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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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2 Lent
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Second
Sunday of Lent - Cycle C
Luke 9, 28-36
A missionary told this tale. Some African Christians were sitting about
at a retreat. The subject was how best to spread the Gospel. Various
methods were suggested running from literature to videos to radio
announcements. Finally a young woman arose. She said, "When we judge a
pagan village is ready for the Lord Jesus, the first people we send in
is a Christian family. It is their lives that will inspire the
villagers to think seriously about becoming Christian. They are better
than a hundred books or videos or radio announcements. They will be the
keyhole through which others will see the Lord Christ. To spread the
Church Christians must not so much promote as attract." The woman's
views carried the day.
As Albert Schweitzer, who was a superb keyhole in his own life,
testified, "Example is not the main thing. It is the only thing."
This then is what we are aiming for while Lent remains very young. Like
the Christ of today's Gospel, we too must become transfigured. The
Teacher is saying to us, "Do not dwell on my Transfiguration overly
long today. Rather, continue or perhaps begin to work on your own." The
Christ is betting on each one of us here to become an attractive
keyhole.
Someone asked Mother Teresa how he might better spread the Gospel. She
replied simply, "Smile more often. Live as though you believe there are
542 references to joy in the Scriptures."
But we are in luck. The Transfiguration of course occurred in a
microsecond. There is no such time pressure on us. We have almost six
weeks to accomplish our own transformation. Happily each of us is not
acting alone. For we shall be attempting to become forty day wonders in
communion with our fellow Catholics throughout the globe. We are - all
of us - looking inward to remove the stains, wrinkles, and wounds from
each of our lives. The entire Mystical Body of Christ is groaning to
give birth to more attractive Catholics.
In seminaries, monasteries, and convents, this period is traditionally
called Quadraginta. In Italy, our fellow Catholics call it Quaresima.
In Spain, Cuaresima. In France, Careme. And, among my ancestors in
Eire, Corghas.
But it makes no difference really what one calls this season. As
Vatican Council II reminded us, we are all members of a Church always
needing reform. Cleansed or, perhaps better, transfigured at Easter, we
will move out of our churches ready to transform others. We will
pass on to others what we our own selves have first achieved.
And those "others" desperately need us. One American government
official describes the current scene this way. "In this country, it is
impossible to maintain civilization with 12-year olds having babies,
with 15-year olds killing each other, with 17-year olds dying of AIDS,
and with 18-year olds ending up with diplomas they can't even read."
And as a Director of Campus Ministry at a college of mostly Catholic
students, I must add that fewer and fewer of their number see any need
to attend Sunday Liturgy. The Eucharist is unknown country for most of
them. "We are becoming the kind of society," says former US Secretary
of Education William J Bennett, "that other nineteenth century
societies sent missionaries to."
So, our work is obviously cut out for us. But, as the late John
Tracy Ellis would point out, a knowledge of history is comforting. It
tells us that the Church has had a long practice in saving and
redeeming civilizations. Why then not this one?
But here is the rub. As one sage has written, we must be the change
that we want to see in the world. And so there rises the absolute
necessity that this be the best Lent that each of us has ever had.
"If ever this society was in need of Catholicism, " said Secretary
Bennett, "it is now. If 60 million Catholics were to live and vote
their faith, it would transform American society." And, if Catholic
throughout the globe were to live their belief in the Christ, it would
transform world society.
Remember this message from an unknown author as you go about
transforming yourself. The Jesus you wish to imitate came not to
dominate but to motivate, not to condemn but to forgive, not to oppress
but to free, not to compel but to teach.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
2 Lent
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Second Lent: The Mystery That Transforms the World
Today’s readings present us with mystery, even more, with the
mystical. Abram divides the animals in two and witnesses God
passing between the halves as a torch. The mystery of God has
entered human history in the covenant God made with this wandering
Aramean, Abram, whom he now names Abraham. St. Paul tells the
Philippians that they should not be like the Pharisees who are so
concerned with Jewish dietary laws that “Their God is their belly,” and
so proud of their circumcision that “their glory is in a shameful part
of their body.” The problem is that they are not allowing
mystery, the mystical, to enter their lives. "Our citizenship is in
heaven," St. Paul says. The spiritual is what matters, not the
physical. We have to allow God to transform our minds by his
spiritual reality. We cannot allow ourselves to be reduced to a
mere external following of physical laws. The spiritual must
reign. The spiritual must transform the world.
