2nd Sunday of Lent (B)
Liturgy of the Hours, 2nd week, Psalter II
Texts taken from the missal “On Your Word” – January-February 2021.
On this second Sunday of Lent, the Church presents for our reflection the episode of Jesus’ transfiguration, which Mark describes in the ninth chapter of his Gospel. Like Peter, James, and John, we too climb the mountain of prayer and intimacy with God to contemplate and listen to his beloved Son and see the world in a different light.
FIRST READING
From the Book of Genesis (Gen 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18)
In those days, God put Abraham to the test and said to him: “Abraham!” He answered: “Here I am!” Then he said: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will point out to you.” When they came to the place that God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said: “Abraham, Abraham!” He answered: “Here I am!” The angel said: “Do not lay a hand on the boy, and do not do the least thing to him! Now I know that you fear God, since you did not withhold from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said: “I swear by myself, declares the Lord: because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands on the seashore; your descendants will take possession of the gates of their enemies. In your descendants all the nations of the earth will bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Commentary on the First Reading
“I will indeed bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands on the seashore”: this is the promise the Lord makes to Abraham. We may think that God sometimes exaggerates or uses metaphors far removed from our reality. We know, however, that even the Lord’s imagination responds to the one commandment he has given himself and, naturally, has given us: the commandment of love. It is obvious that whoever is faithful in love will be filled with blessings: one can only “speak well” of those who love as the Lord loves us, of those who love us following Jesus’ example. Strange things can then happen: from Abraham’s only son, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on every shore; whoever leaves father, mother, children, possessions… for me will receive a hundredfold and eternal life. These are ways of thinking that can be understood only by entering into God’s way of reasoning. We seem to understand that only he is capable of multiplying, leaving us the task of then sharing with others what he gives us out of love. He is an excellent arithmetic teacher—in fact, the best in the entire universe!
SECOND READING
From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Rom 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, will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring an accusation against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies! Who will condemn? Christ Jesus died, rather, was raised, is at the right hand of God, and intercedes for us!
Commentary on the Second Reading
“Brothers and sisters, if God is for us, who can be against us?” How heartening this writing of Saint Paul is! Condemned to imprisonment or house arrest in a somewhat pagan Rome, on the ship that took him to Rome he brought with him the One who was the cause of his imprisonment: the Lord Jesus, the God of freedom. That is why he can say that as long as the enemies who persecute us are human beings, we can remain calm, because what matters is having God on our side. Indeed, in yesterday’s Gospel Jesus urged us to pray for those who “are against us,” for our enemies, for those who plot our death. Paul could tell stories of similar situations for days on end: the Judaizers (Christians of Jewish origin who maintained observance of the Mosaic law) hated him, but after the light he received on the road to Damascus, he understood clearly that being in God’s company is the greatest security there is. Nevertheless, it remains true that living in love offers incalculable security, because love does not die; the cross of Christ and the empty tomb guarantee this. And no temple guard can control the explosive power of the risen Lord.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 9:2-10)
At that time, 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, whiter than any 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, “Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be 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, and 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 the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except after 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 the Gospel of the Day
“Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here.” Lord, we share and make our own this statement of Peter’s. It is wonderful to be in your company, enveloped in the light of the Father’s love. We want to be with you because we know that we are in the company of the Beloved, and we too feel that we are the beloved of this Father of yours and ours who loves us. We also long to listen to your Word, always following the guidance given by the Father. “What more could you want from life?” our young people would say; being with you is the height of life. Like Peter, we too are sometimes tempted to remain immersed in such great beauty and bliss, but Jesus shows us another path: coming down to bear witness, not merely to report; to say through our lives and works that we have encountered the Savior. How can one silence a heart bursting with joy at the wonders accomplished by Jesus? Those who love cannot remain silent; love is communicative by nature: “I cannot remain silent, my Lord, about the wonders of your love, but for this to happen, it is necessary to stay with you, Lord.”
