Second Sunday of Lent / Msgr. Owen F. Campion
The Sunday Readings
The Book of Genesis is the source of the first reading for Mass this weekend. As its name suggests, Genesis reveals the divine origin of life and the divine plan in the forming of the Hebrew people.
First and foremost, Genesis is a splendidly vivid revelation of God’s majesty and power, but also of the dignity of humanity and purpose of life. It is a great pity that this marvelous book has been so tortured and misconstrued by well-meaning but misinformed readers over the years. The core message of Genesis is not about the details of how creation occurred.
This weekend’s reading is about Abraham. Considered by scholars to have been an actual person and not a myth, Abraham is regarded as the father of the Jewish people.
The reading makes several points. God is active in human affairs and communicates with humans, and they with him.
Abraham has strong faith. God rewards this faith by pledging that Abraham’s descendants, until the end of time, will be his special people. It is a dignity conferred with an obligation. Abraham’s descendants must be loyal to God and, by their lives of faith, reveal God to the world.
For its second reading, this weekend’s liturgy presents a passage from St. Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy.
Timothy was a disciple of Paul. The Church venerates Timothy as a great saint, an important figure in the early days of the Church. According to the New Testament, Timothy was the son of a pagan father and a devout Jewish mother. He was Paul’s secretary for a period and once was imprisoned with him, although he was eventually released. An early tradition holds that Timothy was the first bishop of Ephesus, then a major city. Its ruins are now in present-day Turkey on the coast of the Aegean Sea.
Paul encourages Timothy to be strong in his Christian belief despite difficulties and obstacles.
St. Matthew’s Gospel furnishes the last reading. It is the story of the Transfiguration, ablaze with symbols of God which would have been recognizable to any Jew in Jesus’ day as these images appear throughout the Hebrew Scriptures.
In these Scriptures, brilliant light, mountaintops, clouds and pure white all symbolized God. Finally, surrounding Jesus were Moses and Elijah, the great heroes of the Hebrew religious tradition.
This scene completely contrasts with that of Calvary. Instead of shimmering clothes, Jesus is crucified after being stripped of his garments. Instead of glowing clouds and brilliant light, gloom and darkness surround the cross.
Reflection
Lent is little more than one week along, and already the Church is encouraging us, reinforcing our faith, just as Jesus strengthened the faith of the Apostles who stood trembling and in dismay before the divine sight manifested on the mountain.
The message is clear. Jesus is God, active and present among us.
We must believe to be saved. And in our belief, we must commit our very lives to Christ. Abraham is critically a part of this weekend’s lesson as an example.
Nowhere in these readings is there any account of the Crucifixion, no reference to Calvary. Nevertheless, the event of the Lord’s death on the cross is essential to understanding fully this weekend’s message.
Calvary represents the world. It was for a moment, seemingly, the triumph of earthly power and human sin over good. Certainly, the enemies of Jesus saw the crucifixion as their victory. Jesus died. But then came the wonder of Easter.
Every human being can be tricked into assuming that earthly things, or earthly satisfaction, will bring them reward. Instead of reward, sin and earthly attachments bring death. All around it is gloom and darkness.
So, the Church counsels us to have faith, see beyond the gloom, be smart and rejoice in the light of Jesus. Remember the Transfiguration and remember Abraham, our model of absolute faith. Remember the Lord, our only hope. †