Second Sunday of Lent. Year A - Sunday, March 5, 2023 (EPISODE: 409)
Readings for Sunday, 5 March 2023
FIRST READING: Gen 12:1-4a (diff)
Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20+22. "Lord let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you."
SECOND READING: 2 Tim 1:8b-10
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Matt 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: Matt 17:1-9 – Transfiguration
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 1226210515 - PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 13, 2018: The fresco of Transfiguration of the Lord in church Bazilika svatého Petra a Pavla na Vyšehrade by S. G. Rudl (1895). Important information- Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily) for the Second Sunday of Lent. Year A - Sunday, March 5, 2023 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-the-second-sunday-of-lent-year-a-episode-409/s-fnF3w3xCdOg
(EPISODE: 409)
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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 would 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 mountaintop experience is a powerful but brief confirmation that Jesus is on the right path. A difficult path.
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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 he 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, most of the time, people only perceived an ordinary-looking man, seemingly just another person walking the same dusty roads as 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 evident at some high points than at other times. Christ shone with glory in what he did and in, what he said, and his priorities and teachings….. He was glorious in the "everyday 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 recognition of his truth even when they came back down from the mountaintop 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 accept Jesus' glorification truly, 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 particular 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 realised 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 moisturiser, 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 shine forth that serenity and grace that is 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:
Homily Fr Paul W. Kelly
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 1226210515 - PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 13, 2018: The fresco of Transfiguration of the Lord in church Bazilika svatého Petra a Pavla na Vyšehrade by S. G. Rudl (1895). Important information- Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Renata Sedmakova
Second Sunday of Lent. Year A (Sunday, March 5, 2023) (EPISODE: 409)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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{{May Our Lord's courage, uphold you.}} welcome everyone, we gather - To take time to reflect upon the meaning of God's word for our everyday lives. On this Second Sunday of Lent. Year A
My friends in Christ, to worthily celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us first acknowledge our sins.
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
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20+22. "Lord let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (cf. Matt 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.
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PREFACE: Transfiguration of the Lord
Reconciliation II
Communion side. pwk:
(theme variation: 3 )
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{heartfelt thanks to you all for uniting in prayer and reflectying upon God's goodness and care.}
Go in peace.(glorifying the Lord by your life)
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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: 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
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).
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
Lenten Hymn: "Have Mercy" Inspired by Psalm 50(51). Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2020.
Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.
Microphones: - Shure Motiv MV5 Digital Condenser.
Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor
[ Production - KER - 2023]
May God bless and keep you.
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