Second Sunday of Lent Homily: Transformation and the Glorified Body

Readings for Mass and Virtual Homily for March 16, 2025, Second Sunday of Lent; The Class of 2026 Has a Question for El Padre; Paying it Forward for the Marysville Youth

 Readings for Mass this Sunday

• Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18

• Psalm 27:1, 7-9, 13-14

• Philippians 3:17-4:1

• Luke 9:28-36

 Dear Friends and Family,

The Gospel passage this Sunday is Luke's account of the Transfiguration.  The readings in general may be said to focus on transformation.  In the first reading Abraham, childless and of advanced age, is promised an astonishing transformation -- he will have more descendants than the stars in the dark-night ancient sky.  In the Letter to the Philippians Paul speaks of the transformation of the human body at the general resurrection.  I want to spend some time with this last; I want to make the glorified body the real subject matter of this homily.  But I also want to make a few observations about the first reading, remarkable as it is.    

One of the things to remember, when we read Genesis chapter fifteen is that, at the time of Abraham, every nighttime sky was what we today refer to as a "dark sky."  That is, there were no urban light haloes obscuring the Milky Way.  When God told Abraham to "count the stars, if you can" (vs, 5), Abraham was looking into the bright and shining heart of the galaxy.  He was not just seeing all the stars "out our way," that is, the ones in our neighborhood of the Milky Way.  He was seeing the galaxy itself.

The closest I have ever in life come to seeing a true "dark sky" was on the beach at Bodega Bay when I was in college -- the annual September RA retreat (RA standing for Resident Assistant, that is, student staffers in the dorms).  I remember being astounded at how many stars we could see -- I had never seen Orion's scabbard, for instance.  But even there, we had the lights of the retreat center to contend with; it was not truly a "dark sky."  What Abraham saw was something still more impressive.  It would have been an impossibility, of course, to count the stars, but that was the Lord's point.  

Among the Jews alone, from the time of the Patriarchs to our time, the number of descendants given Abraham and Sarah is uncountable -- very likely scores, perhaps hundreds of millions.  And when we consider that not just the Jews but Christians and Muslims as well call Abraham father, and that followers of those two faiths have, over the centuries, numbered billions...well, you can see why God gave Abraham this metaphor.

The encounter with God seems to place Abraham in something resembling a trance-like state (vss. 12, 17) and a change in mental state also is reported in today's Gospel for the three apostles witnessing the Transfiguration.  Peter is so "transported" one might say, by the experience, that he wants it to continue indefinitely (vs. 33).

Brilliant as the Lord's appearance becomes in this moment, the three apostles are not seeing Jesus in his full majesty; they are not gazing upon the unveiled Second Person of the Trinity -- mortal eyes could not withstand such a vision.  It has been speculated that they were seeing Jesus in his glorified, that is, post-Resurrection, body.  This is only speculation, but it seems reasonable, in that all three Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration tell us that Jesus' appearance was changed, became radiant (Luke vs. 29; see also Mark 9:2-3 and Matthew 17:2).

Which brings us to the second reading.  Paul tells us that, at the general resurrection, the Lord will transform "our lowly body" to be like his in glory (vs. 21).  This bright promise is echoed in a preface to the Eucharistic Prayer at funeral Masses.  As this is not a topic I have addressed previously in a written homily, I am going to spend a little time today, discussing our future, glorified, eternal bodies.

The glorified body will be incapable of injury or disease.  We will only possess it, of course, in a place (Heaven) where injury and disease themselves are banished, but all the same, it will be impervious to either.  

We will not have to eat, to maintain our glorified bodies, but all indications are that eating -- feasting, more like it -- is a frequent activity "over there" on the Other Side.  Never fear if, once you find yourself safely beyond the Pearly Gates, you decide to go ahead and indulge at some banquet or other -- the glorified body will be so ordered as to utilize all nutrients by some perfected mechanism of metabolic processes about which, this side of Paradise, we may only speculate.  Not that gluttony is a possibility among the saints, but...you will be able to feast as you please and you will never regret it, you will never find yourself out of shape. 

The glorified body will be capable of some of the miracles the disciples witnessed, in terms of Jesus' earthly body.  He could walk on water; he could pass through locked doors.  An understanding of particle physics helps us today to explain that, in fact, if we could simply line up all our molecules the right way, we too could walk on water or pass through solid objects.  This is, of course, because those objects, and indeed, our own bodies, are not, actually, "solid."  At the quantum level, matter is far more open space than not.  To give an example, if the nucleus of an atom were Dodger Stadium, the first electron in orbit around that nucleus would be in the San Fernando Valley.  That is how "spacious" matter actually is, at the level of its building blocks.  If we could simply "line up" our molecules with those of the door, so that none of ours touched any of its, we could pass through it, just as Jesus did.  

