Second Sunday in Lent
Intro: Sometimes we all feel the need to be uplifted, to be taken out of ourselves and our humdrum lives. That's just what the apostles experience in today's Gospel as Jesus is transfigured and gives them a memory which will carry them through the dark times of His arrest, trial and crucifixion.
Readings: God calls on Abraham to trust Him by leaving every thing familiar behind and begin his journey toward the Promised Land to receive His blessings.
Writing to Timothy from prison towards the end of his life, Paul encourages him to persevere and endure all hardships for the sake of the Gospel, assuring him that God's power, made alive in Jesus, will carry him through the bad times.
Genesis 12: 1-4a;
2 Timothy 1: 8-10;
Matthew 17: 1-9;
God's call to Abraham was a radical one - to leave country and kinsfolk, and journey into the unknown in an act of faith. Writing to Timothy, Paul is equally aware of the hardships involved in real discipleship, having suffered so much himself for the sake of the Good News.
Now we see Peter, James and John in the same position. Having left behind everything to follow the Master, they're placed in a situation where they don't fully understand what's going on, although they're struck with its awesome wonder. Having seen Jesus transfigured, they probably think that they're receiving their reward for sticking with Him and they want to savour the moment and freeze it - the equivalent of taking a selfie!
When the moment is over, the group leaves the mountain and returns to earth in every sense of the word - with a bump and a reality check, returning to a life which had to be lived out daily in their own small troubled world. But at the back of their minds, they must have carried that vision, at least until the arrest, trial and execution of Jesus, when their faith would be further tested.
We too have been called to make our own journey of faith, and just like Abraham, Paul, Peter, James and John, there will be highs and lows in the course of our lives. But we all know the phrase, "no pain, no gain." We have to make tough choices in order to reap the benefits. It might well be marvellous to experience God's nearness in prayer at a particular time, but like the apostles, we have to come down from that high and get on with normal life, facing the daily grind of domestic, social or work decisions, or simply trying to make ends meet. It's difficult to experience God's nearness when you're faced with a mortgage or rent arrears, when your spouse has walked out, you discover one of the children is pregnant or taking drugs, when your job's at risk, or the doctor gives you bad news.
The real challenge to our faith comes from continuing to live out our lives in such trying circumstances. Easy to love God when everything's going well; not so easy when everything's piling on top of us. What I'm saying is that true holiness, real holiness, is found in the ordinary everyday grind of daily life. It's there that we meet Him, but only in His wounded, scarred body on the way to Calvary rather than glorified on the mountainside. Holiness doesn't just involve praying, or being in the church. The hardships we encounter aren't distractions to follow the Master they're necessary parts of it.
Like the disciples, we all want to remain where we feel comfortable. But the call of our faith means that we have to constantly move on, accept the trials and tribulations of life, and still remain strong in spite of them. When we hear our name called in love, we can face our own road to Jerusalem. And if we can still say not only "Lord, it's wonderful for us to be here," but also: "the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord" then we'll know that we're still well on the way to the Kingdom.
Intercessions
Confident in the Father's love for us, we place our petitions before Him:-
1. For the Church, despite its human failings, may It always be seen as a sign and source of salvation for peoples of all nations who look to Her for guidance - Lord, hear us.
2. For our leaders in government, may they remain sensitive to the cries and needs of the poor and the oppressed of the third World - Lord, hear us.
3. For those who are looking for God in their lives, who struggle to see themselves as Your beloved children but have lost their way in the midst of their darkness or despair. May the light of Your countenance shine upon them and bring them home to You - Lord, hear us.
4. For ourselves. Help us to persevere and grasp the opportunities which Lent offers through our prayer, fasting and almsgiving, to think on the mystery of Your suffering, and link it with our own - Lord, hear us.
5. We pray for those who are ill, that they may recover speedily and safely - Lord, hear us.
6. May Helen McCourt who has died recently, and Paddy Downey, whose anniversary it is, now come to experience the glory of Your Kingdom, and see You face to face - Lord, hear us.
Lord God, we thank You for listening to these prayers of ours today. Help us to live in the confidence that You will answer in Your time rather than ours.