Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Daily Missal, March-April 0000
Second Sunday of Lent (C)
2nd week, weekday cycle
FIRST READING
From the Book of Genesis (Gen 15:5-12, 17-18)
In those days, God led Abram outside and said to him: “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can count them,” and he added: “So will your descendants be.” He believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. And he said to him: “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” He replied: “Lord God, how can I know that I shall possess it?” He said to him: “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these animals, cut them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, terror and great darkness assailed him. When the sun had set and it was very dark, behold, a smoking brazier and a flaming torch passed between the divided animals. On that day the Lord made this covenant with Abram: “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the First Reading
The text of Genesis presents us with Abraham, our father in faith. He, the text says, “believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Thanks to Abraham’s faith, to his “yes,” God was able to accomplish great things. Abraham trusted in God’s promise: you will have descendants (v. 5), a land (v. 7), a people (v. 18). But to obtain this, he underwent the arduous trial of sacrificing his son Isaac. Nevertheless, Abraham did not give in, demonstrating that God was for him “light and salvation,” the text that the liturgy has chosen as the responsorial psalm and that reveals the heart of Abraham, our father in faith: “The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom should I fear?… My heart repeats your invitation: ‘Seek my face!’ Your face, Lord, I seek… Hope in the Lord, be strong, let your heart be steadfast, and hope in the Lord.” This is the attitude required of us at the beginning of our Lenten journey.
SECOND READING
From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Philippians (Phil 3:17 - 4:1)
Brothers, join in imitating me and observe those who conduct themselves according to the example you have in us. For many - I have told you this several times already, and now I repeat it with tears in my eyes - conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their god is their stomach. They glory in what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of earthly things. Our citizenship, in fact, is in heaven, and from there we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transfigure our lowly body to conform it to his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my dear and greatly longed-for brothers, my joy and my crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved! - The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
In this text, Paul invites us to imitate him and, at the same time, to look to those who have lived a beautiful life before God; let us think only of Abraham, our father in faith: “Brothers,” Paul writes, “be imitators of me and observe those who conduct themselves according to the example you have in us... Our citizenship, in fact, is in heaven, and from there we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ... remain steadfast in the Lord.” Paul places before his listeners the goal that awaits them, the transfigured life: there will be hardship to face and faithfulness to demonstrate, but in the end everything will be repaid in Christ Jesus. Salvation, therefore, is not the work of man, but a gift from Christ and his cross, which is still a stumbling block and foolishness to many, but for those who believe, it is the guarantee of salvation. Encouraged by Paul's words, we are thus invited to listen to the Word and allow ourselves to be inwardly filled by it, so that it may become one with us: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 9:28b-36)
At that time, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him: they were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but when they awoke, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these men were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what he was saying. As he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them. As they entered the cloud, they became afraid. And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him!” When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and in those days told no one what they had seen. -
The Word of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel
Let us try to hold the texts together. The texts for Ash Wednesday reminded us that we are fragile and in need of conversion; last Sunday's texts reminded us that life - the forty days of Lent are a symbol of our life on a smaller scale/in miniature - is a continuous struggle/battle in which we are engaged in choosing between God and the devil's proposals. Today they give us the ultimate reason why it is worth fighting while remaining faithful to the Lord: a transfigured life of glory awaits us! The experience of the Transfiguration is only a sign: “While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white… And a voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him!’” In Luke, the Transfiguration is an experience of prayer, the text tells us: “While he was praying.” As we leaf through the Gospels, we realize that prayer ushers Jesus into the most important experiences of his life: what is true for him also happens for us. May this Lent help us set aside the necessary time for prayer, so that we may allow the Lord to transfigure us and face the most challenging times with fortitude.
