2nd Sunday of Lent
When our youngest daughter was seventeen, she decided to run away from home. Her dad and I came home to find her gone. Our hearts were broken, yet we both wanted to sacrifice her!
Today, we hear the account of God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. A faithful man, Abraham takes his Son to Moriah for sacrifice when God intervenes by sending a messenger to stop the sacrifice. Abraham had demonstrated his faith. In thanksgiving, he offers a ram. Again, God sends a messenger blessing Abraham with descendants as countless as the stars in the sky. Why would God put a man of great faith to the test? As in all relationships, a relationship with God requires sacrifice.
Paul offers assurance by loving Jesus that there will be suffering, but any sacrifice owed to God is paid through the gift of his Son’s suffering, death, and resurrection.
Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain in the gospel to pray. There before them, Jesus is transfigured, clothed in dazzling white, and then Moses and Elijah, the prophet, appeared. As a pious man, Peter wants to make three altars to honor them, but God intervenes, enveloping them in a cloud, and says: This is my beloved Son; listen to him. This proclamation of God leads the disciples to understand that Jesus is not a prophet. Jesus is the new law.
Transfiguration is a mystery at the very center of our faith. In the Luminous Mysteries, John Paul II considered the Transfiguration to be the mystery of light par excellence. (Rosarium Virginis, 21)
Jesus did not come merely to redeem and forgive. He came to heal and transform our broken lives, to become a dazzling light in a world of darkness.
How will your light shine forth today?
Closing Prayer:
You revealed your glory and presence in your beloved Son, Jesus. In receiving our prayers, reveal the glory and presence of your Spirit alive in the world today, free us from all doubts, and empower us to act as transfigured people. Amen.
