Second Sunday of Lent
It is almost two weeks since Lent began and I wonder how you are doing. My personal experience thus far has been very positive. Both in the external abstinence that I am practicing and in the internal disposition that I want to have, things are surprisingly well. Now that I have said that, I am sure next week will be rough; but right now, I feel steeped in the Lenten spirit. I hope it is the same with you. But if it is not, seek Christ’s help as you are at mass today. As we heard in today’s gospel, Christ is decidedly moving toward his impending death. The plot is thickening, the conspiracy is getting more intricate and Christ is preparing his disciples for the unexpected twists and turn. In the midst of all this, God’s presence also becomes more real and concrete. The story of the transfiguration of Jesus is a sign of God’s very real presence in human lives.
Having said that, we must admit that the combination of today’s readings is rather strange. How are today’s gospel and first reading connected? What is the connection between the transfiguration of Jesus and God’s Covenant with Abraham? On the periphery, there is no obvious connection. However, the account of the transfiguration ends with Jesus talking about his death. His death would not be the end however. It would only be a new beginning. And so, it makes perfect sense to recount the story of the beginning of the people of God which began with Abraham. It all began with Abraham, and now with the death and resurrection of Jesus, that original beginning would take on a completely new meaning.
How is this important for us? On this Second Sunday of Lent and beyond, what can we take home with us? Let me draw three practical implications from today’s readings.
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Think about your own beginning. Today, it is worth thinking about our own origin. What is the chance that your birth and mine into the world is as significant as the moving of Abram from the land of his kinsfolk to the new land? God does not create without a purpose. Each one of us has a purpose assigned to us just as Abraham had a purpose assigned to him. Granted that it is only as easy for us as it was for Abraham to discern that purpose. He sat a life-time without a child. Yet God accomplished through him the purpose for which he was sent. Abraham did not foresee Christ. We on the other hand bear the fruits of Christ’s death and resurrection. I think that today’s reading are inviting us to reflect on the very reason God has put us on this earth. Even more importantly, today’s readings are inviting us to reflect on the meaning and purpose of our lives in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus. In one sense this is a personal calling. On the other hand, we have the broader purpose laid out for us. Thus, for example, in our work and leisure, in our pain and joys, in our good relationships and difficult ones, in our health and our sickness, our life must point to Christ. There is no greater purpose than this. How we accomplish this in our personal life is for each one of us to discern.
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The beginning of faith. Abraham was rather old when he has his life-changing encounter with God. This was the case for the apostles too. Even though Peter, James and John were steeped in the Jewish tradition, at a particular point in their life they had a life-changing encounter with God. Peter’s reaction at the transfiguration is very, very significant. He wants this encounter to never end. I am sure that when Jesus died and then rose from the dead, this encounter with Christ was a core experience for him. Here is the practical implication of this point. Many of us were baptized as babies. Some of us became Catholics as adults. Can you recall the time when for the first time your faith needed to move to a new level? When was it that you said to yourself that without your faith you are missing something? Was it a dramatic encounter like that of Peter or was it something that slowly dawned on you? For me, that happened when I was nineteen. That very moment or that very first time your heart longed for God in an adult, mature, conscious way – that is equivalent of Abraham stepping out in faith. That was your new beginning. That was your transfiguration. It would be a very fruitful exercise to reflect on the meaning of the experience and the role it plays in your life today. It is also worth reflecting on how much you have either grown or regressed since that experience.
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Beginnings always come after an End. At the transfiguration, Peter wanted to stay on the top of the mountain. He wanted to pitch a tent and stay there. Jesus, however, brought them down the mountain. And he tells the disciples to tell no one about the experience until he had risen from the dead. Peter for sure had not grasped the paradox, but if there must be a new beginning, there also must be a dying. Only death makes way for new beginnings and a new life. The practical implication of this is very straightforward. If we want to experience the power of the resurrection of Jesus at Easter, then Lent must be a time when we die to ourselves. Anything that prevents us from experiencing a new beginning must die. Pride must die; arrogance must die; self-reliance must die; selfishness must die; finding fault with everyone else must die; self-interest must die; essentially, I must die. Just like Abraham and Jesus who were able to look beyond themselves toward a new beginning, we must die to self so that can be a new beginning.
I am not sure that Lent has been thus far for you. Whether it is going well or otherwise, at this mass, Christ offers us a new presence and a new beginning. As we receive the body and blood of Christ, perhaps we will be inclined like Peter to say on the top of the mountain. But Christ is sending us down the mountain to die to ourselves so that we can claim that new beginning the Christ has prepared for us. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph