SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT C
TOTALLY BEAUTIFUL
There is a special attribute of
the Virgin Mary, and it is her beauty. Tota pulchra es, Maria! You are totally beautiful, O Mary!
If Mary is this beautiful because
of the grace she received as the Mother of God’s Son, then how much more the
Son she bore in her womb. The Son must be more beautiful, infinitely more so,
because he is the Son of God who came in the flesh.
This is the surprising beauty of
Jesus revealed in the mountain. At the Transfiguration, the disciples saw the
real splendor, the true majesty, the genuine radiance of the Master whose
ordinariness they have grown accustomed to. In Him, they found the real meaning
of beauty. God is beautiful and the proof is the brilliance of his transfigured
Son.
Lent shows us the beauty of Jesus
to remind us that as God’s children we are all beautiful. Not in the same way
as Jesus, of course. But in our own way, we are beautiful.
This is not easy to accept. Some
of us are not aware of their beauty so they live their lives through their
unpleasant ways, ugly habits, and deplorable characters. Some ignore their beauty and instead
pursue the beauty of the fascinating world.
Many are more concerned about
their external beauty, which is so easily destroyed, that they forget the
beauty of the heart and soul that comes from God. When we ignore that we are
beautiful in God’s eyes, it is easy to move away from him through sin.
This Lent, Jesus is inviting us
to looks at him resplendent and handsome, not so that we will just admire him
or envy him. He is telling us to
return to the beauty of who we really are. Lent with its offering of prayer,
penance, sacrifice, acts of love for others, helps us to regain and reconstruct
the beauty within us. Let us be serious once again in pursuing the real beauty
God offers.
