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The liturgical season of Lent began on Ash Wednesday and runs until Holy Thursday night. Lent has a two fold character. It serves as a time for the immediate preparation of the catechumens and candidates who will be fully initiated into the church at the Easter Vigil when they celebrate the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist). It also serves as a time for the rest of us to prepare ourselves, by penance, alms-giving and prayer to celebrate the Paschal Mystery and the renewal of our own baptismal promises at Easter. This double character actually speaks of two ways to describe the same journey. All of us, whether new catechumen or long time believer, are constantly being called to more complete conversion. God always calls us to approach Him more closely. During this time, the church invites us to spend time with Jesus, John the Baptist and the ancient prophets of Israel in the wilderness, listening to this call from God and reflecting on the mystery of redemption through the cross and resurrection of Jesus and on what it means for each of us today.

This weekend we celebrate the Second Sunday of Lent. The readings call us to improved vision. We are called to see the glory hidden in the humanity of Jesus as did Peter, the heavenly kingdom that is present within the Christian community as described by Paul, and the presence of God in the promises He has made even though, like Abram, we cannot yet see their complete fulfillment. This improved vision is a step in the process of continual conversion to which this year's Lenten readings call us.

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First Reading: Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-18

5 He took him outside and said: "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be." 6 Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. 7 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." 8 "O Lord GOD," he asked, "How am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He answered him, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon." 10 He brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. 11 Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them. 12 As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him. [13 Then the LORD said to Abram: "Know for certain that your descendants shall be aliens in a land not their own, where they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation they must serve, and in the end they will depart with great wealth. 15 You, however, shall join your forefathers in peace; you shall be buried at a contented old age. 16 In the fourth time-span the others shall come back here; the wickedness of the Amorites will not have reached its full measure until then."] 17 When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking brazier and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. 18 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),

NOTES on First Reading:

* 15:6 Abraham's faith in God's promises was regarded as an act of righteousness. It expressed the "right" attitude of man toward God. Paul will use Abraham's faith as a model for that of Christians (Romans 4:1-25; Gal 3:6-9).

* 15:9 Three years old was the age of ritual maturity for these animals.

* 15:11 The birds of prey are often seen as those attacks on our relationship with God that come from the forces outside ourselves.

* 15:12 The deep sleep is a prelude to divine intervention as in Gen 2:21.

* 15:17 Brazier means literally "oven". In this case a portable one is meant. Smoke and fire are frequently used symbols representing God's presence. Contemporary records indicate that agreements were often ratified by walking between the divided pieces of animals while the contracting parties invoked on themselves a fate similar to that of the slaughtered beast if they should fail to keep their word. This was a common method of establishing a covenant.

* 15:18 The literal meaning of the words translated as "made a covenant" is "cut a covenant". The expression is derived from the ceremony of cutting the animals in two.

Second Reading: Philippians 3: 17-4:1

3:17 Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. 18 For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their "shame." Their minds are occupied with earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 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. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 3:17-21 Paul advocates a life centered in Christ. Such a life envisages both Jesus' suffering and resurrection. Such a model is the opposite of what Paul's opponents who reject Christ's cross are using as their rallying point(See 1 Cor 1:23).

* 3:17 When he says, "be imitators of me", Paul is not expressing arrogance, but humble simplicity, since all his converts know that Paul is wholly dedicated to imitating Christ (1 Cor 11:1; See also Phil 4:9; 1 Thes 1:6; 2 Thes 3:7,9; 1 Cor 4:6).

* 3:18 The enemies of the cross are those who deny the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice by advocating circumcision among Christians.

* 3:19 The zeal of his opponents for the dietary laws and for circumcision has Paul remind them that all such earthly things are swept away by Jesus.

* 3:20 Paul uses the comparison of Christians constituting a colony of heaven, just as Philippi was a colony of Rome (Acts 16:12). The hope Paul expresses involves the final coming of Christ. This is a status not already attained unlike what many of his opponents claimed.

* 4:1 This verse expresses a concluding admonition to stand firm in the new life we enjoy in Christ. It also begins a series of ethical admonitions running up to verse 9 that rest especially on the view of Christ and his coming given in Phil 3:20-21.

Gospel Reading: Luke 9: 28b-36

28 [About eight days after he said this,] he took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. 29 While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 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. 34 While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him." 36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

NOTES on Gospel:

* 9:28-36 This event is placed shortly after the first announcement of the passion, death, and resurrection. Jesus' transfiguration provides the heavenly confirmation to His declaration that his suffering will end in glory (Luke 9:32).

* 9:28 In the scriptures the "mountain" is a common place of prayer and in Luke it is the regular place of prayer (see Luke 6:12; 22:39-41). Luke is the only gospel that tells us why they went up the mountain.

* 9:30 Moses and Elijah represent the Old Testament law and the prophets. In Luke 9:35, at the end of this episode, the heavenly voice will identify Jesus as the one to be listened to now.

* 9:31 Luke is the only gospel that identifies the subject of the conversation. The exodus (Some translations say, "passage" or "departure") of Jesus is a reference to the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus that will take place in Jerusalem, the city of destiny (see Luke 9:51). The mention of exodus, however, also calls to mind the Israelite Exodus from Egypt to the promised land.

* 9:32 Luke here refers to the glory that is proper to God and he attributes it to Jesus (see Luke 24:26). This is a way of expressing His Divinity.

* 9:33 The reference to making tents is a possible allusion to the Feast of Tabernacles. The feast may be near or Peter may be likening his joy on the occasion of the transfiguration to the joyful celebration of this harvest festival. He may have misinterpreted the event in the light of the Feast of Tabernacles which came to be seen in its abundance as a symbol of God's consummation of history.

* 9:34 In the Greek it is not clear whether them refers to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, or to the disciples. The cloud in the Old Testament indicated the presence of God as it covered the meeting tent (Exod 40:34-35) and later rested over the temple at Jerusalem (1 Kgs 8:10).

* 9:35 The words that the Father spoke at the Baptism (Luke 3:22) are repeated. The added admonition to "listen to Him" may be an allusion to the prophet like Moses of Deut 18:15. The two representatives of the Old Testament Israel depart (Luke 9:33) and Jesus is left alone (Luke 9:36) as the teacher whose words must be heard (see also Acts 3:22).

* 9:36 "At that time" means before the resurrection.

 

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Scripture Study for:

09/12/10

09/19/10

09/26/10

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Scripture text: New American Bible with revised New Testament copyright © 1986,1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
Commentary Sources:
  Vince Del Greco
  The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990) (Eds. Brown, Fitzmyer & Murphy)