Second Sunday of Lent

advertisement for lent. crown of thorns on purple background

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Google Podcast

Mass Readings

Thanks for listening! For questions or feedback, please email deaconrudyv@gmail.com.

First Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
Responsorial: Psalm 27:1, 7-9, 13-14
Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1 OR Philippians 3:20-4:1
Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031322.cfm

In today’s reading, Jesus climbs a mountain with Peter, James, and John. And while they are on that mountaintop experience, Jesus is transfigured. Jesus’ real identity is revealed. In the awesomeness of that experience, Peter, James, and John want to hold on to it. So, Peter tells Jesus, “Let me build three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” They wanted to stay connected to God in that place, in the relative safety of that mountain. They did not fully understand their call, to go out into the world to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ – not yet at least.

Just a few passages down in this same section of Luke, Luke says that Jesus set his face resolutely on Jerusalem. It is a journey that leads Jesus to the cross. There are some people who say and have told me that clearly, Jesus failed. Look at that corpse on that cross? How can that be any sign of success? People like that don’t understand how God can use the resurrection to transform an instrument of state terror into a radical act of love.

On the mountain, Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus about his exodus. What does the word “exodus” mean to you? When I hear the word exodus, I’m immediately taken back to Hebrew Scriptures, to that defining moment in the history of the Jewish people, when the chosen are led out of slavery, to freedom.

My brothers and sisters, we too are being called to an act of transformation. We’re being called to an exodus to go out into the desert for these 40 days of Lent. Is exodus easy? No, it wasn’t easy for the Jews, right? They wandered around the desert for 40 years. It took a lifetime to reach the promised land and that in itself is worth spending some time unpacking. Scripture tells us that the Jews complained, “let us go back into the arms of slavery! Better to die a slave with a full belly than to die in the desert, hungry.” Sometimes it takes a radical act on our part, to cause us to examine the things we’re attached to.

When I hear the word exodus, I can’t help but think of all those people coming across the Polish border from Ukraine. When I see those images, mainly images of women carrying small children and the elderly trying to get to safety, they’re not carrying very much with them. What will they do? Where will they go? Can you imagine what it would feel like to walk in their shoes? To pack a backpack and just walk to a foreign country, not knowing whether I’d ever see my family or friends again, let alone my house?

When we lived overseas, there was an anti-immigrant sentiment that swept across Europe. And in fact, in Poland, there is one political party that called for the construction of a wall on the border with Ukraine to keep out Ukrainian immigrants who are stealing, Polish jobs.

Almost all of that sentiment has disappeared today. In fact, one of those politicians Wojciech Bakun who’s the mayor of a village on the Polish side of the border, just this week was being interviewed and asked for more assistance so that his little town of 60,000 people can serve more refugees. <1> What a radical about-face brought about by sitting in close proximity to the real face of evil – not the evil that politicians like to talk about – but the real face of evil has caused some Christians in Poland to wake up and let go of strange teaching.

The Knights of Columbus in Poland and Ukraine are setting the example for all of us, just like the Knights of Columbus in our own parish, who would give you the shirt off their back or their last dollar if you were in trouble, the Knights in Poland and Ukraine have set up mercy huts on the Polish side of the border. A mercy hut is a place where people can get a hot meal or coffee and clean water free of charge. The Knights internationally first deployed mercy huts during World War One to serve refugees – European refugees fleeing the combat zone. Here we are 100 years later, deploying mercy huts again in Europe to serve European refugees leaving a combat zone. It’s almost overwhelming but it’s also inspiring.

Our readings today, particularly in light of current events, challenge us to change just like Abraham who answered the call in our first reading. We’re being asked to answer the call and go out onto our exodus journey for 40 days of Lent. Just like the people St. Paul talked to in the second reading, we’re asked to let go of earthly things. We are challenged to ask ourselves, “what things are we enslaved by?” – maybe possessions, maybe ideas, maybe their strange teaching. We are challenged to let go of all of that. Like Peter, James and John, we can’t hold on to our faith in the relative comfort and safety of our church. We’re challenged to go out into the world to bring the good news of Jesus Christ.

Homework nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist. I asked you to think about one thing.

What is God calling you to do right here, right now? That will look different if you’re eight or nine or 80 or 90 or somewhere in between, and that’s okay! What is God asking you to do right here, right now?

I think doing our homework will help us be transformed into the intentional disciples that God is calling us to be you got it. Do you got it? Do you get it? Are you going to do it? Good. May each of us come to know the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Image Credit: Unknown. PNG file.

Footnotes:
<1> Bakun, Wojciech, “Hundreds of thousands of refugees are passing through this Polish city, mayor says,” interview by Ari Shapiro, NPR, March 10, 2022, https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1085838465.

