Catechism Links [1]
Readings for the Second Sunday
of Lent [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Reading 1: Genesis
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."
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Commentary on Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
In this passage Abraham is put to the test. He is to offer
his son Isaac as a holocaust – an offering completely burnt on the altar.
Abraham, though reluctant, is faithful to God and follows his instructions. At
the last moment, when God is sure that Abraham has greater love for God than
even for his beloved son Isaac, he stops Abraham and “blesses him abundantly,”
making him the father of nations.
This example demonstrates that God expects those
faithful to him to place love and obedience to him above all other worldly
interests and loves. In return, those, like Abraham, who demonstrate that God
is their first priority, will be blessed as only God can bless.
"Isaac is a type of Christ, for he was a
son as Christ was a Son, and he carried the wood of his sacrifice just as the
Lord bore the wood of the Cross. (Clement of Alexandria, Christ the
Educator 1, 5, 23). The Lord carried his Cross as Isaac carried the wood; and
the ram, caught by its horns in the thicket, prefigures Jesus crowned with
thorns and then slain in sacrifice (St. Augustine, City of God 16, 32)." [5]
CCC: Gen
22:11 332; Gen
22:17-19 706
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
Psalm 116 is a song of thanksgiving. This selection is an
individual prayer and promise to God. The singer understands that the Lord is
his salvation. A little confusing is “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the
death of his faithful ones.” The meaning is that the death of God's faithful is
grievous to God, not that God is pleased with the death.
CCC:
Ps 116:17 1330
-------------------------------------------
Reading II: Romans 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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Rom 8:31b-34
St. Paul bursts into a hymn proclaiming the victory over
death and suffering experienced by the faithful, lifted up by God in Christ.
The premise that the love of God assures salvation to the faithful is
strengthened as the evangelist asks the rhetorical question “If God is for
us, who can be against us?”
"This exclamation of the Apostle vividly
reveals the full extent of the love of God the Father, who not only listens to
our prayers but anticipates our needs. God is with us, he is always by our
side. This is a cry expressing confidence and optimism, despite our personal
wretchedness; it is firmly based on our sense of divine sonship." [6]
CCC:
Rom 8:31 2852; Rom
8:32 603,
706, 2572; Rom 8:34 1373,
2634
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark
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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 9:2-10
St. Mark’s account of the transfiguration varies only
slightly from the account found in St. Matthew (Matthew
17:1-9). In St. Mark’s account the event takes place
six days after his first prediction (see side note below) of his own passion
and resurrection (St. Luke has eight days Luke
9:28b-36). Jesus brings Peter, James and John with him
and, by their presence gives them a special understanding that his death and
resurrection (and their own) will lead to the glory of the Kingdom of God, not
to an end as they had feared.(see also 2
Corinthians 3:18; 2
Peter 1:16-19).
Shown as it is to the select disciples, the
transfiguration prepares them to understand the necessary connection between
the passion and his rise to messianic glory. The imagery of this event provides
a recognizable reference to the greater mission of the Lord, as he comes to
fulfill both the Prophets (personified in Elijah) and the Law (represented by
Moses). Scholars agree that uniting and fulfilling the Law and the Prophets
represented in this tableau was a key message of this event.
The suggestion by St. Peter that he erect three
“booths” suggests the Jewish Feast of Booths which commemorates the revelation
of the Law by Moses at Mt. Sinai. A close parallel is emphasized as the
ultimate revelation of God in Christ is now played out.
The “bright cloud” is another Old Testament
symbol used to represent the immediate presence of Yahweh (see Exodus
19:9, 24:15-16 and 40:34-35). From within it God speaks the same formula used at Jesus’
baptism (see Matthew 3:17) providing the
final absolute identity of Jesus as Christ.
Side note: the Lectionary for Mass begins
this reading with “Jesus took Peter…”, omitting “After six days.” This
omission removes an interesting numerological reference to the event that takes
place. The transfiguration is the revelation of Christ as God’s Son. It
completes the teaching referenced in the previous verses. After six days of
teaching Christ was revealed – seven representing the complete or perfect
number. The implication is that Christ’s perfect revelation would come at
the resurrection.
CCC:
Mk 9:2 552; Mk
9:7 151,
459; Mk 9:9-31 649
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Have you ever stopped to ask
yourself why the transfiguration took place?
We hear about that spectacular event at least twice a year; how Jesus
takes three of his closest friends and goes up a mountain and there he is
transfigured before them. They see him
in dazzling white, standing with the great forefathers of our faith: Elijah,
the prophet, and Moses who gave the people God’s Law.
