2nd Sunday of Lent, pastoral visit to Salalah, Oman - Homily of Bp Paolo

We are now in the heart of my second pastoral visit to your parish, which has as its patron Saint Francis Xavier, the great missionary inflamed by the desire to bring Jesus to everybody.

The Eucharist we celebrate now is the most crucial moment of the pastoral visit. Jesus now renews the gift of his body and his blood. Around the Eucharist, we find ourselves, the Church, God's holy people.

Let us be guided by the word of God we have heard. The Gospel tells us about a particular moment in the life of Jesus where Jesus is now headed towards Jerusalem, and there he will give his life for us on the cross. Jesus, with his closest disciples, John, Peter, and James, goes to a high mountain and is transfigured before them. "His clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them". At that moment, two people appeared: Moses, the great mediator between God and the people, who had led Israel out of slavery towards the promised land, and Elijah, the great prophet who had fought against idols and promoted true faith.

This image makes us understand that Jesus is the new Moses, who definitively frees us from the slavery of sin. Jesus is also the fulfillment of all prophecies. He is the fullness of divine Love. But why did Jesus transfigure himself in front of his disciples before his death? He wants to support their fragile faith in the face of his imminent cross.

At the same time, Jesus shows us that we, too, are called to transfigure our lives. Here is an essential question the bishop asks you today: is our faith transfiguring our lives? Are we witnesses of Jesus with our transfigured life? Are our families the place where love reigns? Is our parish community the place where we are all united to love each other, welcoming each other, and where the different communities are not divided but united? Do we support the journey of young people? They are the present and the future of the Church. Let's help them discover their vocation and mission.

Jesus teaches us that to achieve the transfiguration of our lives, we must be willing to give up our plans and make the gospel the principle of a new way of understanding life and living our relationships.

The story of Abraham that we heard in the first reading helps us on this journey. Put to the test, he obeyed God and accepted his word. He was ready to give up his son. Because he listened to his word, God gave back to him not only his son Isaac but an immense generation of children. For this reason, at the center of the scene of Jesus' transfiguration, the disciples hear the voice of the heavenly Father exclaiming: This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us put the Word of God at the center. If we listen to Jesus, our life, day after day, will also be transfigured by the love of God, which was manifested in the Paschal Mystery. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Romans, reminded us that Jesus not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God's right hand, he stands and pleads for us: Jesus is victorious over sins. But how do we join in the death and resurrection of Jesus? How do we participate in his victory over evil and death? 

Dear Sisters and brothers, Jesus chose us and called us to be united with him. Baptism unites us with Jesus and each other. We come from different countries with different languages, traditions, and rites. And yet we form one body because we have the same Christian faith and have received the same baptism.

I invite you to live your baptism profoundly and recognize that you are all brothers and sisters. I invite you to be united. Nothing better shows the victory of Jesus and his resurrection than the unity among all the baptized. The unity of believers manifests the glory of God to the whole world. 

Brothers and sisters, the different communities among you, as well as the many groups and associations, are significant. But we are called to experience diversity in unity. Jesus wants us all to be united. As we know, the world is very divided, with many tensions and conflicts. We Christians are called to be peacemakers and to show that we can be united even if we are different.
Finally, I thank all of you who participate actively in the parish activities; thanks to those who are involved in the life of the Parish with different ministries; I thank the parish priest, Father Johnson, and all the priests who often come here from a distance to accompany the various communities. Be close to the priests and pray for them.

Brothers and sisters, I entrust you to our Lady of Arabia. May Mary, Mother of God and the Church, always keep you united with Jesus and each other. May the Holy Martyrs Saint Arethas and companions support you with their example and intercession so that you may be tireless witnesses of the joy of the gospel.