The Second Sunday of Lent - BReading I: Gen. 22:1-2, 9a,10-13,15-18
Psalm: 116
Reading II: Romans 8: 31b-34
Gospel: Mark 9: 2-10
In today’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus gathered the three
disciples Peter, James, and John and took them up on a high mountain. There He let His divinity shine through. On one side of Him was Moses, representing the law, and on the other was Elijah representing the prophets.
Why did Jesus choose to reveal his divinity to Peter, James, and John? The Lord knew that they would need very strong faith when they were with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane where He would sweat blood in agony while anticipating the coming Passion. Jesus in His humanity cried out: “Father, if it be Your will, take this cup [of suffering] from me. Nonetheless, Thy will, not mine, be done.” Being weak human beings, the disciples needed the reassurance that Jesus was truly the God-man, their Savior.
I can recall a friend of mine sharing that she had, had a wonderful retreat in which she felt strongly the presence of God. Although she already had trust in the Lord, He knew what the future would bring her. She lost a brother and sister unexpectedly the coming year. Jesus had strengthened her to be able to carry her crosses.
Why else might Jesus have shone forth his divinity? Possibly, since the disciples lived and ministered with Him daily, they may have thought of Him more like just another holy person or prophet. They needed to have their eyes opened to realize that He was the Son of God. He was one to be obeyed, worshiped and adored.
I need to be reminded of this myself. I tend to focus on the human Jesus, and all that endears him to me. Perhaps, He is reminding me also that He is God, as well as a loving human being. In addition to being loved, He deserves to be honored, adored, praised, thanked, trusted, and obeyed.
Praying the Psalms can be a wonderful way to honor the Lord as He deserves. I especially love the following:
Psalm 95
1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Messiah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
and they have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Reflection Question: How can I deepen my connection with our Divine Lord?
Spanish Translation of Reflection Above...
La Transfiguración
En el Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos que Jesús reunió a los tres discípulos Pedro, Santiago y Juan y los llevó a una montaña alta. Allí dejó que su divinidad brillara a través de ella. A un lado de él estaba Moisés, representando la ley, y por el otro, era Elías quien representaba a los profetas.
¿Por qué eligió Jesús revelar su divinidad a Pedro, Santiago y Juan? El Señor sabía que necesitarían una fe muy fuerte cuando estuvieran con Él en el Huerto de Getsemaní, donde sudaría sangre en agonía mientras anticipaba la próxima Pasión. Jesús en su humanidad clamó: “Padre, si es tu voluntad, toma esta copa [de sufrimiento] de mí. No obstante, se hará tu voluntad, no la mía”. Siendo seres humanos débiles, los discípulos necesitaban la confirmación de que Jesús era verdaderamente el Dios-hombre, su Salvador.
Recuerdo que una amiga mía que compartió lo que tuvo, tuvo un maravilloso retiro en el que sintió con fuerza la presencia de Dios. Aunque ella ya tenía confianza en el Señor, él sabía lo que le depararía el futuro. Perdió un hermano y una hermana inesperadamente el año siguiente. Jesús la había fortalecido para poder llevar sus cruces.
¿Por qué más podría haber brillado Jesús su divinidad? Posiblemente, dado que los discípulos vivieron y ministraron con Él todos los días, es posible que hayan pensado en Él más como otra persona santa o profeta. Necesitaban tener los ojos abiertos para darse cuenta de que Él era el Hijo de Dios. Él era uno para ser obedecido, adorado y adorado.
Necesito que me lo recuerden yo también. Tiendo a centrarme en el Jesús humano, y todo lo que lo hace amable conmigo. Quizás, Él también me recuerda que Él es Dios, así como también un ser humano amoroso. Además de ser amado, merece ser honrado, adorado, alabado, agradecido, confiable y obedecido.
Orar los Salmos puede ser una manera maravillosa de honrar al Señor como se merece.
Me encanta especialmente lo siguiente:
Salmo 95
1 Oh, ven, cantemos al Señor;
hagamos un ruido alegre a la roca de nuestra salvación!
2 Vengamos a su presencia con acción de gracias;
hagámosle un ruido alegre con canciones de alabanza.
3 Porque el Señor es un gran Dios,
y un gran Rey por encima de todos los dioses.
4 En su mano están las profundidades de la tierra;
las alturas de las montañas son suyas también.
5 El mar es suyo, porque él lo hizo,
y sus manos formaron la tierra seca.
6 Oh, ven, adoremos y postrémonos;
¡arrodillémonos ante el Señor, nuestro Hacedor!
7 Porque él es nuestro Dios,
y somos la gente de su pasto,
y las ovejas de su mano.