We
come to Jesus at prayer on the Mountain. Even though the
Transfiguration is presented in all three of the Synoptic Gospels,
Matthew, Mark and Luke, only Luke begins the account with the Lord at
prayer. This is significant. The Lord is opening Himself to the
presence of the Father. At peace, at prayer, He is transformed,
transfigured, into a state that reflects the glory of God. Moses and
Elijah appear. They also are radiant, reflecting the glory of
God. Moses, the representative of the Books
of the Law, Elijah, representing the Books of the Prophets, come to
speak to Jesus, the very Word of God. They are speaking of God's
plan for his people, the conquest of the spiritual. Of course, the
disciples, Peter, James and John, don't understand this. They are
still looking for a physical kingdom. The spiritual is beyond
them. The voice in the cloud is meant for them and us:
"This is my Beloved Son, Listen to Him."
God
wants to transform the world. He has established the Kingdom of
the Spirit and called us as the new Chosen People. Following him
does not mean just performing certain external actions, like not eating
pork or being circumcised, or just coming to Church, or showing up to
get married, having our children baptized, receive communion or be
confirmed. Following God means entering a spiritual, mystical
relationship with him, a relationship that is present through our daily
duties as well as when we are together at prayer.
We
have to nourish this relationship. We have to avoid the things
around us that grind our faces in the mud. We have to avoid
relationships with people who turn us away from the spiritual. We
have to feed our spiritual life the food of union with God. The
spiritual must conquer in our lives. If we become spiritual, then
we can fulfill our call to evangelize the world.
This
is exhibited in a story I heard recently about some African Christians
who were discussing how to best to spread the Gospel. Various methods
were suggested running from literature to videos to radio
announcements. Finally a young woman arose. She said, "When we judge a
pagan village is ready for the Lord Jesus, the first people we send in
is a devout, determined Christian family. It is their lives that will
inspire the villagers to think seriously about becoming Christian. They
are better than a hundred books or videos or radio announcements. Then
she used this expression: She said “They will be the keyhole through
which others will peer to see the Lord Christ.” To spread the Church
Christians must not so much promote as attract." The woman's views
carried the day.
We
need to be less concerned with devising ways for people to hear about
the faith and more concerned living the faith in a way that attracts
people to the faith. We can only do this through the power of the
Holy Spirit working in us. The Holy Spirit is the Mystical Power
of God. This Holy Mystery is a Holy Magnet for that part of
creation whom God has given the capacity for the spiritual.
"This is my Beloved Son, listen to him," the Sacred Voice calls out
from heaven. God's plan is that we share in the Glory of the Lord
and that we share the Glory of the Lord. We have to be people of
mystery. We have to be people of prayer. This is how we can
listen to Him. We have to have a prayer life. We have to
respond to His
message in our hearts. We have to listen. We have to
grow. He is transforming the world. He is transforming us.
On
the Second Sunday of Lent we consider the way we are following the
Lord. Are we allowing the spiritual to become real in our
lives? Are we allowing God's plan to take effect in our
world? Are we living as citizens of heaven, or is our glory the
mere external following of our religion?
If
someone were to ask any of us, “What exactly is a Catholic?” in what
terms would we form our answer? If we were to answer to question
in terms of religious practices, such as “a Catholic is a person who
goes to Church on Sundays, receives the sacraments, says the Rosary,
etc,” we would be given far too much importance to what we do and not
enough importance to the Action of God. However, if we were to
answer the question, “What is a Catholic?” in terms of what God does,
if we were to say, “A Catholic is someone united to God in such a way
that others experience the Mystery of God working in him, then it is
God and his works that are the essence of lives. No one is drawn
to Catholicism because they want to do the things that Catholics
do. People are drawn to Catholicism because they want to
experience God as Catholics experience him.
The
spiritual life, union with God, the Holy Spirit, that is the Divine
Magnet we have been called to bring into the world.
Jesus at prayer, in union with the Father, enters into the mystery of
his Being and the disciples call out, “It is good for us to be
here.” We also are called into the mystery of our being, the
depth of our humanity where physical and spiritual unite. We are
called into our depth, into union with the Holy Spirit so others
might say, “It is good for us to be here.”
Transform us Lord. You want the spiritual to be real in our
lives. You knock on the door of our hearts. Help us to let
you in. Help us to fight for the reign of the spiritual, the
mystical, your presence in the world.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
2 Lent
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Freedom
from False Gods
(February 28, 2010)
Bottom line: It is not too late to make this the best Lent ever: Even a
small sacrifice can give God an entry point to free us from false gods.
