2nd Sunday in Lent (A)

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Mt 17:1-9

BIBLICAL

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain.

If the desert is the home of evil spirits, then the mountain is God’s dwelling place. Mount Tabor is traditionally identified as the mount of transfiguration.

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

These are signs of the divine. On this particular occasion the divinity of Christ shown through his humanity. We find a similar description of Christ in glory in the book of Revelation: “The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest” (Rev 1: 12-16).

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, that is, the Old Testa-ment. They witness to the fact that in Jesus the Old Testament promises are ful-filled.
What were they talking about? Only Luke tells us what it was about: “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” (Lk 19: 28-36). They were talking about his Passion.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here.

The Israelites lived in tents during their wandering in the desert. The Jews lived in tents during the Feast of Booths. By suggesting the setting up of tents, is Peter suggesting that they stay on the mountain indefinitely?

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them.

The cloud represented the presence of God. During the wandering in the desert, there was the tent of meeting. When God was present, the tent would be covered with a cloud. When the temple of Jerusalem was dedicated to God, a cloud also came to rest upon it.

"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

These are the same words at the Baptism of Jesus with the addition of “listen to him”. In this instance, the three apostles were being told to listen to the prediction made Jesus about his passion, death and resurrection.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

Someone said that if you count the number of times you find the sentence “fear not”, it will total 365. It seems that God has a ready assurance for us each day of the year. And why shouldn’t we be afraid? Because as Jesus himself tells us: “For I am with you”.

LISTEN

A teacher is explaining a topic in class. She catches two students talking to each other. What does she do? She stops explaining, and tells the students: “Listen!” Listen means to pay attention.

When a child gets failing marks, his parents tell him: “Listen. A good education is something we want to give you because we want you to have a bright future.” Listen does not only mean pay attention but also put into practice the coun-sel that is being given to him.

Listen in latin is audire. From this latin word comes the English word, “obedience”.

When the boy Samuel heard his name being called, he went to the high priest Eli and said: “Here I am for you called me.” But Eli did not call him. When that happened three times, Eli understood that it was God was calling Samuel. So he instructed Samuel, “Next time you are called say: ‘Here I am Lord, your servant is listening.’” What does that mean? It means “I am paying attention, Lord, and I am ready to obey.”

The Jews have a very important prayer. In fact, it is the first prayer that a child learns. It is called the “Shema”. It has a concise form which goes this way: “Listen, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The complete Shema, how-ever, is longer and consists of three parts and it is about obeying the command-ments of God. Here again we have the command to listen, that is, to pay attention and be ready to obey the commandments.

When the gospel is read at Mass, we stand. Why? The first reason is as a sign of reverence for Jesus. But there is a second reason and it is to show readiness to put into practice, that is, to obey the teachings of Jesus.

Should we wait for Sunday to pay attention to Jesus in order to know what teachings we have to put into practice? Of course not. During the week we can do it by ourselves. How? There are two ways. The first is using modern technology and the second is the traditional method.

Using modern technology requires an internet connection. I suggest two websites: (a) Pray as you go and (b) Sacred Space. Use google to go those websites. The advantage of “pray as you go” is that you can download it to your mp3 player and pray as you go to work. You can use Sacred Space either with a computer or you can also download it to a mobile device.

If you want to do it the traditional way, then there are four requirements: (a) You must set the time each day; (b) You must have a place conducive to prayer; (c) you must have the bible or at least the New Testament; and (d) You must have a method.

I suggest the use of the method of ‘lectio divina’. There are four traditional steps: Read, meditate, pray and contemplate. But let’s simplify it: read, meditate, pray, and resolve.

Read. Read a short passage. I suggest you start with any of the first three gos-pels. Read that short passage two or three times.

Meditate. What struck you? What is God telling you through that word or phrase that struck you?

Pray. What do you want to tell God about what struck you? What do you want to tell God about what you feel he is telling you?

Resolve. What one thing will you do on that day as a result of your reading, meditating and praying? Your encounter with God must have an effect on your life. Religion is not for church but for life.

The prophet Isaiah said that God’s Word is like the rain or snow that comes down to the earth, making it fertile and fruitful.

I am reminded of a documentary I have seen in the National Geographic Channel. That documentary is about a place where rain falls only for a short period of time each year. Most of the time the place is brown because there are no green plants, not even grass. But when the rain comes, the place does not only become green but also colourful because of the flowers that bloom.

If we open our minds and our hearts to receive God’s Word, then we should not be surprised to see beautiful things happening to us and to our lives. At the very least, we shall be happier and better people.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.