California priest stresses that Second Sunday of Lent is a reminder of why we're here on Earth

 "Then a cloud came and overshadowed them; a voice came from the cloud, 'This is my beloved Son. Listen to him'" (Mark 9:7).

This verse, read during the Second Sunday of Lent, is from the Gospel of Mark, one of the three Synoptic Gospels, and is part of the story of the event known as the Transfiguration. The Gospel of Mark is attributed to St. Mark the Evangelist and is believed to be the first written gospel.

According to the Church of the Basilica's website, "Although he was not a direct disciple of Jesus, St. Mark is the author of one of the four Gospel accounts and played an important role in spreading the Gospel as a missionary in the early Church." Washington DC. National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in

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The second Sunday of Lent means that the liturgical season leading up to Easter is now a third over, Fr. Ambrose Christe, O.Prem., told Fox News Digital.

Christe, a Norbertine priest, resides at St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County, California. He is originally from Denver, Colorado.

In the story of the Transfiguration, Jesus leads Peter, James, and John to the top of Mount Tabor.

Christe said, "There, in the presence of the Old Testament giants Moses and Elijah, Christ revealed the glory of his divinity shining through his sacred humanity."

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He said, "According to all ancient and contemporary theologians interpreting the scriptures, Moses represents the ancient Jewish law and Elijah represents the spirit of prophecy."

With the Transfiguration, Jesus was able to show "how He is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant law and the prophets by revealing the glory of His divinity as the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity," Christe said.

The story of the Transfiguration is read in Catholic churches around the world during the second Sunday of Lent, Christe said, and "helps Christians look forward to Easter, which is still four weeks away."

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"Jesus explains to his friends Peter, James, and John that in showing them his transfigured glory – the anticipation of the glory of his resurrected body – he wants to encourage them so that they will be willing to see his passion and death."

In the Transfiguration, Jesus shows how he will be "bright and glorious" after death, but first he must endure death on the cross.

Christe said, "He shows them the deepest truth about himself, his divinity, so that they may become stronger to endure the passion with him."

“We must let Him make us worthy of heaven.”

The Second Sunday of Lent "reminds believers that we need the insight that comes with grace to see through the common deceptions of this world – money, power, pleasure."

Lent, Christe said, “is an opportunity for us every year to develop that insight.

“Our Lord wants us to remember that we have no permanent home on this earth. We cling to everything we worry about, fret about – the pursuit of money, the opinions of others, to sin. Attachments, worldly pleasures – whatever they may be, we must let our Lord take it all away, and we must let Him make us worthy of heaven,” he said.

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After all, "Why are we here on Earth? To go to heaven," Christe said.