The season of Lent brings to mind a fond memory of my mom. At the
beginning of Lent, I went to Camano for my weekly visit to her and my
brother, Louie. On the way I stopped at a bakery to buy some of her
favorite pastries. After the regular greeting, I showed her the
pastries. They were layered, with semi-sweet raspberry jam and
chocolate. Mom looked at them and after a moment's silence, she said.
"It's Lent. I gave up pastries for Lent."
"That's OK," I said. "Louie and I will eat them. But one of the
Hispanic ladies works at Seattle Chocolates. She sent some for you."
Maybe you have tasted Seattle Chocolates - they are the best chocolates
on the planet. My mom looked and after another pause, said, "I gave up
candy too."
You know, if my mom - who was almost eighty years old at the time -
could give up pastries and chocolate, what about us? This is the Second
Sunday of Lent. It is not too late to make this the best Lent ever.
Today we hear Moses and Elijah speaking to Jesus about his "exodus" -
what would happen in Jerusalem: Namely, his suffering, death and
resurrection. There's no resurrection without suffering and death. Lent
reminds us that we have to die to self, to base desires, in order to
live for God. To speak plainly, we have to embrace the cross.
St. Paul tells us today that, sadly, some former Christians have become
"enemies of the cross." Instead of serving God, he says, "Their God is
their stomach." What does St. Paul mean by that? How can food become an
idol, a false god?
Let me try to explain. God created the earth to produce food - in
abundance. Food has two purposes: The first - and most obvious - is to
nourish our bodies, to keep them healthy so that we can do the tasks
God wants. The second purpose is to create bonds between people. Notice
how often Jesus shared meals: with Zacchaeus and Matthew the tax
collectors, with Pharisees and public sinners - and above all the
Supper with his disciples the night before his death. A lot more
happened at those meals than simple nourishment. Like Jesus, we should
share - and enjoy - meals with family, friends and fellow parishioners.
God uses food for important purposes.
At the same time, we can misuse food, make it into a false god. That's
what St. Paul refers to when he says some have become enemies of the
cross - "their god is their stomach." Rather than eating to live, they
live to eat. Here are some signs that food has become a false god:
--I plan my day around food.
--I get irritated if I don't get the food I want, when I want it.
--I insist on food being prepared "just right."
--I never experience hunger because I am always eating junk food.
--Meanwhile, fruit and vegetables spoil in the fridge - because
I avoid them.
--I choose fast food over a family meal.
--I dive into food so quickly that I don't thank God by saying
grace. And...
--Instead of enjoying the meal I am eating, I am thinking
about...my next meal!
These are signs that food has become an idol - and that I am becoming
one of those sad people: "Their god is their stomach." From the list of
signs you can see that the sin of gluttony involves more than
overeating. Gluttony happens when we make food the center, rather than
God. Glutton is idolatry - making food into a false god.
During Lent God wants to free us from false gods - from all forms of
idolatry. If we put God first, other things find their proper place.
That includes food. Fasting can help us find the right balance. Giving
up some special treat - like my mom giving up pastries and candy - that
can help recover the true purpose of God's gift of food.
Lent can help one achieve balance and perspective. You notice that
Jesus took his disciples up a mountain. From a mountain top, a person
gets an expansive view.
One thing that perspective will show is how our eating habits fit with
everything else. It is a question of balance. I don't want anyone here
to obsess about food - to go on a guilt trip over enjoying a Big Mac.
Go ahead and do it from time to time. It's no sin - it can be a good
thing in itself, especially if it's part of a day with the grandkids.
But make sure you put God first - and you will find the right balance.
There is a time to fast and a time to feast: A time to give your body
good nourishment and to enjoy a delicious meal with family, friends,
parishioners.
And don't worry so much about your outward appearance. Our bodies don't
come with a hundred year warranty. St. Paul assures us God will change
our lowly body to conform with Jesus' glorified body. (When that
happens, I personally hope to get muscles and a full head of hair like
some the young guys here - but that's another story.) That will only
happen, however, if we put God first. God can hardly help us if we
belong to a false god. Please don't put your stomach ahead of your
eternal soul.