Hoy, si escuchas su voz,
8 no endurecer sus corazones, como en Meribah,
como en el día en el Mesías en el desierto,
9 cuando tus padres me pusieron a prueba
y me pusieron a prueba, aunque habían visto mi trabajo.
10 Durante cuarenta años detestaba esa generación
y dijo: "Son un pueblo que se extravía en su corazón,
y no han conocido mis caminos ".
11 Por tanto juré en mi ira,
"No entrarán en mi descanso".
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Pregunta de reflexión: ¿Cómo puedo profundizar mi conexión con nuestro Divino Señor?
The “Mountain Top” accounts of this week’s readings make for very action packed adventures in the lives of the disciples and Abraham as they journey to higher ground to have an encounter with the Almighty.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt about it, the Transfiguration was a thriller. Jesus took with him Peter, James and John to a high mountain destination and He was transfigured before them. Pastor James MacDonald muses: “You’ve walked around with Jesus for three years and all the sudden the veil of His humanity drops away and the surpassing supremacy of His glory is revealed. There in front of you stands Christ as the second Person of the Trinity and the Creator of the Universe! It’s like you’re watching ‘X-Files,’ but it’s the real thing!“ .
Abraham’s story is a chiller - almost painful to read. He takes Isaac, his only “beloved son, his greatest treasure: up to the mountain to be sacrificed. Throughout his life journey, Abraham learned that God was trustworthy and believed that God would provide. When Isaac asked where the lamb was for the burnt offering, Abraham answered that God Himself will provide the lamb. Abraham’s faith sustained him in the midst of what seems an illogical command but Abraham without question or hesitation obeyed. God intervened and Isaac was spared. I would have so struggled with such a request – torn between the love of God and the attachment toward my son – even though I know that the love of God is the highest of all loves. Abraham’s faith and trust in God was the real thing! He KNEW God’s character and he experienced the rewards of his faith and trust in God “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore…because you have obeyed me.”
I used to think that mountain top experiences offered primarily fireworks and dazzling array. However, after reflecting on the account of Abraham, my idea is incorrect. God revealed himself to Peter, James and John as well as to Abraham. Both scenarios resulted in an encounter with God. God reveals, tests, and heals through circumstances that are as unique as the individuals and their particular needs.
These two Scripture readings are exquisitely timed as we enter into the Lenten Season. Our Lenten activities can establish the foundation for our own personal mountain top experience. “Lent, according to Pope Francis, comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.” If we are in need of experiencing the mercy and tenderness of God, Lent is an opportunity for us to encounter God by setting aside uninterrupted time for adoration, prayer, and heartfelt conversation. If we are feeling weighed down by unproductive habits or addictions, Lent is the perfect time for us to choose to “get at the big stuff,” as Matthew West calls it, so we can become “the-best-version-of-ourselves.”
God is calling for us to “come up higher.” We cannot ascend to higher ground when we are anchored down by sin, distractions, and burdens. The more we focus on the Presence of God in our daily lives, the easier it is to release those things that weigh us down and to realize something life changing stirring within us. Let’s commit to work on healing, releasing or overcoming one area of our life during Lent so that we can claim the joy of the Resurrection and its chain-breaking freedom as our Mountaintop celebration when we encounter Christ on Easter morning. Pat C., ASBS
Yes, we certainly are seeking to deepen our "connection with our Divine Lord." Your suggestions and observations are always welcome, Sister.
ReplyDeleteThe Gospel for this Sunday refers to an extremely outstanding event in the life of Our Lord - the Transfiguration, as recorded in scripture (Mat. 17:1-9). The following excerpts are from an article published by the I C N (Independent Catholic News}, which refers to a homily delivered by Pope Francis on the second Sunday of Lent, 2014:
"Pope Francis spoke on the importance of listening and being attuned and attentive to the Word of God and the movements of ascent and descent that characterize the Gospel episode (M. 17:1-9) in which the Lord takes Peter, James and John to the top of Mount Tabor and returns down the mountain with them, with grave warnings to the disciples who accompanied Him not to speak of what they had seen."
"The mountain is the site of an encounter with intimate closeness with God - the place of prayer, in which we stand in the presence of the Lord... We, the disciples of Jesus, are called to be the people who listen to His voice and take His words seriously...To
listen to Jesus, we must follow Him."
"We need to go to the place of retreat, to climb the mountain and go to a place of silence, to find ourselves and better perceive the voice of the Lord. We cannot stay there, however. The encounter with God in prayer again pushes us to come down from the mountain and back down into the plain, ... where we meet many brothers and sisters weighed down by fatigue, injustice and both material and spiritual poverty."