Behind those Glorious Moments

Second Sunday of Lent 21 February 2016
First reading                                                                             Genesis 15:5-12,17-18

Taking Abram outside, the Lord said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants.’ Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.

  ‘I am the Lord’ he said to him ‘who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to make you heir to this land.’ ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘how am I to know that I shall inherit it?’ He said to him, ‘Get me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these, cut them in half and put half on one side and half facing it on the other; but the birds he did not cut in half. Birds of prey came down on the carcases but Abram drove them off.

  When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, there appeared a smoking furnace and a firebrand that went between the halves. That day the Lord made a Covenant with Abram in these terms:

‘To your descendants I give this land,

from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River.’

 

Psalm                                                                            Psalm 26:1,7-9,13-14

              

Second reading                                                         Philippians 3:17-4:1

My brothers, be united in following my rule of life. Take as your models everybody who is already doing this and study them as you used to study us. I have told you often, and I repeat it today with tears, there are many who are behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ. They are destined to be lost. They make foods into their god and they are proudest of something they ought to think shameful; the things they think important are earthly things. For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe.

  So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful in the Lord. I miss you very much, dear friends; you are my joy and my crown.

Gospel                                                                       Luke 9:28-36
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

Try to look at your graduation or wedding photos.  How did you look like? Stunning, marvelous, beautiful!  Being in Cloud 9 is a great experience, isn't it? But behind these glorious moments are other photos - some developed, some shared in social media, some only known to a few souls or to God - which show how much hard work and sacrifice we have made to reach our goals. 

When I was a little boy, my uncle Augusto Samaniego Jr, would tag me along to church in Kawit, Cavite during Holy Week to see the various statues atop carriages.  As a kid during that time, I was scared looking at the statue of Jesus fallen on the ground with His mouth crying in anguish and pain. During the traditional Salubong on Easter Sunday, a glorious statue of the Risen Christ takes center stage.  As I grow old, I began to realize that without a Christ who has fallen on the ground and bled Himself to death on the cross, we would not be able to recognize the Risen Christ come Easter.  

In today's Gospel, Jesus's Transfiguration gave a foretaste of His glory to Peter, James, and John.  After that experience, these apostles would later witness the suffering, death, and resurrection of their Master.  And not only that.  They would soon share in His fate (except for John who died of old age).  What kept them going? I think it was the Father's exhortation at Tabor: Listen to him (i.e. Jesus).

This Lent, let us take time to listen to Jesus so that we would keep on going through our own Calvary to our own Resurrection.

Prayer

Merciful Father, You have revealed Yourself to us through Jesus.  United with Him, may we faithfully face all adversities in life so that we may reach the glory He has gained for us. In His Name we pray. Amen.