“This is my beloved Son; listen to him”
Weekly bulletin for the 2nd Sunday of Lent B, February 25, 2024
On this 2nd Sunday of Lent, we are invited to get out, to leave our little gardens where we live our peaceful lives. The Biblical texts for this day evoke three directions we need to constantly be moving in: away from “home,” up toward the Light and down to the valley (that can be a valley of tears).
Peter said: “it is good that we are here.” In the texts, we see Peter, James and John as they come down from the mountain with Jesus, not understanding what they have just experienced. Hearing the story of the Transfiguration on the 2nd Sunday of Lent reminds us that the spiritual experience of Lent returns every year to prepare us for Easter, the most important Christian feast. We, too, need the light of Christ to illuminate our faith and keep it alive. Like the disciples, we need to encounter the Lord to revive our faith in Jesus Christ, the Resurrected, the Living One. We need to hear the Resurrected tell us not to pitch our tents, to instead come down from the mountain and go live our lives in connection with Him and the Word among the community of his disciples.
Why would we be afraid of this beautiful Light? Why would we be afraid of this Cloud of light, of tenderness, of mercy?
Why would we be afraid of this Voice that is the Voice of Love? We must make room for JOY. There is only room for trust and gratitude… There is only room for JOY: the joy of being loved, the joy of being created by this Love, the Joy of the Covenant, which tells us all, “You are beautiful, my child, watch and listen to me: all my Beauty is for you.”
All the readings on this 2nd Sunday of Lent speak to us of light. Abraham fully trusts in God, Saint Paul invites us to trust: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” A cloud clears to make way for the Light of the Transfigured Christ. There is a song by singer-songwriter Akepsimas that inspires me, and I would like to end with a verse filled with faith and hope. “I want my eyes to light up, Lord. I want them open to the vast world. Only You can accomplish the impossible. My faith tells me that your heart is open.”