THE MYSTERIOUS ONE
Last Sunday we gathered with Peter, John, and
James at the mountain of Transfiguration and
were summoned to listen to God’s chosen Son.
This week the Scriptures draw us into the mystery
of just who that God is. The first reading, perhaps one of the best known in the Bible, recounts the
story of Moses and the burning bush, when the
mysterious divine name is revealed. The
responsorial psalm is a hymn extolling the
attributes of God. Saint Paul and the Lord Jesus
describe a God who judges and metes out
punishment. No matter the lengths to which the
scriptures go, we know that no amount of words
will ever come close to capturing who God is. Our
lives and our Lents are really journeys toward
that mysterious One who will one day welcome
us into the heavenly home that awaits those who
put their trust in God alone.
ALL ABOUT CHANGE
On this Second Sunday of Lent the scriptures
remind us that when we have an encounter with
our God, things are bound to change. In the first
reading God tells Abram to raise his eyes to the
sky, promising descendants as numerous as the
stars. Abram’s act of faith in the Lord is sealed in
covenant, forever changing the course of
salvation history. In the Gospel story of the
Transfiguration, always proclaimed on this Lenten
Sunday, the Lord Jesus changes in appearance
before the eyes of the apostles who, like Abram,
raise their eyes to the spectacle in the sky. It is
Saint Paul who brings it all together for us: “He
will change our lowly body to conform with his
glorified body” (Philippians 3:21). Lent is all about
change, all about conversion. Let us cast our own
eyes to heaven, awaiting that day when we will
be changed—when we will share in Christ’s glory.
REMEMBER
Once again the Church invites us to enter the
desert of repentance. That desert, as today’s first
reading reminds us, is also a desert of remembrance.
This holy season summons us to remember all that
God has done for us. Like the Israelites who recalled
their captivity and God’s work to free them from the
Egyptians, we, too, recall those times when we were
held captive by sin and experienced freedom through
the gift of God’s redeeming love.
Saint Paul tells us that the word of God is near us;
it is in our mouths and in our hearts. May that sacred
word prompt us to remember God’s great work of
reconciliation in our lives and in our community. As this
season of Lent unfolds, let us take to heart these
words of Saint Paul and spend these forty days calling
upon the name of the Lord, asking for forgiveness and
healing.
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving: these disciplines, prescribed by Jesus himself
in the Sermon on the Mount, along with strict instructions not to flaunt them in
public to win recognition and praise (Matthew 6:1-18), have been embraced by all
the saints at the beginning of every Lent for almost two thousand years. But
mention Lent, and many react with a grimace or slight shudder—even now, years
after official obligations have been reduced to a minimum! No wonder the
Eastern Rite’s “Lenten Announcement” sounds surprising: “Let us receive with
joy, O faithful people, the divinely inspired announcement of Lent! The Lenten
Spring shines forth! Begin the fast with joy! Let us fast from passions as well as
food, taking pleasure in the good works of the Spirit, and accomplishing them in
love!” Saint John Chrysostom, whose feast is September 13, elaborates: “Do you fast? Give proof by your
works. If you see a poor person, take pity. An enemy, be reconciled. A friend gaining honor, don’t be jealous.”
A positive approach! May the saints help us keep such a Lent!