I hope my mom's example helps. She loved good food, especially when
enjoyed in a family setting. But she also knew a time for fasting. She
knew that if we are going to climb God's mountain, we need to leave a
few things down below. We cannot take false gods with us. It's not too
late to make this the best Lent ever. Even a small sacrifice - embraced
with love and good humor - can give God an entry point. He will do the
rest. He will free us from false gods and transform us according to the
image of his Son. By the cross - and only by the cross - do we come to
the resurrection.
************
Intercessions for Second Sunday of Lent (from Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
2 Lent
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Background:
This story need not be taken literally. Who was present, for
example, to record the dialogue between Jesus and the devil. It is
likely that Jesus did go into the desert to fast and pray before he
began his public life and surely he had to agonize back and forth on
the mission he would soon begin.
He must have sensed that he would make a lot of enemies, Romans
and Jews alike, and that, like many other prophets, he would have to
pay with his life. He resisted the temptation, but he was tempted (and
he must have confided this fact to others).
So too we will be often tempted
Story:
Once upon a time there was a young woman of about nine summers
named Gwendolyn or Gwenny for short. She was a very devout and
religious young woman. So when her parents told her that
Catholics gave up things for Lent and that her mother was giving
up bad language and her was giving up martinis, she decided that she
would give up ice cream which she dearly loved. WELL, even though she
was severely tempted every time she went by the ice scream store, she
stuck to her promise – and counted the days to Holy Saturday when she
could start in again on her ice cream. Now the ice cream she loved most
dearly were chocolate covered chocolate dove bars.
As Holy Week started she kept a close eye on the freeze in the
kitchen fridge. Surely her Mommy would lay in a supply of Dove bars for
Holy Saturday. But Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the freezer
was bare, at least of Dove bars. Then when her mommy came home from the
store on Good Friday, she piled all sorts of goodies into the fridge.
Gwenny waited till her mommy went upstairs and very quietly
sneaked into the kitchen, climbed on the chair and opened the door to
the freezer. She almost collapsed. Right in the front of the freezer
were a half dozen dove bars. She closed the door so quickly that she
almost fell off the chair. He ran off to the TV room with visions of
chocolate ice cream dancing in her head. Three more times during the
afternoon. She returned to the freezer, twice she climbed up on the
chair, once she even removed the dove bar and smelled it. Then she
quickly ran back to her room and cried. Why are you crying, Gwenny
dear, her mother asked. Because I broke my promise to Jesus. I wanted
to eat it, but I didn’t. If you didn’t you didn’t break your
promise. That was only a temptation. Temptations are not bad unless you
give into them. Why are there temptations? Her mother by quoting
a poet,
“Why else do temptations come save that humans may meet them, master
them, and still be pedestal-ed in glory."
Oh said Gwenny.
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
2 Lent
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Gospel
Summary Return to All Homilies
Feb, 28, 2010
Luke 9:28b-36
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
Second Sunday of Lent
Gospel Summary
Luke's version of the transfiguration of Jesus is more personal than
the accounts of Mark and Matthew. Thus, for example, Luke alone tells
us that Jesus was at prayer when this occurred. And he alone informs us
concerning the subject of Jesus' conversation with Moses and Elijah,
that they "spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in
Jerusalem" (v.31).
Moses and Elijah represent the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets)
which is centered in the exodus of God's people from the bondage of
Egypt. Correspondingly, the exodus of Jesus in Jerusalem, which is his
death and resurrection, will be a new exodus initiating a new covenant
between God and all the people of the world. This new exodus must
happen on the anniversary of the exodus from Egypt and will be the
fulfillment of that pivotal event.
The liberation of the Hebrew slaves from the bondage of the Pharoah was
the effect of a divine initiative revealing God's true nature as one
who loves and who wishes that all in bondage should be free. This same
revelation is at the center of the definitive exodus, which is the
death and resurrection of Jesus. Moreover, just as the Passover meal in
Israel kept alive the power of the original exodus, so also does the
Eucharist of Christians make present among us the love of God as one
who offers true and lasting freedom.
Life Implications
The luminous aura that surrounded Jesus on that mountaintop was an
external manifestation of his ecstatic recognition that God's plan of
salvation--God's ultimate exodus--will be brought about by his own
loving sacrifice. His loving vulnerability thus becomes the surprising
vehicle for God's power to save the world. In effect, loving concern
for others is revealed as the only power with beneficent and lasting
results.
