Bible Study, Prayer, and Homily Resources
by Fr. Tommy Lane
It takes time to get to know a person. It took the apostles a long time to get to know Jesus. Three of them got to know Jesus better when he was transfigured on the mountain and they saw his divinity revealed. They got to know him better again when Jesus revealed that he would suffer and die in Jerusalem even though they did not understand until later. They got to know Jesus better again during the Last Supper, his agony in Gethsemane, his Passion, death, and resurrection. The entire time the apostles were with Jesus, they were getting to know him better and what following him as his apostles meant but they really didn’t understand Jesus’ mission properly until after they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We also gradually grow in our love for, and knowledge of, Jesus and we also grow in understanding what Jesus is asking of us.
When Peter, James, and John saw Jesus’ divinity revealed, their attitudes to Jesus must have been transformed as they saw Jesus was transformed. We could say that is what Lent is all about, transforming ourselves and our attitudes so that we can see Jesus more clearly. During this season of Lent, we examine our lives to see where we stand before God and each other. The Collect for Mass today expresses beautifully our hopes for Lent to our heavenly Father:
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold your glory.
It is really a prayer that we be transformed during Lent.
I think we can see this call to transformation also in the Scripture readings we heard proclaimed today. In the first reading, Abram is promised the land by God (Gen 15:18). But when we move to the New Covenant, we see that there is no emphasis at all on land. There is a new vision with the arrival of Jesus and all previous values have to be re-evaluated. Many times in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus said, “You have heard it said…but I say to you…” (Matt 5) Instead of inheriting land, in the New Testament the emphasis is on the kingdom of God. In the New Covenant, the land to be inherited is heaven (Heb 11:16). Just as the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt and crossed the sea during the exodus to freedom, we were in original sin and crossed the sea when we were baptized. The Hebrews wandered for forty years in the desert and then entered the Promised Land; we live here and then look forward to meeting God. So much of what happened in the Old Covenant is now seen as a sign or symbol to teach us about the spiritual life and our journey to God (see 1 Cor 10:6). Fighting for the land of Israel is something we see in the Old Testament. We have moved on from thinking about a geographical territory in the New Covenant because the land about which to be concerned is inheriting heaven (Heb 11:16). Lent is a time to see with new eyes.
In the second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (3:17-41), we also see a transformation—our transformation in heaven. As well as being citizens of the United States, you are above all citizens of heaven. Paul wrote,
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. (Phil 3:20-21)
Because our citizenship is in heaven, we look on the world with eyes of faith, and we see that the world does not always reflect God or who we are called to be. Therefore, sometimes a Christian can feel like he or she is living in exile in his/her own country (perhaps especially in Europe which seems to be becoming anti-Christian.) That is because we are citizens of heaven. Lent is a time when we evaluate our attitudes and try to take on more and more the attitudes of a citizen of heaven. Lent is a time to see with new eyes.
Paul wrote that Jesus will transform our earthly bodies to be like his glorified body (Phil 3:21). So we too hope to enjoy the glory that the three apostles saw when Jesus was transfigured. What we will be in the future is very different to what we are now. We see humanity portrayed in so many different ways on TV, in the movies, and on the internet but do we ever see it portrayed as looking forward to a glorious future? We only see a warped image of humanity on TV, in the movies, and on the internet. The image of humanity that we see on TV and in movies is, for the most part, not a reflection of who we are at all. Lent is a time to step back from false images to see who we really are before God. Who we really are is what Paul wrote to the Philippians:
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body... (Phil 3:20-21)
Therefore Paul advises the Philippians to observe those who already live as Christians (Phil 3:17). One form this could take for us is studying the lives of the saints and reading their writings. Again, our Opening Prayer to our heavenly Father was,
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold your glory.
In the Gospel (Luke 9:28-36), the Father spoke to the three apostles, Peter, James, and John and said, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” (Luke 9:35) That is what Lent is about, listening to Jesus. Are we giving God sufficient time to speak to us? Is the Lord asking something of us this Lent? If so, the Father’s advice is, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” It took the apostles a long time to get to know Jesus and the longer they were with Jesus the better they got to know him. We also gradually grow in our love for, and knowledge of, Jesus and we also grow in what in understanding what Jesus is asking of us:
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold your glory.
Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 2010
This homily was delivered in a parish in Maryland.
More homilies for the Second Sunday of Lent Year C
Jesus’ transfiguration: a lesson in prayer 2016
Related Homilies: Second Sunday of Lent Year A August 6
First Reading; stars of the sky
stories about light of Jesus, and light in Guadalupe