Second Sunday of
Lent Year A
Readings: Gen
12:1-4; 2 Tim 1:8-10; Matt 17:1-9
Call of Abraham,
journey of faith, conversion and transformation: these phrases help us to focus
more deeply on the readings of this Sunday. The first reading from Genesis
leads us into the most significant event for God’s people in the Old Testament,
namely the call of Abraham. To understand the call of Abraham we need to know
the context out of which he was called. That call reveals God’s plan for the
chosen people. Abraham is called to a journey of conversion and transformation;
into a land the Lord would show him; from a land he knew best into the unknown.
The city of Ur (in present day Iraq) was a large city with spacious streets and
large markets. It was a prosperous city with dazzling technology of the day.
For the majority of the people in Ur the only thing that seemed to matter most
was prosperity. The people’s ancient religion centered on a life-force or
fertility gods. Their rites involved orgies complete with temple prostitutes –
male and female. They also had human sacrifices including infants. Their gods
demanded more and more blood of children. That was evidently a culture of
death. It was those terrible gods Abraham was told to leave. The gods of our
culture today are remarkably similar to those Abraham was asked to leave and go
to a land the Lord would show him. Through the media we are daily sucked into a
culture of consumerism, a culture of violence and of death. Like Abraham we are
challenged to take a journey of conversion to leave our comfort zone, to let go
so that the Lord may lead us into a journey of conversion. We are challenged to
trust like Abraham, who left everything behind.
In the Gospel, Jesus
takes his closest disciples apart on the mountain where his glory is revealed.
As in the call of Abraham in the first reading, Jesus calls each of us to a
journey of conversion, to leave behind the pagan gods of our culture and
consumerism. The way to avoid being sucked into a terrible culture of death is
to go to the mountain with Jesus. The mountain in scripture always signifies
God’s presence. The Gospel of today gives us the experience of such a presence
in the Transfiguration. Jesus is transfigured before the three disciples and
they see the mystery of his glory. The Sunday experience in a certain sense
takes us to Mount Tabor, the Mountain of the Transfiguration. There we are
lifted up high and see the glory of the Lord in the Liturgy of the Word and the
Eucharistic celebration. Here we are purified, sanctified and experience in a
profound way the glory of God shown in Jesus Christ. We do not want to leave.
It is so beautiful. We want to stay. As we continue our journey of faith this
Lenten Season, you are one of the privileged disciples to be invited to the
mountain. You are transformed. You experience the glory of Christ. You are deeply
touched. You cannot be the same again. Three points to take away: 1) As
disciples and stewards of Jesus Christ, we will have many uplifting moments.
Many times we will encounter the Lord in profound ways. Take advantage of those
moments for the Lord is working on you then. 2) We will have the temptation to
want to stay there in the warmth of the glory. That is a transitional moment
and we may be even confused like Peter wanting to build three tents and settle
down there. As stewards, we are disciples on pilgrimage with the Lord, who has
a vision, a purpose and a mission. 3) At the end of today’s Mass you are sent
to go back energized to tell what we have experienced: seen with our eyes and
heard with our ears to the world. It is our moment to evangelize those we meet.
Share your joy of this Sunday celebration.
©2014 John S. Mbinda
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