Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent
Readings: Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 8:1-10; Matthew 17:1-9
1 March 2026
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In today’s gospel, we hear Matthew’s account of the transfiguration. Scripture scholar Daniel Harrington says: ‘The transfiguration poses challenges and opportunities for teachers and preachers. The chief problem is that of genre. If one takes it as a strictly factual report, one can miss the rich symbolism. If one focuses on the symbolism, the text can dissolve into an allegory.’[1] So what to do? Let’s oscillate between fact and symbolism, content that there is no failsafe way to preach about the transfiguration.
This vision of the three privileged disciples Peter, James and John, gives them the insight that Jesus is indeed the fulfilment of the law and the prophets. And remember these three disciples are the same three who will later be invited by Jesus to accompany him in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus will plead: ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.’ These three see Jesus on the mountain with Moses, the supreme human lawgiver and with Elijah, the exemplar of Old Testament prophets. They see a fantastic vision which is matched with a heavenly declaration: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’ Jesus then touches them and tells them not to be afraid. They are not to tell anyone about the vision ‘until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead’. They descend the mountain, returning to life as normal, wondering about the vision which does not make sense until they look back with hindsight having experienced the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Here are we having shared the account of the vision of Peter, James and John. We are not up on the mountain. We are down on the plain, setting about our ordinary daily lives. But we do so, convinced that Jesus is indeed the fulfilment of the law and the prophets, that he is the son of God, that he pleaded the cup might pass him by, but that he was prepared to do God’s will.
Here on the plain, setting about our daily lives, we try to do our bit bringing about the fulfilment of the law and the prophets in our broken world. On Monday the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion conducted its first hearing. The counsel assisting, Mr Lancaster KC, addressed Royal Commissioner Bell: ‘The Letters Patent refer to social cohesion as the national consensus in support of democracy, freedom and the rule of law. The consensus to which the Letters Patent refer is not a uniformity of opinion. Nor does it require or involve the suppression of fair criticism and debate. It is quite the opposite…. It is a consensus that a diverse multicultural society can subsist and thrive only by mutual acceptance of our respective democratic freedoms exercised according to law. Social cohesion begins with empathy.’[2]
We don’t expect everyone to agree. We are free to engage in fair criticism and debate. But we need to accept and respect the rights of every person. We need to have and display empathy with and for all persons of good will no matter what their opinions or actions. A diverse multicultural society is not heaven on earth. But it is a sign of the kingdom to come. A diverse multicultural society in which people display empathy, mutual acceptance, and respect is the kingdom breaking in here and now.
Living down here on the plain, we do not enjoy the perfection of the vision seen by Peter, James and John up on the mountain. But we do enjoy the promise that the law and the prophets will be fulfilled. Don’t be afraid. Feel the consoling touch of Jesus. As the Lord said to Abram in today’s first reading from Genesis, he now says to us:
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.
As the royal commission starts its difficult task, let’s pray that we can all exhibit the empathy and mutual acceptance needed for social cohesion. At the mass for the beginning of his pontificate Pope Leo said: ‘I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.’ Fired by the vision of the Transfiguration, we can be that reconciling leaven.
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO, Adjunct Professor of Thomas More Law School at ACU and Adjunct Research Professor at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, is a former Rector of Newman College, University of Melbourne, and CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia (CSSA). His latest books include Pope Francis: the Disruptive Pilgrims Guide (ATF Theology, 2025), and Gerard Brennan’s Articles and Speeches: Maintaining the Law’s Skeleton of Principle (2 volumes) (Connor Court, 2025).
[1] Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew, Sacra Pagina Series (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007), 256.
[2] See https://asc.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/transcript-opening-hearing-sydney-24-february-2026
[1] https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/john-anderson-on-populism-political-decline-and-his-mission-to-fix-australia-and-the-world/news-story/6a4a5f25692984401a80d9355f79dd8f
[2] Augustine The Usefulness of Fasting, 1, 1.
[3] Leo XIV, Message for Lent, https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/lent/documents/20260205-messaggio-quaresima.html