This kind of loving vulnerability does not mean that we are called to
be passive or compliant. In fact, this kind of loving is persistent and
relentless at the same time that it is gracious and sensitive. For it
results from a passionate commitment to the ideal of love received and
then offered to others. The only true source of freedom is unselfish
love, and the only valid purpose of such freedom is to enable one to
love others so that they also may be free.
This equation is clearly implied in the command of God to Israel in
Deuteronomy 24:17, where the now liberated Israelites are told to care
for the vulnerable ones, for example, the widow, the orphan and the
wayfarer. They must do so simply because they were once themselves
desperately weak and vulnerable and God loved them into freedom and
self-confidence.
The transfigured Jesus represents the full awareness of this incredible
wisdom of God. And when the voice from heaven commands us to "listen to
him" (v.35), we are challenged to be transfigured by our own
recognition of this wisdom as we become more and more ready to use our
freedom so that others also may be free--free from fear and guilt and
poverty and pain.
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
2 Lent
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Second
Sunday
Genesis 15, 5-12. 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3, 17-4, 1; St. Luke 9,
28-36
The Lord "took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the
mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his
countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white." (Lk 9.
28-29) Why does the Lord reveal his glory to the Apostles in this way?
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that this grace was given to strengthen the
Apostles for the Cross to come by giving them a glimpse of the
Resurrection which would be purchased only by the blood shed upon the
Cross. "For a person to go straight along the road, he must have some
knowledge of the end--just as an archer will not shoot an arrow
straight unless he first sees the target....This is particularly
necessary if the road is hard and rough, the going heavy, and the end
delightful" (Summa theologiae, III, q. 45, a. 1).
We savor in the Lord's Transfiguration a foretaste of the heavenly
glory which awaits the faithful. Our bodies will share in his
brightness, "by which the bodies of the saints shall shine like the
sun, according to the words of our Lord recorded in the Gospel of St.
Matthew: 'The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their
Father' (Mt 13:43). To remove the possibility of doubt on the subject,
he exemplifies this in his Transfiguration. This quality the Apostle
sometimes calls glory, sometimes brightness: 'He will change our lowly
body to be like his glorious body' (Phil 3:21); and again, 'It is sown
in dishonour, it is raised in glory' (1 Cor 15:43). Of this glory the
Israelites beheld some image in the desert, when the face of Moses,
after he had enjoyed the presence and conversation of God, shone with
such lustre that they could not look on it (Ex 34:29; 2 Cor 3:7). This
brightness is a sort of radiance reflected on the body from the supreme
happiness of the soul. It is a participation in that bliss which the
soul enjoys....This quality is not common to all in the same degree.
All the bodies of the saints will be equally impassible; but the
brightness of all will not be the same for, according to the Apostle,
'There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and
another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So it
is with the resurrection of the dead' (1 Cor 15:4f)" (Catechism of the
Council of Trent, I, 12, 13).
The Father's command "Listen to him!" means that in Christ we find the
fullest revelation of the Father's glory figured forth in the glorious
Transfiguration on Mount Tabor.
Christ's whole earthly life -- his words and deeds, his silences and
sufferings, indeed his manner of being and speaking --is Revelation of
the Father. Jesus can say: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,"
and the Father can say: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" (Jn
14:9; Lk 9:35; cf. Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7 ["my beloved Son"] ). (CCC 516)
There is no other name, or sign, given under heaven by which we may be
saved.
"Therefore," according to Saint John of the Cross, "if any now should
question God or desire a vision or revelation, not only would he be
acting foolishly but he would be committing an offence against God, by
not fixing his gaze on Christ with no desire for any new thing. For God
could reply to him in this way: 'If I have spoken all things to you in
my Word, which is my Son, and I have no other word, what answer can I
give you now, or what can I reveal to you that is greater than this?
Fix your eyes on him alone, for in him I have spoken and revealed to
you all things, and in him you will find even more than what you ask
for and desire....Hear him, for I have no more faith to reveal, nor
have I any more things to declare' " (Ascent of Mount Carmel, book 2,
chap. 22, 5).
Let's pray for each other until, together next week, we "meet Christ in
the liturgy", Father Cusick
(See also nos. 516, 554, 556, 659, 697, 1151, 2583, 2600 in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.)
(Publish with permission.) www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
2 Lent
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Second
Sunday of Lent
Normally we do not see God’s glory. Even the apostles as they travelled
the highways and byways of Palestine with Jesus did not see much of his
glory. They saw his extraordinary goodness and kindness and were
constantly amazed by his remarkable insights and, of course, his
extraordinary miracles. But on the whole the apostles were surprisingly
obtuse and for almost the entire time didn’t really understand who
Jesus was.
