2nd Sunday of Lent

 Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18, Rm 8:31b-34, Mk 9:2-10

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

 

Let us give all to the Lord and receive from the Lord whatever He sends us.  That is the invitation of the readings today.  Give all and receive whatever is given back.

Although we want to give all to the Lord, we often find that what the Lord wants of us seems more than we can give.  Most of us don’t have the faith that we see in Abraham in the first reading today from the Book of Genesis.  We should recognize that even the early Christian commentators on this passage found it difficult.  Would God actually ask a father to kill his own son?  This is God asking something immoral from a human.  The only answer to this difficulty is that God does not actually, in the end, ask Abraham to kill his own son.

The point of the account in Genesis is not about God asking Abraham to do something immoral, but about Abraham being willing always to do the will of God.  Abraham is called “our father in faith” because of his complete dedication to doing whatever God asks of him.

We may doubt at times what God might ask of us.  We find it difficult to accept the evil that is in our world, the bad things that happen to good people, the atrocities against people that go unpunished, the school shootings.  Always people ask how a good God can allow such evils to happen.  Yet such questions are truly not about God but about us humans with our sinfulness.  We are broken beings who don’t always choose what is right and good.  God gave us this freedom.  And we misuse our freedom.

The real question is this:  why don’t we humans always choose what is good and what is right?  The only answer is that something is broken in us.  What do we do about the brokenness?  All the laws in the world are unable to redeem us and to force us to choose good.  Only salvation from God brings about a true conversion.

And how difficult that is!  The Letter to the Romans, from which is taken from the second reading today, speaks to this problem: “Christ Jesus it is who died–or, rather, was raised—who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.”  The only way of redemption is to embrace the path of God, who gave His own Son for us.

 In today’s gospel, we find good news on the mountaintop and on the road. Jesus leads Peter, James, and John to a mountaintop and away from the crowds below. On the mountaintop, Jesus is transfigured before their eyes. Elijah and Moses appear and speak with Jesus. Prophets both name injustices and proclaim God’s vision of another way forward; Jesus is in the line of the prophets – and more. The disciples watch, frightened and in awe, and Peter interrupts when he tries to suggest they build booths on the mountaintop for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses. The call is quite different, and we hear God’s voice from the cloud proclaim, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Echoing Jesus’ baptismal experience (Mk 1:11), Jesus’ identity is announced to the disciples. Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is loved by God. Listen to Jesus.

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” We are told and offered this as well. Jesus’ message? That we are beloved of God. That we are loved by Jesus, even unto death. Jesus’ message? This way of love will include joys as well as sorrows, new life as well as dying, radical community building as well as eliminating unjust structures. Jesus’ message? In the midst of everything – in accepting God’s love and loving one another – the beloved disciples will be sustained.

This Good News leads us everywhere. The mountaintop experience ends, and the disciples go down the mountain with Jesus. There is work to be done. The Good News of God’s love, mercy, justice, and peace to be proclaimed. The Good News of truth-telling and calling out lies, repentance that may mean reparations, living sustainably so the earth and next generations thrive, practicing justice as well as mercy.

We need to remind ourselves and one another to abide in God’s love and love, one another as God loves us – boundlessly, in the desert, on the mountaintop, and on the roads we travel. We need mountaintop reminders so that together we can walk in the midst of suffering and joy and bring love to both.

Peace and all good!

Fr. Valery Burusu

Parochial Administrator