Yes, the image is clear. Jesus is transformed into something closer to
his essence as God. He came to fulfill
what was predicted by Elijah and all the prophets, so Elijah had to be
there. Moses was there because Jesus
also came to fulfill the Law handed to Moses on Mount Horeb. There is no doubt what this event
demonstrated: that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of the Living God. To make that point even more explicit, for
only the second time in the Gospel accounts of Jesus, God’s voice is heard:
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to
him."
The event is truly amazing
and awe-inspiring. Of that there is no doubt,
but why was it done? What purpose did
Jesus have in going up that mountain with only three of his disciples? It was not to show off. He even tells them in later verses not to
tell anyone about the episode. It was
done with only three of his closest friends.
He could have invited the whole entourage, all his disciples, and the
crowd he had been teaching for the past six days, to come up the mountain with
him to witness this unique event in which he was clearly revealed in his power
and majesty.
If he had done that with a
significant crowd of prominent scribes and Pharisees present (and we know there
were representatives in the crowd that was with him), they would have announced
to the Sanhedrin that the Messiah had come and there would never have been any
doubt about his identity. A whole different set of events would have unfolded
at Jerusalem.
So what do we know? We know that Jesus was transfigured on the
mountain, that he showed himself to his closest friends in all his
majesty. They witnessed this event after
Jesus had been teaching them for six days – an intense tutorial. We can only conclude that the purpose for
this miraculous demonstration was to be an exclamation point to what he came to
show us.
It is like the teacher in the
classroom who uses a spectacular demonstration to get across a point. Jesus is transfigured so that we might be
paying special attention to the point he makes.
And what is that point? Why did
God feel it was necessary to send his only son in the first place? It connected all of the dots from ancient
history, the law from Moses, and the prophets, one grand seamless message to
humankind. But, most importantly it was
so we would be assured of his love for us, and to make clear what he wished for
us: how we were to live in peace. Like
any loving parent, God wants us be happy. And to do that we must follow the
“house rules,” the biggest of them is: Love God and love one another.
This recognition, this
understanding, this conversion is something that happens gradually. Again using the example of the teacher in
school, the important lessons are repeated over and over again so they become
ingrained, second nature.
So now we have come to
realize why the transfiguration was so important. It was the exclamation point that emphasizes
our need to follow the example Jesus gave us, and the commandments he left
us. Now we must ask ourselves a second
question: what must we do to respond to what he taught us? How can we derive the benefit of this
teaching to achieve what God, our loving Father, wishes for us?
For the younger students,
this is like a story problem. We have
been taught over and over again the lessons Jesus teaches. Now we are asked to
use what we have learned in a way we are likely to encounter in the real
world. Because this is one in a series
of lessons during our Lenten season, and as much as you would love to spend
hours listening to this wisdom, other things must be done, let’s look at only
one of the ways we can work at converting ourselves into the pupils (disciples)
of which Jesus would be proud.
We are called to be a people
of faith. The always-pragmatic St Paul
said, in what can only be imagined as a fit of religious zeal: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is for us when we have spoken with him
and know what he wishes us to do. So
first and foremost we must be a people of prayer.
This second week of Lent
let’s all make a pledge together.
Whatever amount of praying we normally do on a given day (and saying, “I
talk to God all the time” does not count), let’s pledge to set aside an
additional one-half hour to be alone with God in prayer. Let’s pray together for all those who face
desperation during difficult times in their lives. If we find ourselves facing difficult times,
pray that God will give us peace so we can face the difficulty knowing in our
hearts that the Lord, who revealed himself to be the Christ at the
transfiguration, also loves us and will be a light in the darkness. Let us offer our fears and our bitterness to
the Lord, begging his forgiveness because we know he wishes only happiness for
us. Be infused in that half hour with
the knowledge that God loves us, and will stand with us when we are put to the
test (praying fervently that our test will not be as momentous as the one he
placed before Abraham).
Jesus came teaching us to be
a people of prayer. He punctuated his
teaching with the amazing event that unfolded before us in scripture as we
heard once more how he revealed his divinity to us. Let us each now pledge to be what he teaches
us to be, and in doing so receive gratefully the gift of peace he gives us.
Pax
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture used is “Abraham and Isaac” by Sir Anthony van Dyck, c. 1617.
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[5]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Genesis © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco,
CA. pp. 44-45.
[6]
The Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul,” Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 105.
