Second Sunday of Lent
Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 15:5-12, 17-18
We hear, in this reading, of the ritual formalization of the covenant between God and Abram (before his name was changed to Abraham). A three year old animal was ritually mature, and the animals being cut in half is preserved today as a sign of that covenant. We see it in the sacrifice of the Mass when the Priest breaks the large host in half and pronounces the words; “This is the Lamb of God…” While it is not explicit in this text, Abram probably walked between the halves of the sacrifice to symbolize what happened to them would also happen to him if he failed in his part of the agreement (see Jeremiah 34:18).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
Similar in tenor to Psalm 23, we hear in this passage both a profession of faith (“The Lord is my light and my salvation”) and a plea for help (“Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call;”). Taken in total it is a consolation for all who have faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II
Longer Form: Philippians 3:17—4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Phil 3:17—4:1
The longer form of this reading provides a contrast for the faithful. St. Paul first calls on the Christians at Philippi to imitate the evangelist himself. He then (Philippians 3:17-20) identifies those who “…conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.” They do so by focusing their efforts on themselves (their stomach, their glory, earthly things). In contrast, the selection concludes, the Christian should focus on spiritual gifts and the promise of the resurrection.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or
Shorter Form: Philippians 3:20---4:1
Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Phil 3:20---4:1
The shorter form of the reading omits the contrasting secular values of the enemies of Christ but retains the promise to the faithful members of the community. The promise is that, in the end, they will be conformed to Christ in spirit and body.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 9:28b-36
We are given St. Luke’s story about the Transfiguration. Jesus goes up a mountain (to a high place – representative of Hebrew altars or places of worship; frequently identified as “high places.”) with Peter James and John. His appearance changed and the disciples observe him conversing about “his exodus” (Jesus’ exodus would be the Passion to which he was moving) with Moses and Elijah.
The disciples response to this vision was first to “make three tents” alluding to the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles placing the Lord on the same plane as Moses and Elijah. Before any response was made, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them and God’s voice came from the cloud, announcing “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” Jesus is elevated above Moses and Elijah to a place with God Himself.
It is clear from this story and the other Transfiguration accounts that the event was kept secret until after Jesus death and resurrection. It was at that time that the true significance of the event was understood by the Christian community and the experience placed in its proper position chronologically.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
In professing our faith in Christ we accept his sacrifice of atonement for our sins. In accepting his sacrifice we are bound by our promise to accept his yoke and follow his commandments. That is our part of the covenant which Christ seals with his sacrifice.
We can only imagine coming before the judgment seat of Christ. He will ask us; “Have you failed to love God in your earthly life?” We must answer – “I have.” He will ask us “have you failed to love your brothers and sisters whom I also created?” We must answer – “I have.” And then will he ask; “And what sacrifice have you offered to atone for these sins?” What answer will we have? We must look at the Risen Lord and profess that it was his own sacrifice that freed us from this debt.
A jealous god or a vengeful god would scoff at us and say you have created the filth of sin, now you must live in it for all eternity. But our God is love and mercy itself. Again we imagine him on the judgment seat looking down upon us and in his eyes we do not see anger, we do not see disappointment, we see the love of a parent whose child has learned a difficult lesson. With that look of love that follows the long period that is time out of time in what we understand as Purgatory, we are invited into the heavenly banquet that is the destination he discussed with Moses and Elijah at his transfiguration.
We now look with renewed respect at the Sacrifice of the Mass. It is in that celebration we recall the love of God and the mercy of Christ who offered himself on the cross as the new covenant. We rejoice in the breaking of the bread that affirms that the covenant is cut, the promise is fulfilled and the reward is still offered.
