Tag: Transfiguration

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Second Sunday of Lent

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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.

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Second Sunday of Lent 2020

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Mass Readings

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First Reading: Genesis 12:1-4A
Responsorial: Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:8B-10
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030820.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

My brothers and sisters, I have good news! Today we heard about the Transfiguration of Jesus. This is a glimpse of Jesus coming into his kingdom (Matthew 16:28), and the anticipated vindication of the crucifixion. <1>

From the promise he made to Abraham that he would be father of a host of nations, to raising up Moses in honor of this promise, to the promise of an everlasting kingdom to David’s son, in today’s Gospel Jesus is revealed as the One through whom God fulfills His divine plan. <2>

It is literally such an awe-inspiring moment that Peter doesn’t want to leave. That’s why he offers to build tents for them. Can you blame him?

Have you ever had such an amazing spiritual experience, maybe at mass, or on retreat or a pilgrimage, and you never wanted it to end? Maybe you wished you could live in a bubble of time forever basking in the experience of God’s presence you encountered.

But most of us are called to be in the world, not of it, and certainly not hiding from it. So, like Peter who had to go down off the mountain and follow Jesus to the cross, so too we must return to the world in service to the Good News. <3>

Jesus calls us to these experiences – to mass every Sunday, to daily mass if possible, to adoration, to retreats and on pilgrimages, and especially now through our Lenten observances of praying, fasting and almsgiving. Why? He calls us to these mountaintop experiences to strengthen us. Indeed, like Peter, James and John who heard the voice of God proclaim, “This my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him,” (Matthew 17:5), God speaks to us too, if only we would listen. Every time we go to mass and we hear, “Behold the Lamb of God”, or when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, or when we hear, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” we are strengthened so that we can come down off the mountain and go out into the world.

Just like experiencing the Transfiguration wasn’t some private revelation, but rather a powerful witness to be shared, so too are we reminded by the Transfiguration that we are called as disciples to go out into the world. Our mission is twofold: to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone we encounter, especially those nones (those who claim “none” as their religious affiliation on surveys) – we are called to those wandering lost in the world who seem so anxious, so unsettled, and so lonely. But we don’t do this alone. We do this through our communities. So, the other part of our mission is be an active member of our communities. We need to intentionally support our leaders to form our Christian communities because those are the places that anchor us in the turbulent sea of this modern world.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and by the Eucharist, I ask you to reflect on the following two questions this week.

  1. Jesus led Peter, James, and John high up a mountain by themselves. How often do I take time to be with the Lord like in prayer, mass, adoration, retreat or pilgrimage? What distracts me from time with the Lord?
  2. They came down from the mountain. How do I share the graces I receive from my mountaintop experiences like prayer, mass, adoration, retreat or pilgrimage? How do I help build up my spiritual community?

I think doing our homework this week will help all of us as disciples think about what God wants us to do with the blessings we receive on the mountaintop with our communities and with the people we encounter each and every day. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

Notes:
<1> Montague, George T., Companion God: A Cross-Cultural Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, New York: Paulist Press, 1989, page 189.
<2> Hahn, Scott. Email, “Listen to Him: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Second Sunday of Lent,” 2 March 2020.
<3> “Mass Reading & Meditation for March 8, 2020,” Word Among Us, https://wau.org/meditations/ (accessed 2 March 2020).

References:

  1. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
  2. Mitch, Curtis and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2010.
  3. Montague, George T. First and Second Timothy, Titus. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008.
  4. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

Catechism References: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

  1. Son of God, 444
  2. Transfiguration, 554-56, 568
  3. Predestination, 600, 2012
  4. God’s promise to Abraham fulfilled in Christ, 706
  5. Jesus conquered death, 1019
  6. The call to holiness, 2012-2114, 2028, 2813

Second Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 25
Mass Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030820.cfm

First Reading
Genesis 12:1-4A
The LORD said to Abram:
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.

“I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.”

Abram went as the LORD directed him.

Responsorial
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22.
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Second Reading
2 Timothy 1:8B-10
Beloved:
Bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.

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

Gospel
Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

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Second Sunday of Lent

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

Jesus…led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them…they became frightened. They fell silent. (Luke 9:28B-36)

The readings about the Transfiguration of Jesus comes at an important time in Lent. As we move closer to Christ’s Passion, we will reflect on the humanity of Jesus. But the Transfiguration reminds of the divinity of Jesus. And of course, these readings remind us that we too need to undergo a transformation as we absorb the Word of God. If we’re truly to become disciples of Jesus, we need to move beyond superficial level of faith into a true relationship with Jesus. But I’d like to share another point of view.
How does Peter react? Scripture says they’re frightened, but Peter starts almost babbling, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” (Luke 9:33). Then, they all become super quiet. Why? What’s going on?

I suggest to you that Peter is fumbling because he’s been confronted with this simplicity of the truth, that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is not an earthly king who will liberate Israel. Rather, Jesus is truly the Son of God who has come to save humanity. This is one of those light dawns on marblehead kind of experiences for Peter, and we can almost sympathize with him, right? It must have been an overwhelming experience.

How many times in your life have you tried to explain something simple, but found yourself making it much more complicated than it really is? Or, how many times has it been so quiet that I felt the need to talk – to break the silence? There’s a powerful lesson I think in the Transfiguration story about being open to the simplicity of the Truth. Too often I think we try to overcomplicate and overthink the Truth. We try to overcomplicate and overthink our understanding of who God is and our relationship to God and His creation now and through all eternity. But like Peter, I think at some point we need to just stop talking and allow ourselves to witness to and try to absorb the simplicity of God’s saving message.

This has implications for the way I live my faith as an individual; for the way we try to cultivate discipleship in our family; for the way we organize and live our faith as the Church.

The Transfiguration is a powerful reading for us during Lent because it challenges us. It asks me to challenge my suppositions. Am I really on the right path? Or have I overcomplicated my faith life? Lent is a great time to stop babbling – stop running around like a hamster in a wheel, and like Peter just try to quietly absorb the simplicity of God’s saving message that comes to us through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Homework. I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions.

  1. Why do the simple disciplines of Lent that we started seem too much?
  2. Why is silence (letting go of thoughts like during meditative or contemplative prayer) so challenging?

I think by doing our homework, we might develop a better understanding of the challenges we need to overcome as we try to deepen our relationship with Jesus as his disciples. Do you got it? Are you going to do it? Well, good! May each of us come to know the grace and peace of Jesus Christ. May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!