Second Sunday of Lent March 05, 2023
Readings: Genesis
12:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9
In the first reading, Abram is called by God to leave his
home and kin and go to an unknown land. In an act of great trust, he obeys. He
does not know what lies ahead, but he walks in faith. We must also walk in
faith, especially during our Lenten journey. His faith is a result of his
encounter with God.
On this the second week of Lent, we are given the hopeful
image of Jesus being transfigured before the eyes of Peter, James and
John. They witness a small glimpse of
His eternal glory and radiance as the Son of God and the Second Person of the
Most Holy Trinity. They are stunned, in
awe, amazed and filled with the greatest joy.
Jesus’ face shines like the sun and His clothing is so white, so pure,
so radiant that they shine as the brightest and most pure light imaginable.
Why did this happen?
Why did Jesus do this and why did He permit these three Apostles to see
this glorious event? And to ponder
further, why do we reflect upon this scene in the beginning of Lent?
Simply put, Lent is a time to examine our lives and to see
our sins most clearly. It’s a time we
are given each year to pause from the confusion of life and to reexamine the
road we are on. Looking at our sins can
be hard. It can be depressing and can
tempt us to depression, hopelessness and even despair. But the temptation to despair must be
overcome. And it is not overcome by
ignoring our sin, rather, it is overcome by turning our eyes to the power and
glory of God.
The Transfiguration is an event given to these three
Apostles to give them hope as they prepare to face the suffering and death of
Jesus. They are given this glimpse of
glory and hope as they prepare to see Jesus embrace their sins and endure the
consequences.
During this Lenten season we can reflect on the following: Jesus
has another experience of his Father identifying him as his beloved Son.
Through our baptism we received the same identity as Jesus did at his baptism,
being beloved sons or daughters. As this profound awareness of Jesus as beloved
got him through the tough times in his life, does our identity as being deeply
loved by God comfort us when the going gets tough?
The disciples were terrified by the experience of seeing
Jesus this way. But his word to them was: “Rise and do not be afraid.’ When we
are afraid and fearful, do we turn let Jesus comfort us?
Do we keep the end of our Lenten journey in focus:
celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus? Is our Lenten prayer focused
on letting the love of Jesus in his death and resurrection strengthen our hope?
Every time we gather for the Eucharist we experience a
moment of transfiguration where our divine Lord is transfigured before our eyes
in the forms of bread and wine. May the reassurance of God’s loving presence
with us at communion take away all fear and doubt from our hearts and
strengthen us to get up and face with courage the challenges and trials,
sufferings and, yes, death, that we must pass through before we can share in
the divine glory.
Happy Sunday
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