His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at Angelus: The Redeemer transfigures wounds of history

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV leads the faithful in the recitation of the Angelus (@Vatican Media)

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reflects on the mystery of the Transfiguration at the Angelus for the Second Sunday of Lent, noting that Christ the Redeemer transfigures the wounds of history and reveals God's gift of salvation.

By Christopher Wells

Jesus’ Transfiguration, recounted in Sunday’s Gospel, “foreshadows the light of Easter: an event of death and Resurrection, of darkness and new light that Christ radiates on all bodies scourged by violence, crucified by pain, or abandoned in misery,” His Holiness Pope Leo XIV said in his catechesis at the Sunday Angelus.

Although the disciples who accompanied Jesus saw His splendor, it took them time to understand what they had seen, “time in silence to listen to the word, time for conversion in order to enjoy the Lord’s company.”

In his catechesis, the Pope recalled that the disciples saw Jesus, the Word made flesh, standing between the Law and the Prophets, represented by Moses and Elijah.

“As on the day of His Baptism in the Jordan,” His Holiness Pope Leo XIV said, “we hear the voice of the Father proclaiming, ‘This is My beloved Son,’ while the Holy Spirit envelops Jesus in a ‘bright cloud’.”

This manifestation of the “human splendor of God” allows Peter, James, and John to “contemplate a humble glory, which is not displayed as a spectacle for the crowds to see, but in solemn intimacy.”

The Transfiguration of Jesus’ flesh, shining “with the glory of God” despite the evil in the world, shows that the Redeemer “transfigures the wounds of history, enlightening our minds and hearts; his revelation is a gift of salvation”…

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