Second Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 26
Reading 1
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
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
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
From the shining cloud the
Father's voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
Gospel
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
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