Yes, the apostles had all kinds of ideas and fantasies about who Jesus
might be. They felt sure he was the Messiah but were fairly hazy about
what this really meant. Even though Jesus frequently told them that he
must suffer they could not believe that this could happen to a Messiah.
They preferred to argue about seats on the right and the left when he
came into his glory.
But the glory they were expecting was a worldly kind of glory, what we
would probably call pomp rather than glory. Their idea was that Jesus
would overthrow the existing order and rule the world in justice from
his throne. They, of course, would become his lieutenants and would be
rich and each one have their own area of power; and people would treat
them with respect and honour.
It is true that they also thought of Jesus in religious terms but in
their day that was perfectly natural since temporal authority and
religion were inextricably tied up together. Their recently acquired
Roman rulers were seen as an exception to this view of the world but
then they exercised authority through the local pre-existing structures
and didn’t disrupt things too much.
When the three apostles, Peter, James and John, are taken by Jesus up
the mountain to experience the transfiguration they see something they
cannot make sense of. Luke says that they kept silence and told no one
what they had seen. They told no one because they couldn’t really
understand or therefore explain what it was they had experienced.
So what is this transfiguration? It was a glimpse of God’s glory. A
tiny glimpse surely, but a glimpse nevertheless. Jesus shows them
something of who he really is. In prayer he is transformed and he
becomes a blaze of light. And that is the key—prayer.
On the holy mountain Jesus prays—he becomes one with his Father and the
Spirit and is transformed and lets his glory be seen. And the Father’s
extraordinary words of affirmation are spoken: This is my Son, the
Chosen One, listen to him.
The one great lesson for us from this marvellous event is that prayer
transforms. Prayer changes us. Prayer occurs when we unite ourselves
with God and commune with him. This has an effect on us—a good
effect—it makes us better people. Something of God rubs off on us;
something of his glory enters into our lives and makes us more holy.
We see this in the lives of the saints. Other people recognise
something special within them, the see them as more authentically
human. They were once like us but through some mysterious process have
become transformed. Of course, the saint does not think that he or she
is anything special! But we onlookers recognise an essential goodness
in them; we recognise an honesty, an integrity about them, and this is
what makes them attractive.
The disciples were led by Jesus up the mountain. As it says in our
text: Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the
mountain to pray.
The Lord leads us; he takes us by the hand through the minefield of
life. He draws us onward and upward and it is a journey of faith and
prayer.
Each of us, by the very fact that we are sitting here listening to the
Word of God in Holy Scripture during this Eucharist, has been led by
God—is being led by God. We are drawn by him, nudged, pushed, cajoled
at times, but slowly and steadily we are led by him up that mountain
which is the spiritual life.
St Paul says in today’s second reading: Our homeland is in heaven and
from heaven comes the saviour we have been waiting for, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Heaven is our final destination, it is our longed for home,
nothing else will suffice and we will experience a restlessness until
we finally reach it.
This longing in our hearts comes from God. This is how God leads us. He
fills us with the desire to be better than we are. He places in us the
urge to pray. He helps us to feel the pang of guilt when we go astray.
His is the voice telling us to slow down and spend time in peace and
quiet. He gives us the spontaneous urge to carry out an act of
generosity. He places the right words of encouragement on our lips when
we meet someone laden down with anxieties. All these things come from
him.
And do not think that God’s action in your life is always necessarily
gentle for as St Paul says: He will transfigure these wretched bodies
of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same
power with which he can subdue the whole universe.
The work of our transformation is going on all the time. Yes, mostly it
is the gentle action of God leading us towards him; but sometimes
cataclysms are needed and sometimes it is only through apparent
disaster that we are pushed onwards up that mountain.
But we are, on the whole, willing travellers with the Lord.
Distractions aside, we want to be with him, we want to do things his
way, we want to be like him.
There was a missionary in North Africa who was very much intrigued by
the behaviour of a Bedouin. This Bedouin often used to lie flat on the
ground in the desert. One day the missionary asked him what he was
doing. The Bedouin replied that he was listening to the voice of the
desert. ‘What does it say?’ asked the missionary. The Bedouin replied,
‘The desert says: I want to be a garden.’
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Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
2 Lent |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author. |
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