Second Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 26

Reading 1

Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command."

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19

R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Reading 2

Rom 8:31b-34

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised—
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.

Verse Before the Gospel

Cf. Mt 17:5

From the shining cloud the Father's voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.

Gospel

Mk 9:2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

The Transfiguration of Jesus was a monumental event that had a tremendous effect on Peter, James, and John. It was mentioned in all four Gospels and in the Second Letter of Peter. In most circumstances, when something is mentioned more than once, its relevance and importance is raised as a result. In its occurrence, we not only have another revelation of the Trinity, but also a full revelation of the Son with God’s word, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” The words leave no doubt who Jesus is and how we should approach him. The presence of Elijah and Moses displays the progression of Divine Revelation. Elijah represents the prophets and Moses represents the Law, meaning that all that was revealed before has culminated with the coming of Jesus Christ, the Word becoming flesh. This further means that all that had been revealed before must be seen through the perspective of Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ is the culmination of everything that has happened before. Even though Peter, James, and John were unaware of the full impact of what they had witnessed, it would come into focus after the Resurrection. The pieces would slowly fall into place, and they would gain a full understanding of what occurred that day on the mountain. This would serve as encouragement and strength when they would face challenges in their early ministry and formation of the early church.

 

During the Season of Lent, even though we are encouraged to focus on the Human Christ and our relationship with Him, we are reminded today through the Transfiguration of the divinity of Jesus and it is through His divinity that all suffering, including ours, will come to an end. Regardless of the circumstances that we may find ourselves in, good or bad, these things will not remain forever. Jesus will triumph over all things and His kingdom will be realized. We, being His children, will be sharers in this triumph. When we embrace this perspective, the sufferings that we encounter can be minimized as a result and replaced with a welcoming of it, knowing that whatever we are facing will eventually pass and we will be stronger and better as a result. Hopelessness can be replaced with hope. It is through suffering that we achieve greatness. It is through persecution that we obtain victory.

 

The Apostle Paul reminds us today, “He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?” If God did this for us and Jesus accepted it voluntarily, why would anything we needed or required to live a joyous life be withheld from us? It is in our nature to minimize this point in favor of trying to look at things through the perspective of this secular world. That is part of our fallen nature and the byproduct of Original Sin. The Transfiguration reminds us of who we are dealing with: The Son of the Living God. In our life, we must remember the two natures of Jesus Christ and the impact it should have on how we feel and approach our lives. We can easily be swept up in things going on around us or things that are happening to us. Lent reminds us to immerse ourselves in these sufferings, all the while welcoming more of it and voluntarily taking on even more. We can then be strengthened by it, invigorated by it, and then finally celebrate victory over it.

 

We as Christians are encouraged to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ that will lead to a transformative experience. Understanding the impact of the Transfiguration and what it revealed to the world can be used as a vehicle to achieve this. Through meditating on it, Sacred Scripture can take on a new meaning and our experiences in this world can be shaped by it. Our understanding of our faith and who we are in relation to our God can deepen and our Lenten Journey can be intensified. We can then recall the profound words of Peter: “It is good that we are here!”

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

 

Quadragesima Sunday (also known as Invocabit Sunday) is the first Sunday in Lent, occurring after Ash Wednesday. The term Quadragesima is derived from the Latin word for "fortieth", as there are exactly forty days from Quadragesima Sunday until Good Friday.

 

 

 

First Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 23

Reading 1

Gn 9:8-15

God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth,
and the bow appears in the clouds,
I will recall the covenant I have made
between me and you and all living beings,
so that the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all mortal beings."

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9.

R. (cf. 10) Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

Reading 2

1 Pt 3:18-22

Beloved:
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah
during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body
but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Verse Before the Gospel

Mt 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel

Mk 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."

 

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

Today we celebrate the first Sunday in our Lenten Journey. We have picked up our crosses, our challenges and burdens, and have begun walking with Jesus for these forty days. Not only are we united with Jesus in all His sufferings, but we are also united with all of those who have gone before us. This is evident in the importance of forty days in the Salvation Story of God’s Creation. The entire world suffered for forty days through the rain brought forward through the Great Flood, only to receive a covenant from God that the destruction that it brought forth would never be repeated. It was through this cleansing that a new beginning was achieved. We as Christians are encouraged to view this as a pre-configuration of our baptism and the promises that it brings forth. Through the flood, God’s creation was baptized and we, in our baptism, become sharers in that covenant in a special way as that covenant takes on a deeper meaning through the revelation of Jesus Christ, coming forth to suffer and die for the forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation. The Israelites journeyed for forty years in the desert before entering the promised land. This journey, much like the Great Flood, was entered as a punishment for not listening to God. It was through this suffering that forgiveness was achieved, and the covenant God made with Abraham was fulfilled: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” Jesus then journeys into the desert to experience His own suffering for forty days, coming forth to begin the proclamation of the Gospels. We are now in that desert to experience our own sufferings and to come forth as new creations, experiencing that special grace that can only be found through suffering. Jesus suffered for us and now we suffer for Him and with Him.

 

What a wonderful opportunity has been afforded us. Our God wants to join with us in our lives. He wants to join us physically, mentally, and spiritually so that we may enter into relationship with Him. This is an invitation that grants us a transformative experience that will change us forever if we allow it to. It is through listening then reacting to what is being said that this is achieved. During Lent, we embrace suffering through fasting and sacrifice, but that is only the first of many other actions that must be initiated before we can fully experience Jesus in a way that He wants us to experience Him. Acts of charity and almsgiving are necessary as a part of this suffering. These can be seen as penance for our sins and an example of thoughtless actions while remaining in a state of suffering. Thinking of others first, even when we are in a state of suffering, is a central tenant of our faith and something that Jesus displayed through His sacrifice. We are then encouraged to enter a deeper prayer life formed by these sufferings and acts of charity. All these things benefit the community, the world, God’s creation, and lastly us.

 

In the Second Reading today the Apostle Peter said that Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, so that He might lead us to God. He is the Gate to the Father. Suffering, regardless of the circumstances, becomes an opportunity of enlightenment and self-improvement, if Jesus Christ remains in the center of our thoughts and actions. When suffering is experienced, there is always a critical moment that is reached, an intersection where there is a choice of which road to take. The suffering can be avoided with actions that are designed to avoid it while not benefiting from it or it can be embraced while learning from it; and being changed dramatically because of it. Through suffering, wisdom can be attained. The Book of Proverbs tells us that it is through Wisdom that we receive, “ training in wise conduct, in what is right, just and honest.” Wisdom is attained through not only seeking it, but also through knowledge and understanding. These are obtained by listening, experiencing things, making wrong choices, and making necessary corrections through what is learned. Jesus Christ, the source of all wisdom, improved our condition by suffering and we can maintain what was given to us by confronting the sufferings of this world with the knowledge that these sufferings, voluntary and involuntary, will all come to an end. At the conclusion of all of them, we can be with Jesus or choose to be without Him. He has already offered the better way with clear direction for us to achieve all that we can achieve in this life and the next. This Season of Lent affords us an opportunity to fully embrace what was done for us and to use it to effect all aspects of our lives, surrendering ourselves to the will of God and the suffering that is a necessary part of it in order to bring ourselves closer to Him. The Suffering Christ is the key to bring our sufferings to a joyful end through experiencing it with Him and becoming stronger as a result.

 

Deacon Tom