The rules of the ancient covenant were these that in return for the promise of God, humankind must demonstrate their love of God by following is commandments. Our Lenten journey is intended to provide us with a time to check ourselves; to make sure we are fulfilling our vows to the Lord and practicing our faith In a manner pleasing to him. That is what we promise when we accept his covenant – when we say “Amen” to the Body and Blood of Christ.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Abram’s Descendents” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading I: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 15:5-12, 17-18
We hear, in this reading, of the ritual formalization of the covenant between God and Abram (before his name was changed to Abraham). A three year old animal was ritually mature, and the animals being cut in half is preserved today as a sign of that covenant. We see it in the sacrifice of the Mass when the Priest breaks the large host in half and pronounces the words; “This is the Lamb of God…” While it is not explicit in this text, Abram probably walked between the halves of the sacrifice to symbolize what happened to them would also happen to him if he failed in his part of the agreement (see Jeremiah 34:18).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
Similar in tenor to Psalm 23, we hear in this passage both a profession of faith (“The Lord is my light and my salvation”) and a plea for help (“Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call;”). Taken in total it is a consolation for all who have faith.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II
Longer Form: Philippians 3:17—4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Phil 3:17—4:1
The longer form of this reading provides a contrast for the faithful. St. Paul first calls on the Christians at Philippi to imitate the evangelist himself. He then (Philippians 3:17-20) identifies those who “…conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.” They do so by focusing their efforts on themselves (their stomach, their glory, earthly things). In contrast, the selection concludes, the Christian should focus on spiritual gifts and the promise of the resurrection.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or
Shorter Form: Philippians 3:20---4:1
Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Phil 3:20---4:1
The shorter form of the reading omits the contrasting secular values of the enemies of Christ but retains the promise to the faithful members of the community. The promise is that, in the end, they will be conformed to Christ in spirit and body.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Lk 9:28b-36
We are given St. Luke’s story about the Transfiguration. Jesus goes up a mountain (to a high place – representative of Hebrew altars or places of worship; frequently identified as “high places.”) with Peter James and John. His appearance changed and the disciples observe him conversing about “his exodus” (Jesus’ exodus would be the Passion to which he was moving) with Moses and Elijah.
The disciples response to this vision was first to “make three tents” alluding to the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles placing the Lord on the same plane as Moses and Elijah. Before any response was made, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them and God’s voice came from the cloud, announcing “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” Jesus is elevated above Moses and Elijah to a place with God Himself.
It is clear from this story and the other Transfiguration accounts that the event was kept secret until after Jesus death and resurrection. It was at that time that the true significance of the event was understood by the Christian community and the experience placed in its proper position chronologically.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
In professing our faith in Christ we accept his sacrifice of atonement for our sins. In accepting his sacrifice we are bound by our promise to accept his yoke and follow his commandments. That is our part of the covenant which Christ seals with his sacrifice.
We can only imagine coming before the judgment seat of Christ. He will ask us; “Have you failed to love God in your earthly life?” We must answer – “I have.” He will ask us “have you failed to love your brothers and sisters whom I also created?” We must answer – “I have.” And then will he ask; “And what sacrifice have you offered to atone for these sins?” What answer will we have? We must look at the Risen Lord and profess that it was his own sacrifice that freed us from this debt.
A jealous god or a vengeful god would scoff at us and say you have created the filth of sin, now you must live in it for all eternity. But our God is love and mercy itself. Again we imagine him on the judgment seat looking down upon us and in his eyes we do not see anger, we do not see disappointment, we see the love of a parent whose child has learned a difficult lesson. With that look of love that follows the long period that is time out of time in what we understand as Purgatory, we are invited into the heavenly banquet that is the destination he discussed with Moses and Elijah at his transfiguration.
We now look with renewed respect at the Sacrifice of the Mass. It is in that celebration we recall the love of God and the mercy of Christ who offered himself on the cross as the new covenant. We rejoice in the breaking of the bread that affirms that the covenant is cut, the promise is fulfilled and the reward is still offered.
The rules of the ancient covenant were these that in return for the promise of God, humankind must demonstrate their love of God by following is commandments. Our Lenten journey is intended to provide us with a time to check ourselves; to make sure we are fulfilling our vows to the Lord and practicing our faith In a manner pleasing to him. That is what we promise when we accept his covenant – when we say “Amen” to the Body and Blood of Christ.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Abram’s Descendents” Artist and Date are UNKNOWN
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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