The glorified body will be in full harmony with the mind, with the soul.  As such it will be so ordered as never to be "in rebellion;" it will not know stomach aches or headaches or fever or any other kind of disorder.  It will not need sleep -- and I have to admit here that my own research on this point falls short.  I do not know if sleeping, like eating, will be an option, "over there."  I have to admit that sleep, at times, to me, feels like Heaven!  But in the eternal moment, who knows?  We may look back on our earthly lives from there and say, "Oh yeah!  Remember sleep?"

The glorified body is one built literally to last forever.  It will be incapable of aging.  Thomas Aquinas speculated that in Heaven everyone is 33 -- the age we believe Jesus was, at his death.  Only speculation, and personally, I preferred myself, physically, I mean, at 43, in fact, at 53, to 33.  (I was too skinny at 33!)  I suppose that the age we experience in Heaven will be one we find ourselves right at home with, one that eminently suits us, one we can literally "live with" forever.

C. S. Lewis, in THE GREAT DIVORCE, described the saints as having vibrant youthful appearances, but when you got up close and looked into their eyes, you were suddenly aware of age -- at least among those who attained to middle- or old-age here on earth.  This is solid speculation, as we take everything (but our sins) into Heaven with us.  All our experience is there with us, in us, through us, making us, well, making us the saints we will be.  It is just that, from Heaven's perspective, all of our experience is transformed -- we might even say, transfigured -- it is shot through with light, a light which finally makes full understanding possible.  Lewis and others argue that from Heaven we will look back on the most difficult experiences of our time on earth and bless those trials deeply, for we will see the graces set flowing in those times, see how those graces moved us through the darkest moments, see how those graces forged in us our very sainthood itself.

I could go on, but you get the idea, and in any event, this one is long enough!  Gonna wrap it here.  Just something to think about -- as we consider Jesus transfigured.  One day we shall be, as well. 

I spoke with Fr. John Prochaska, our Vicar for Clergy at the Diocese this week about my upcoming sabbatical.  It is slated to start June 1 and to run through New Year's.  It has begun to get around among the students that "Father Jim is not going to be here next semester," and I am getting some alarmed questions from members of the junior class, the Class of 2026.  Next year, after all, is their senior year.

I deliberately delayed the sabbatical in order NOT to miss any part of the senior year of the Class of 2025.  I have a lot of love for this year's juniors, as well, but if I am serious about this time off (and I am) then it just comes down to this: I am going to miss the fall semester of one class's senior year or another.  And the way it has shaped up, that class is the Class of 2026.  

Generally, the anxiety I hear in a student's voice derives from a misapprehension; they breathe a sigh of relief when they hear that not only will I be returning next January, I am also going to be on all the retreats next fall.  There are four retreats scheduled for the autumn semester and the senior class will be involved in three of them...Retreats are a substantial part of an O'Dowd education and I do not want to miss these experiences with next year's seniors.  

I am deeply touched, though, to have members of the Class of 2026 coming up to me, wanting to know the score.  The day will come when I really will be saying good-bye to the high school.  This is not that day.  

Finally, some really cool news from my hometown and home parish came my way this past weekend.  One of the leading members of the old Marysville youth group texted me Saturday evening to say that he had been asked to consider taking the youth ministry position at St. Joseph (Marysville's parish).  He said, basically, "after all I got out of it, because you said yes to it, and thinking about our teens in Marysville today, how could I say no?"  His name is Fonz and he is himself the father of two teens in the parish.

I practically levitated, reading Fonz's texts.  I texted back assuring him that I will be his number one backer, with energy, with ideas, with advice, with money.  He texted back that he had said yes to the position in part relying on just that support.  The first thing I have to do for him and the Marysville teens is cover this effort in prayer.  A second generation of Marysville teens being guided by one of MY Marysville teens, now in his early forties!  (Just the age I was, in fact, when I ran the youth group.)  A brand new intention for my daily Rosary.  I'll report on developments regarding this joyful turn of events.

Talk about paying it forward!  Go Fonz!

Hope this finds you well and happy.  Hope your Lent is going well.

Take good care and God bless.

Fr. Brawn