Understanding the Catholic Family

Second Sunday of Lent - 2/29/26
By Father Vince Kuna, C.S.C.

If listeners remember only one thing this Sunday, it should be this: The feast day of the Transfiguration and the reading of the Transfiguration when it comes up every second Sunday of Lent is one of the few that we don't have to figure out the mystery. Our Lord transfigured before a few select apostles was inscrutable to them as it is inscrutable to us now.

Scripture Insight

I read an Eastern Orthodox bishop who connected the Transfiguration to the Easter events. The Transfiguration shows the divinity of Christ and so, the Resurrection while unprecedented in history, shouldn't come as a shock. If our Lord can shine like the sun, it would make sense he could rise from the dead. Practically speaking, we shouldn't live in extremes, overly despairing when our loved ones do something scandalous or overreact when they do something virtuous. Our human nature, unsurprisingly leads us to sin at times. Our engagement of faith and the sacraments should equally and unsurprisingly, lead us to holiness.

Family Life Connection

Our Lord is a mystery as represented by the Feast Day of the Transfiguration. I think we are, too. My late college swim coach from the University of Notre Dame gave graduating seniors a book and said a few kind words about each athlete at our end of the year banquet. When it came to me, he said, "Vince, you're a mystery." It was puzzling at first, but over the years, I discovered I (and we) am a bit of a mystery. I think that openness of not knowing I had everything figured out about myself led me open to my vocation, the priesthood. Please afford this wiggle room for your spouses and children. You may think you know them inside and out, but allow for some patience, forgiveness and openness to human growth.

Practical Takeaway for Families

"Do good and avoid evil" a spiritual director once said to me. I think he had a pretty good insight that human depravity doesn't scandalize him, nor does he get overly elated when humans do good.
So accordingly, stay with your Lenten discipline of sacrificing something. Likewise, keep up your additional prayer exercises this Lenten season.

The Story

The best theological insight into the Transfiguration comes from a Catholic acquaintance of mine, retired General Kevin Chilton. Chilton or "Chilli" to his fellow astronauts was co-pilot on the space mission sent to recover the Hubble satellite. Upon leaving the Earth's atmosphere, he saw what was a white line across the windshield and mistook it for a crack. The pilot said, "relax, "Chili" and enjoy your first sunrise in outer space"...the white line, of course, being the sun, unencumbered by pollution and seen in its perfect white light. Chilton immediately thought of the Transfiguration and the mysterious line, "his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light."