References:
1. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2018. Kindle.
2. Hamm, Dennis SJ. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Jesus reveals the Father: 516
2. Transfiguration: 554-56
3. Cloud manifests the Holy Spirit: 697
4. New Exodus: 1151
5. Church and state, civil authority and conscience: 2234-46
6. Moses and Elijah: 2583
7. Jesus at prayer: 2600

Second Sunday of Lent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031322.cfm
Lectionary: 27

Reading 1
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

Responsorial
Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Reading 2
Philippians 3:17—4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.

or:

Philippians 3:20—4:1

Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.

Verse Before the Gospel
Cf. Matthew 17:5
From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Gospel
Luke 9:28b-36
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.

Second Sunday of Lent

advertisement for lent. crown of thorns on purple background

iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn | Google Podcasts

Mass Readings

Reading 1: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Responsorial: Psalm 116: 10, 15-19
Reading 2: Romans 8:31b-34
Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022821.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Today on deacon rudy’s notes, we’re going to talk about how much God loves us and how we can evaluate the effectiveness of our Lenten sacrifices. Hello! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and I’m so glad you’re here!

In Sunday’s first reading, we hear that God put Abraham to the test and asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. And Abraham set out to do it! Now I’m sure all parents probably have mixed feelings about Abraham’s willingness to kill his son and offer him as a sacrifice to God! But Abraham was living his purpose.

What was Abraham’s purpose?

To know God, to love God and to serve God in this world, and to be happy with God forever in heaven. You know what? That’s your purpose and my purpose too. In everything we do – whether we are bakers or janitors or lawyers or executives or day traders or homemakers – in everything we do, we are to give glory to God.

So, in seeking to give glory to God, Abraham agrees to carry out God’s request. But the Lord’s messenger stops Abraham. He passed the test. God will ask much of us, but God will not ask that sort of sacrifice from us.

But there was a gulf between God and humanity – a gulf we believe Adam and Eve created when they rejected the goodness of God’s creation and decided to become gods by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree.

Did God throw up His hands and say, “Oh well! Better luck with my next creation!” No! God loved us so much that he decided to come here and sacrifice Himself for you and me. That’s what St. Paul is saying in our second reading from Romans. “He who did not spare his own Son, but handed him over for us all” (Romans 8:32).

That’s huge! If you were at all put off by God’s request that Abraham sacrifice his son, then you understand how big a deal it is for God to sacrifice His Son so that you and I could be saved from the original “cancel culture” when our ancestors rejected the goodness of God’s gift.

But Jesus was no mere mortal. Yes, he was a human being just like and just like me in every way except sin. But he was more than that! The Gospel from Mark shows us that Jesus was both human and divine. He was God who experienced what it is to live out our human lives. Talk about walking a mile in our shoes! Now that’s awesome!

Now you might be wondering, “That’s nice, deacon, but what does that have to do with me?”

There are too many people around us who think they are not worthy or not special. Some people think they are all alone in this world. Maybe they think life is a joke and the social order is a joke. Or worse, maybe they start to believe that life is not worth living.

But none of that is not true!

My brothers and sisters, I have Good News! God loves you so much that he sacrificed his Son for you. You are loved. Everyone you know needs to hear that message: you are loved. And you are not alone! God walks with us each and every day! He sent the Spirit to guide us and direct us. He gave us the church to teach us and to nourish us with the Word of God and the Eucharist. He gave us the sacraments to teach us and to strengthen us on our pilgrim journey.

We have an abundance of gifts! But sometimes, we get so caught up in the mechanics of life that we lose sight of our gifts and blessings. Lent is an excellent time to slow down and reflect on our lives – to wake up from the lies that we are not good enough and to see this beautiful world that God gave us!

We can use the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to grow our relationship with God and shift our focus away from our first-world problems. How do we know we are growing? We can use the fruits of the Holy Spirit to chart our progress. As we engage in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, do we see ourselves, and do the people around us see us growing in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control?

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, how are my Lenten sacrifices going? If I’ve stumbled, that’s ok! Just restart and keep going!
Second, remembering how much God loves us, measure the effectiveness of your Lenten sacrifice by the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.

Doing our homework reminds us how much we are loved, how much we are gifted, and how much God blesses us. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Lent. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017. Kindle.
2. Healy, Mary. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The obedience of Abraham: 59, 145-46, 2570-2572
2. Characteristics of faith: 153-59
3. The Transfiguration: 554-56, 558
4. Christ is for us: 603, 1373, 2634, 2852
5. God manifests his glory to make know his will: 2059

Second Sunday of Lent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022821.cfm
Lectionary: 26

Reading 1
Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am!” he replied.
Then God said:
“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you.”

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,
“Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am!” he answered.
“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.
“Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command.”

Responsorial
Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Reading 2
Romans 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,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised—
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.

Verse Before the Gospel
Cf. Matthew 17:5
From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.

Gospel
Mark 9:2-10
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,
such as no 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 in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are 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;
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 from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.