The cross is awful, even downright offensive. And yet, the man on the cross is beautiful. Though disfigured from hours of torture, Jesus was beautiful—it was the purest act of love ever done, and it was the culmination of a life that was radically different from any other we have seen. Throughout his ministry, there was something otherworldly about him that attracted sinners and saints to drop everything they were doing and follow him. He practiced what he preached to the bit

We see a conversion that is so profound and impactful that this woman becomes the first evangelist recorded in John’s Gospel. She was a lost sheep who then brought an entire flock to the Good Shepherd, and they received him with open arms! The Samaritans of all people. These half-breed heretics embraced Jesus, and shockingly, Jesus embraced them! All of this from the testimony of our unnamed woman.

It’s important to remember that Lent is not mandated by God, but repentance is. Forming a habit of honest self-assessment and seeking the Lord’s mercy does not make us perpetually depressed souls, but, as Schmemann claims, softens our hearts so that we thirst for God and to be in a deeper relationship with Him.

But to Peter’s point, he understood Jesus’ transfiguration indicated what he would be like at the end of the age. No matter how long Jesus was delayed in coming back, Peter had the image of Christ in all his glory on the mountain seared into his mind. Peter’s words are clear: “What I have told you is the truth, so be attentive, keep the faith, and keep your lamp burning until the morning star returns.”