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| “Abraham and Isaac” by Sir Anthony van Dyck, c. 1617 |
Catechism Links[1]
CCC 59, 145-146, 2570-2572: The obedience of Abraham
CCC 153-159: Characteristics of faith
CCC 2059: God manifests his glory to make known his will
CCC 603, 1373, 2634, 2852: Christ is for us
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Reading 1: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command."
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Commentary on Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
In this passage Abraham is put to the test. He is to offer his son Isaac as a holocaust – an offering completely burnt on the altar. Abraham, though reluctant, is faithful to God and follows his instructions. At the last moment, when God is sure that Abraham has greater love for God than even for his beloved son Isaac, he stops Abraham and “blesses him abundantly,” making him the father of nations.
CCC: Gen 22:11 332; Gen 22:17-19 706
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
R. (116:9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
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Commentary on Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
Psalm 116 is a song of thanksgiving. This selection is an individual prayer and promise to God. The singer understands that the Lord is his salvation. A little confusing is “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.” The meaning is that the death of God's faithful is grievous to God, not that God is pleased with the death.
CCC: Ps 116:17 1330
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Reading II: Romans 8:31b-34
Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised—
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
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Commentary on Rom 8:31b-34
St. Paul bursts into a hymn proclaiming the victory over death and suffering experienced by the faithful, lifted up by God in Christ. The premise that the love of God assures salvation to the faithful is strengthened as the evangelist asks the rhetorical question “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
CCC: Rom 8:31 2852; Rom 8:32 603, 706, 2572; Rom 8:34 1373, 2634
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Gospel: Mark 9:2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
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Commentary on Mk 9:2-10
St. Mark’s account of the transfiguration varies only slightly from the account found in St. Matthew (Matthew 17:1-9). In St. Mark’s account the event takes place six days after his first prediction (see side note below) of his own passion and resurrection (St. Luke has eight days Luke 9:28b-36). Jesus brings Peter, James and John with him and, by their presence gives them a special understanding that his death and resurrection (and their own) will lead to the glory of the Kingdom of God, not to an end as they had feared.(see also 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Peter 1:16-19).
CCC: Mk 9:2 552; Mk 9:7 151, 459; Mk 9:9-31 649
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Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why the transfiguration took place? We hear about that spectacular event at least twice a year; how Jesus takes three of his closest friends and goes up a mountain and there he is transfigured before them. They see him in dazzling white, standing with the great forefathers of our faith: Elijah, the prophet, and Moses who gave the people God’s Law.
Yes, the image is clear. Jesus is transformed into something closer to his essence as God. He came to fulfill what was predicted by Elijah and all the prophets, so Elijah had to be there. Moses was there because Jesus also came to fulfill the Law handed to Moses on Mount Horeb. There is no doubt what this event demonstrated: that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of the Living God. To make that point even more explicit, for only the second time in the Gospel accounts of Jesus, God’s voice is heard: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
The event is truly amazing and awe-inspiring. Of that there is no doubt, but why was it done? What purpose did Jesus have in going up that mountain with only three of his disciples? It was not to show off. He even tells them in later verses not to tell anyone about the episode. It was done with only three of his closest friends. He could have invited the whole entourage, all his disciples, and the crowd he had been teaching for the past six days, to come up the mountain with him to witness this unique event in which he was clearly revealed in his power and majesty.
If he had done that with a significant crowd of prominent scribes and Pharisees present (and we know there were representatives in the crowd that was with him), they would have announced to the Sanhedrin that the Messiah had come and there would never have been any doubt about his identity. A whole different set of events would have unfolded at Jerusalem.
So what do we know? We know that Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, that he showed himself to his closest friends in all his majesty. They witnessed this event after Jesus had been teaching them for six days – an intense tutorial. We can only conclude that the purpose for this miraculous demonstration was to be an exclamation point to what he came to show us.
It is like the teacher in the classroom who uses a spectacular demonstration to get across a point. Jesus is transfigured so that we might pay special attention to the point he makes. And what is that point? Why did God feel it was necessary to send his only son in the first place? It connected all of the dots from ancient history, the law from Moses, and the prophets, one grand seamless message to humankind. But, most importantly it was so we would be assured of his love for us, and to make clear what he wished for us: how we were to live in peace. Like any loving parent, God wants us be happy. And to do that we must follow the “house rules,” the biggest of them is: Love God and love one another.
This recognition, this understanding, this conversion is something that happens gradually. Again using the example of the teacher in school, the important lessons are repeated over and over again so they become ingrained, second nature.
So now we have come to realize why the transfiguration was so important. It was the exclamation point that emphasizes our need to follow the example Jesus gave us, and the commandments he left us. Now we must ask ourselves a second question: what must we do to respond to what he taught us? How can we derive the benefit of this teaching to achieve what God, our loving Father, wishes for us?
For the younger students, this is like a story problem. We have been taught over and over again the lessons Jesus teaches. Now we are asked to use what we have learned in a way we are likely to encounter in the real world. Because this is one in a series of lessons during our Lenten season, and as much as you would love to spend hours listening to this wisdom, other things must be done, let’s look at only one of the ways we can work at converting ourselves into the pupils (disciples) of which Jesus would be proud.
We are called to be a people of faith. The always-pragmatic St Paul said, in what can only be imagined as a fit of religious zeal: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God is for us when we have spoken with him and know what he wishes us to do. So first and foremost we must be a people of prayer.
This second week of Lent let’s all make a pledge together. Whatever amount of praying we normally do on a given day (and saying, “I talk to God all the time” does not count), let’s pledge to set aside an additional one-half hour to be alone with God in prayer. Let’s pray together for all those who face desperation during difficult times in their lives. If we find ourselves facing difficult times, pray that God will give us peace so we can face the difficulty knowing in our hearts that the Lord, who revealed himself to be the Christ at the transfiguration, also loves us and will be a light in the darkness. Let us offer our fears and our bitterness to the Lord, begging his forgiveness because we know he wishes only happiness for us. Be infused in that half hour with the knowledge that God loves us, and will stand with us when we are put to the test (praying fervently that our test will not be as momentous as the one he placed before Abraham).
Jesus came teaching us to be a people of prayer. He punctuated his teaching with the amazing event that unfolded before us in Scripture as we heard once more how he revealed his divinity to us. Let us each now pledge to be what he teaches us to be, and in doing so receive gratefully the gift of peace he gives us.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used is “Abraham and Isaac” by Sir Anthony van Dyck, c. 1617.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Genesis © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 44-45.
[6] The Navarre Bible: “Letters of St. Paul,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 105.
