consequences. It means refusing to obsess over internal Church skirmishes while the country drifts toward cruelty. It means forming ordinary Catholics — parents, workers, immigrants, students — who understand that faith does not end at the church door.  The question now is whether it will be disciplined, rooted in the Gospel, and courageous enough to confront power directly.

(Cf. https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/my-interview-with-vox-how-pope-leo; February 10, 2026)

Intercessions (Joe Milner; The Sunday Website)

For the Church: that we may be transfigured more and more into the image and likeness of Christ.

For the grace to listen: that we may hear the voice of Christ in prayer, events, and relationships so that we may respond more fully to God's invitation.

For all who are facing a crisis, loss, or low points in their lives: that they may experience the transforming grace of God and grow in their trust of God to bring forth a new beginning and an abundant life.

For all the descendants of Abraham: that Jews, Muslims who are observing Ramadan, and Christians who are observing Lent will honor all that we share in common and work together to overcome the evil that ensnares human hearts.

For all who share in the sufferings of Christ: that the Spirit of God will fill with courage those who are persecuted for their faith and make fruitful their witness to the Gospel.

For all who have experienced violence: that God will heal their pain, comfort those who are grieving, and help them experience God’s presence each day.

For disruption of the drug trade: that God will expose the harm caused by illicit drugs, guide teachers and youth ministers in helping youth address challenges, and guide officials in developing policies to combat the drug trade.

For the gift of peace: that God will turn hearts from violence, bring an end to the war in the Middle East and Ukraine, and open new opportunities for dialogue.

Holy God, from the dazzling cloud  you revealed Jesus in glory as your beloved Son.  During these forty days enlighten your Church with the bright glory of your presence. Inspire us by your word and so transform us into the image of the risen Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, holy and mighty God for ever and ever. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

 Offertory Chant

 

Offertory Hymn

Jesus, on the mountain peak,
stands alone in glory blazing.
Let us, if we dare to speak,
join the saints and angels praising.

Praise and glory, praise and glory,
praise and glory to our Lord!
Let us, if we dare to speak,
join the saints and angels praising.

Trembling at his feet we saw
Moses and Elijah speaking.
All the prophets and the law
shout through them
their joyful greeting:

Praise and glory, praise and glory,
praise and glory to our Lord!
All the prophets and the law
shout through them
their joyful greeting.

Swift the cloud of glory came,
God, proclaiming in its thunder,
Jesus as the Son by name!
Nations, cry aloud in wonder:

Praise and glory, praise and glory,
praise and glory to our Lord!
Jesus as the Son by name:
nations, cry aloud in wonder.

Jesus is the chosen one,
living hope of ev’ry nation,
hear and heed him, ev’ryone;
sing, with earth and all creation:

Praise and glory, praise and glory,
praise and glory to our Lord!
Hear and heed him, ev’ryone;
sing with earth and all creation.

Communion Antiphon

Closing Hymn