“While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’”  — Matthew 17: 5-7

By Madeline Lunney

This passage, from the Transfiguration of Jesus with His face shining in glory, is a moment of deep revelation and preparation for three of Jesus’ Apostles: Peter, James, and John. Peter wants to put up tabernacles to honour Jesus, Moses and Elijah. But while he is still talking about this, God’s voice names Jesus with unmistakable authority: “This is my Son. Listen to him.”

The response of the three fishermen from Galilee is immediate and human. Challenged to see the world in a new way and face a future they cannot yet understand, they collapse. Jesus knows what lies ahead: violence, death and His resurrection. He also knows they are not ready for it. He tells them to overcome their fear and stand up. The apostles do not yet understand that this moment empowers them to move forward even when they are overwhelmed by what is required of them. Later, after Jesus’s resurrection, Peter, James and John would testify boldly about the Transfiguration.

As I write this Lenten reflection, our world is clouded by instability and fear. Truth is thwarted, serving others is more challenging than ever, and the future feels fragile. Like the apostles, trembling, we may fear what comes next. It is in this moment we must hear again the message, “Get up and do not be afraid.”

This is the spirit that animates the work of Canadian Jesuits International (CJI) and its partners today. In Afghanistan, where authorities have pushed women out of schools, jobs, and public life, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) chooses presence over retreat. JRS has built initiatives that allow women to remain culturally, economically and socially connected. Together they design handicrafts to sell locally and internationally, organize shared work schedules and the purchase of materials for their creations, and teach skills to girls barred from formal schooling. Although fear is real, it does not determine the next step. Those who accompany this work have chosen to stand rather than collapse.

As Lent draws us toward Easter, we prepare ourselves for the hope that goodness can rise again. We can join with marginalized people to strengthen communities and create the conditions for personal and collective transformation to take root. In choosing to stand up, we take part in a mission begun long ago: one that continues to unfold wherever people refuse to remain paralyzed by fear, but rather to act out Jesus’s message of love and service.

Madeline Lunney is the Donor Relations Coordinator at Canadian Jesuits International.