Second Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 27
Reading I
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my
salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Reading II
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers
and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.
or:
Phil 3:20—4:1
Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.
Verse Before the Gospel
From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.
Gospel
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
The Apostle Paul reminds us today that we are citizens of heaven. This citizenship has been obtained by us being Children of God and us realizing our birthright through Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we too will follow Him and will be joined with Him forever. With this understanding comes an expectation of conduct and a separation from the earthly desires that surround us. Earthly things lead to an earthly death while the citizenship that we have lasts forever. What we say and do defines where we stand in this area. We cannot only say that we are Christians, but we must also act like Christians, using the example of Jesus Christ as the example we follow. There will be struggles along the way, but that is when the power of community and fellowship become the support that we need to prevail. It is within the community that we can both find our individual identity and the validation of our faith.
One of the documents from The Church Council Vatican II, The Church in the Modern World states,
“The tensions disturbing the world of today are in fact related to a more fundamental tension rooted in the human heart. In man himself many elements are in conflict with each other. On one side, he has experience of his many limitations as a creature. On the other, he knows that there is no limit to his aspirations, and that he is called to a higher kind of life.
Many things compete for his attention, but he is always compelled to make a choice among them. and to renounce some. What is more, in his weakness and sinfulness he often does what he does not want to do, and fails to do what he would like to do. In consequence, he suffers from a conflict within himself, and this in turn gives rise to so many great tensions in society.”
This is very evident from the global conflicts that rage around us to the social issues which plaque our society today. What we are witnesses to is the constant war of the flesh and the spirit. Wherever there is chaos, there are those who have strayed from the spirit and are embracing earthly desires. Us, as intelligent creatures, understand which is the better path. The challenge is for us to take that path over the allurements of this world which can easily distort our thoughts and actions.
The Season of Lent is an enforcement mechanism for our faith and our relationship with Jesus Christ. Through the practices of Lent, we can purge many of those temptations which plaque us until only Jesus Christ remains to fill in the hole which is left when temporal things are forced out. It is amazing how even little things can get in the way of our relationship with God. Through abstinence we can learn not to indulge in these things which can ultimately damage our relationship and blunt the presence of God and His love. Abraham had to be prepared to receive the covenant that God gave to him. Even though He was engaged in a very close and personal relationship with God, Abraham still questioned if what God promised Him would come to pass. Peter, James, and John were invited to be witnesses to The Transfiguration so they could look back on the event when they too were challenged with situations which might rattle their faith. If men such as these needed validation, so much more we can expect to be confronted with. There is a need to prepare ourselves for times such as these that are guaranteed to come. Lent is the perfect time for this preparation and the observances offered are a valuable tool to achieve these goals.
We are indeed called to a higher kind of life. When God makes a covenant, it never expires but only comes to fulfillment. The Covenants made to Noah, Abraham, Israel, and David, have been fully realized and brought to perfection through The New Covenant of Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that we all become sharers in these and partake in all of benefits that come from these. These covenants trace the history of creation and mark the progression of humanity and our relationship with God. Everything leads to Jesus Christ and then, finally, to The Father. Along the way we are encouraged, supported, and guided by The Holy Spirit, which moves through everything. Where there is creation, there is God’s love, which is revealed through that same Spirit.
The Transfiguration was such a momentous event that it is read as a Sunday Gospel Reading and has its own Feast Day. The event displays the progression towards the Father, linking Jesus to the prophets, The Law, and through Him to The Father. Peter mentions it in his second letter, and it is mentioned in all four Gospels. When something is repeated, its importance is emphasized. Peter, James, and John needed this validation. We all need the same validation and revelation. Worshipping God, praying to God, gathering in community, living in community, and acting out our faith brings about this validation. When these things are exercised, we will receive our validation and will be strengthened by it. We too can be taken up to that mountaintop and be witnesses to what God is offering us. To get to the mountaintop, we must start climbing. It might be a hard climb, filled with sacrifice and challenges, but it will be worth it. God guarantees it.
Deacon Tom
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