HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent

Genesis 12:1-4a. Psalm 33:4-5,18-19,20,22. 2 Timothy 1:8b-10. Matthew 17:1-9.

Theme: "From Tabor to Calvary."

The life of a Christian can be compared to a journey undertaken in the company of the Master. Abram was the first to set off on this journey to answer God's call. In the first reading, the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land I will show you" (Gen.12:1).

Abram was a pagan when God called him. At that time, he was living in Haran in northern Mesopotamia. Evidently, God convinced him that he alone was the true God and that he alone should be served. The call of Abram to leave his country and people is not an easy commandment to obey today, but even in the days of Abram to leave one's tribe and one's relatives was to risk one's life. He was commanded to emigrate to some foreign land, the very name of which was kept secret from him.

God promises Abram that he will be the father and founder of numerous followers. He will be blessed by God and will be a blessing for many, for all mankind in fact. 

All the human race will be blessed and will bless Abram because God chose him as the ancestor of Christ. Abram trusted implicitly and wholeheartedly in God, who had so recently revealed himself to him. He obeyed God without question or hesitation.

Like Abram, every Christian is invited to leave his "country." Today's Gospel shows us the only light that we should follow. The light we are called to follow is Jesus, who was transfigured before his three closest Apostles. Shortly before his Transfiguration, Jesus had declared to his disciples that he was to undergo suffering in Jerusalem, that he was going to die at the hands of the chief priests, the elders and the Scribes. Apostles had been saddened and dismayed by this announcement.

For six days, the Apostles had been weighed down by sorrow by this announcement. It is in Jesus' tenderness that enables them to contemplate his glorification. Pope St. Leo the Great says that the principal aim of the Transfiguration was to banish from the disciples' souls the scandal of the Cross. The disciples would never forget this drop of honey that Jesus gave them in the midst of his grief. Hence, Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matt.17:4). He was still speaking when a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him" (Matt.11:5).

Being present at the scene of the Transfiguration is good, but what really matters is not to be in this place or that but to always be with Jesus, wherever we are, and to be able to see him behind all circumstances in which we may find ourselves. Wherever we are, whether in pain or in sorrow, what matters most is whether we are in the presence of Jesus.

Let us then listen to the divine voice, which tells us to follow Christ, to become ever more his disciples, to make our entire existence a journey of faith, of conversion, and of a new life as that of Abram. Let us listen to Christ so that we will be finally transfigured in him when he comes in glory.

St. Paul tells us in the second reading that as Christians, we are called not to be discouraged when we meet difficulties.

Zeal for service of God requires wholehearted self-giving to service of others and the sacrifice of letting go of self. Our full glory and full realisation of self can only be achieved when we deprive ourselves of what gives us joy for the sake of God. It is seen in our readiness to leave our comfort zones - our homes, selfishness, pride, greed, sinfulness; and move towards the beatific vision. We are pilgrims whose journey is up to the mountain of God, and so we should not be comfortable with the world and its attractions, but keep our gaze fixed on heaven, for there is the fullness of our blessings.

To be transfigured is to be transformed from the known to the unknown. During the Transfiguration event, an earthly body is transformed to heavenly glory, and by so doing, God revealed his glory in the person of Christ, his beloved Son. It is no coincidence that the Transfiguration of Christ took place on the mountain in continuation of the Torah to Moses (the Law-Giver) and Elijah in the gentle wind. Jesus shared some similarities with Moses and Elijah. Jesus gives us the new commandment, which is love, and Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecy in Israel.

However, the Transfiguration goes further to teach that important though the law and prophets may be, the ultimate revelation of the glory of God is found in Christ. The Apostles preferred to remain on the mountain that provides security, serenity, and peace, but Jesus took them back to the real world where He would sacrifice for the salvation of the world.

The season of Lent offers us a time of sincere reflection on our fears. It may be frightening in itself, but if we put our trust in God, He will give us the confidence to overcome them. God's glory gives us the strength to do more things for him. It spurs us on even in the face of contradictions and dangers. It makes us realise that the way to heaven is through the way of the Cross of Christ.

May God grant us the grace to suffer with Jesus and, at the end, reap the joy of the resurrection through Christ our Lord. Amen.