Second Sunday of Lent. Year A - Sunday, March 8, 2020

Homily Second Sunday of Lent. Year A - Sunday, March 8, 2020

 

Readings for 2nd Sunday of Lent – A

 

FIRST READING: Genesis 12:1-4a

 

PSALM: Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20+22. "Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you."

 

SECOND READING: 2 Timothy 1:8b-10

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Matthew 17:5). Glory and Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! From the shining cloud, the Father's voice was heard. This is my beloved Son, hear him.

 

GOSPEL: Matthew 17:1-9 – Transfiguration

 

Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed. ID: 1206378808. The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Illustration - fresco in Byzantine style. By Julia Raketic

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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Second Sunday of Lent. Year A - Sunday, March 8 2020, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-210-lent-2-a-2020/s-OaIE2  (EPISODE: 210)

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The Transfiguration of Our Lord on the mountain is another powerful affirmation that the Messiah, God's Son, truly is intended to walk the path of suffering and give his life on the Cross and by this means achieve glory and our salvation.  it was so difficult for both disciples and opponents alike to get rid of their preconceived ideas that the Messiah would come in power and military victory and that God's approval will be shown by showering Jesus with success, spectacle and worldly power.  Already Our Lord has had to correct Peter about the path of Calvary he must take. Glory and affirmation would come through his faithful endurance of so much sacrificing love.  This mountain top experience is a powerful but brief confirmation that Jesus is in the right path. A difficult path. this is faith hope and love. 

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In the gospel, we are told that Jesus shone like pure light… and the aspect of his face was changed….

 

In the Old Testament, we hear of Moses' face shining with light after praying to God.

 

In the case of Jesus, the transfiguration reveals what was the case all the time, but not always obvious…. That Jesus is truly God and truly human. And that his glory as God would be revealed again in and through his suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.

 

In the case of Moses, his shining face is slightly different from Our Lord's radiant face. Jesus' light shines from within his own divine nature. Whilst, Moses' face is "reflected light." (Moses  is reflecting that glory which had experienced in his prayerful encounter with the presence of God and in his worship of God).

 

The fact is, Jesus wasn't actually momentarily glorified... He was always glorious… He was always "shining brightly"… In every moment of his life… 

 

He was, at all times, utterly alive with the glory of being both fully God and fully human… However, for most of the time, people only perceived an ordinary-looking man, seemingly just another person walking the same dusty roads like everyone else. The disciples only glimpsed this inner glory occasionally. but it was always there… It didn't come and go at different times of his life, even if it was more obvious at some high-points than other times. Christ shone with glory in what he did and in what he said, and in his priorities and teachings….. He was glorious in the "every day and the ordinary," as well as the extraordinary.  The three Apostles' mountaintop glimpse of Christ's abiding glory, teaches us to see and hear with the eyes of faith. the apostles were encouraged to keep looking for the glory of his truth even when they came back down from the mountain-top to the ordinary and the every-day as well as the challenging and the awful moments of life. 

 

In this revelation of Christ, the Heavenly father says…  "this is my son… I am well pleased with him… listen to him!"   -  … This invites us to  a deep, new openness to see and hear the "new" and the "different." Christ is inviting to go much deeper and to see what lies within. 

 

If we are to truly accept Jesus' glorification, we must also accept the advice that went along with it. We must do what he tells us to do; (and live as he has taught us).

 

One scripture commentator asks a good question about what the disciples saw on the mountaintop. "Was Jesus transformed, or were his disciples' eyes opened?" That is, on one special day, for a few precious seconds, they glimpsed fully, and astoundingly the glorious truth about their friend and teacher, Jesus, - the Truth that was always there to be seen  – Whether realized by others or not

 

Even though the Transfiguration of our Lord is a rather unique moment of revelation about the divine nature of Christ, we Christians, not unlike Moses, shine with this light of Christ in us.

 

We have received the light of Christ at our baptism -  we are children of the Light. We carry the light of Christ to all we meet….

 

We are called to shine that light for all to see, so that people can in turn worship God, the source of that light…

 

We have seen, throughout the generations, people whose lives have been truly transfigured by God's love and grace…. They are people we have known who truly shine with God's love and graciousness…. People who certainly do seem to radiate God's love, forgiveness, compassion and kindness…- their faces almost literally shine… And it is not the glow of good health, or a good moisturizer, or the radiance of good fortune.... or even the glow of youth. Since, many of these saints have shown that inner glow- A radiating love-  I am sure WE have all met people like this - people who shine out with God's love even though age, extreme ill health and misfortune are very much part of their daily lives… It is nothing short of a miracle- and it is truly God's grace that shines out….

 

Sadly, we have probably all come across some who do not radiate this light- this grace… and we pray that no matter what is happening in our lives, we can all radiate that serenity and grace that implanted in our hearts by our loving and faithful God.

 

May this lent enlighten all of us, so that we may, no matter what our situation, radiate God's love and light to all … / May the light of Christ expose all those dark and false areas of our lives. Things that distract and misdirect us -  leading us away from the light of God's love and self-forgetting service) ……

 

After all, this is our calling, this is the gift God gives to us…. And this is our final destiny… to be with God, in Jesus, who is light from light!!!

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References:

Fr Paul W. Kelly

 

Image Credit: "Shutterstock" Licensed. ID: 1206378808. The Holy Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Illustration - fresco in Byzantine style. By Julia Raketic.

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Archive of homilies and reflections:  http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au To contact Fr. Paul, please email:  paulwkelly68@gmail.com  To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.  NB - It is often a week or so Ahead:  https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks   You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com 

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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:

"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly

 

Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)

 

Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)

 

"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.

 

Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).

 

Lenten Hymn: "Have Mercy"  inspired by Psalm 50(51). Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2020. 

 

[ Production - KER - 2020]

May God bless and keep you.

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 Second Sunday of Lent. Year A. Sunday, March 8, 2020  (EPISODE: 210)

 

The Lord be with you.

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{{May Our Lord's care, comfort you}}

 

Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by recalling our sins and remembering Christ's greater mercy.

 

I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault,* through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

 

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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Memorial Acclamation

2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.

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Sunday Lent II

 

Eucharistic Prayer III

 

Communion side. pwk: LH

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{I am very grateful for you joining us for this special time of prayer and reflection}.

 

Go forth, the Mass is ended.