On March 4, 2012, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Before the prayer, the Holy Father recalled how the Gospel on the second Sunday of Lent (Mark 9: 2-10) recounts the episode of the Transfiguration of Christ. He noted that Matthew, Mark and Luke all agree on the essential elements of the narrative: Jesus climbed the mountain in the company of His disciples Peter, James and John, and was transfigured before their eyes. His face and clothing irradiated a dazzling light, then a cloud enveloped the summit of the mountain and the Father’s voice was heard saying: ''This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him".
The Pope explained how the mystery of the Transfiguration must be seen in the context of the itinerary Jesus was following. At that time His mission was coming to its end, and He knew He would have to suffer the cross. He had announced as much to His followers but they had failed to understand and refused to accept. For this reason Jesus took three disciples with Him to the mountain, "to reveal His divine glory, splendour of Truth and of Love. Jesus wanted this light to illuminate the hearts of the people who would have to experience the black night of His passion and death, when the scandal of the cross would be unbearable to them.
"God is light", the Holy Father added, "and Jesus wanted His most intimate friends to experience this light, which dwelt within Him. Following that event, He would become an inner light in them, capable of protecting them from the onslaught of darkness. Even in the darkest night Jesus is the lantern which never goes out".
"We all need an inner light to overcome the trials of life. This light comes from God and it is Christ Who gives it to us. ... Let us climb the mountain of prayer with Jesus and, contemplating His face full of love and truth, let us allow ourselves to be filled from within with His light".
After the Angelus prayer, Benedict XVI invited the faithful to dedicate a moment every day during Lent to silent prayer and listening to the Word of God.
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“Prayer brings our mind into the brightness of divine light, and exposes our will to the warmth of divine love. Nothing else can so purge our mind from its ignorance, and our will from its depraved affections. It is a blessed fountain which, as it flows, revives our good desires and causes them to bring forth fruit, washes away the stains of infirmity from our soul, and calms the passions of our hearts.
Above all, I would recommend mental prayer, the prayer of the heart; and that drawn from the contemplation of our Saviour’s life and Passion. If you habitually meditate upon Him, your whole soul will be filled with Him, you will learn His expression, and learn to frame your actions after His example. He is the Light of the world, it is therefore in Him, by Him, and for Him, that we must be enlightened and illuminated…”
Saint Francis de Sales
An Introduction to the Divine Life+
Even if we cannot physically go up Mount Tabor*, the Lord gives us the light of prayer which helps us to spiritually draw near to the divine light of Christ. "Let us climb the mountain of prayer with Jesus and, contemplating His face full of love and truth, let us allow ourselves to be filled from within with His light". May we be inspired this Lent to devote time to silent prayer and meditation on the Word of God.
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