2ND SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: BE TAKEN UP HIGH APART AND TRANSFIGURED

(Matthew 17:1-9)

Jesus had just finished teaching about the cross and what lay ahead of Him. His Apostles were down spirited. The whole image of the cross, of the sorrows ahead, of awaiting dangers and insecurity took a better part of them. He thinks of how to make them realize the glory in store for them. He came up with an idea. He took them out on an excursion, sightseeing, a detoxification tour. Yes, He led them up to boost their drooping spirit.

 

LED THEM UP

Jesus wishes to change our spiritual levels. He wants to raise our hearts and minds above the ordinary. Leading up means leading away from. Leading up has to do with leaving off or leaving behind. It has to do with a leap, taking a leap of faith. It involves ascension, transcendence, and elevation. It involves going beyond. It is the Holy will of Jesus, especially this period, to invite us to lift up our hearts in prayers and in our every way of living. It is a call to remain on the side of Jesus. It involves being tireless in our spiritual journey. It challenges us to be like the eagle and take a flight from the world of sin, distraction, pettiness, prayerless living, tricks, dirty politicking, etc. Jesus takes them up from viewing His suffering as a thing of shame to seeing it as something that should draw them closer to be partakers of His glory. He takes you up to see that after the rains of your life, there must be sunshine. He takes you up to let you know that His plans for you are good. Yes, that evils in the world, and the various challenges you're facing right now do not have the final say in your life. He takes you up to make you feel special.  Think of the experience of the three apostles when Jesus took them out. They must have felt loved. It could be that the news of the death of Christ touched them most. They took it more person. You've got to take this year's Lenten programme very personal to experience the joy of Easter.

 

SET THEM APART

Many are called, but few are chosen. Jesus chose a few to represent the other Apostles. They were to witness what would solidify their faith. What they will see will go a long way to keep them apart from the bandwagon of those who saw erroneously. Having said: "If you want to be a follower, take up your cross," the Apostles started reevaluating their followership. Jesus encourages them to take it up as a distinguishing mark of an unending joy that lies ahead.

You have been consecrated and set apart by the dust you received on Ash Wednesday to be a bona fide participant in this year's Lenten observance and Easter joy. Are you responding positively to this call by living a holy life? Are you doing so by repenting and believing in the gospel and by staying away from the world and its lures?

 

TRANSFIGURATION IS IMPORTANT

Following Jesus in the hard teachings of Christianity brings us to savour the sweet presence of our Lord. It gives us an opportunity to see Christ as He really is. It enables us to put away all that makes us not to behold God face to face. In the transfiguration of Christ, we are meant to destroy all works of darkness and live pure before Him. We are invited to put on Christ as our garb and call to mind the white garment we received at baptism.

The moment of transfiguration serves as a warning to ensure that the laws and prophets are adhered to.

The transfiguration of Jesus before his disciples calls on us to build booths for Jesus to make our hearts abode of divinity. We have to listen to God this period. We have to kneel. We have to imitate Jesus, who pleased His Father, and make sure we do not offend God  through our deeds.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

May the power of resurrection help us to rise from our fears, disappointments, frustrations, and hopeless situations, from our weaknesses and from death. May we see Jesus alone and remove our attention from the world through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday (Second Sunday of Lent, Yr A)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 2^nd Sunday of Lent, Year A: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Trials and Tribulations Are at the Service of Our Future Glory

Readings: Gen 12:1–4; 2 Tim 1:8–10; Mt 17:1–9

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, the readings of today speak directly to our daily life experiences. They remind us that our trials and tribulations—our sufferings and pains—are at the service of our future joy. They teach us that if we remain strong and steadfast, the pains and struggles of today will become the map that leads us to the glory of tomorrow.

Shortly before the Transfiguration, Christ had told his disciples that he would suffer and die before entering his glory, but they did not understand him. So, he took Peter, James, and John up the mountain to show them a glimpse of the glory prepared for him, and also the path that would lead him there—the way of the Cross. We can say that between Christ and the glory prepared for him stood a painful journey to Calvary: a journey of trials and tribulations, of unjust judgment and punishment, of the cross and of death. Yet this journey of pain and death became the very map that led him to the glory God had prepared for him.

This reality speaks to us in our own life experiences. It tells us that there is no glory without suffering, no true joy without some measure of pain. To pass exams, we must burn our candles; to excel in a skill, we must dedicate hours of practice; to do well in our jobs and receive promotions, we must give our best. Between us and our destiny—our good future, our God‑given glory both on earth and in heaven—there is a long path often punctuated by difficult experiences, suffering, pain, and even unjust treatment. If embraced with faith, these painful experiences become stepping stones to future success. As the Igbo adage says: “Aka aja aja na‑ebute onu mmanu mmanu”—if you soil your hands in the farm, you will reap a good harvest.

Peter’s reaction at the sight of Christ’s glory on the mountain reveals the dilemma we often face and the deceptive voices we hear when we realize that the path to success is full of thorns. When Peter saw the glory, he exclaimed, “Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here!” He did not want Christ to descend the mountain and face the challenges that lay ahead—the very map drawn by God that would lead him to glory. Instead, he desired a shortcut, a painless path.

Dear friends in Christ, this is the kind of offer our human nature prefers. We often desire success without effort: exam success without study, riches without work, and progress without sacrifice. This is also the kind of offer the devil makes, because he knows we are attracted to the “sharp sharp” syndrome—the illusion of success without pain. But this path, which promises glory through the back door, ultimately leads us away from the glory God intends for us.

There are two maps promising to lead us to our destiny. One is drawn by God; the other is drawn by the devil.

• God’s map leads to our true destiny, but it may take us through rough paths that strengthen us with the knowledge and experience needed for the glory ahead. Let us remember that great men and women are formed under the hammer blows of experience, and the path to success is often rough.
• The devil’s map promises a short, sweet, painless journey, but it leads us far from our true destiny. If, out of fear of pain or difficulty, we abandon God’s map for the devil’s, we may enjoy a smooth ride, but it will never take us to our destination.

Christ reached his glory because he followed the map drawn for him by the Father and never abandoned it, even in the face of extreme suffering.

The first reading gives us another example: Abraham. Between Abraham and the glory God prepared for him lay a difficult journey—a journey that required him to leave his father’s land and his comfort and step into the unknown. Along the way he faced terrible trials, yet he never abandoned God’s map. Even when confronted with the infertility of his wife, he remained steadfast, trusting that God’s plan would not fail. And indeed, it did not.

We love to sing, “Abraham’s blessings are mine,” but we rarely reflect on the difficult journey that led Abraham to those blessings. His blessings did not manifest at the beginning of the journey but at the end. Sadly, many who claim Abraham’s blessings lack the faith to remain steadfast in their own life’s journey. They give up at the first sign of difficulty. If we desire Abraham’s blessings, we must be ready to demonstrate Abraham’s faith.

To receive Abraham’s blessings, we must rise from our comfort zones and journey toward God, even when the path is uncertain. Lent invites us to leave our comfort zones—comfort without sacrifice, immoral lifestyles, sinful habits, shortcuts in exams—and take up our cross to follow Christ along the path God has drawn for us. We may fear that leaving our comfort zones will plunge us into suffering since it is said that ngwere ghara ukwu osisi, aka akpara ya (if the lizard loses hold of the tree, its predator catches it). But the stories of Christ and Abraham assure us that while following God’s map may bring trials, those trials become stepping stones to the glory prepared for us.

Let us rediscover God’s map for our lives and follow it faithfully. Let us abandon the places that offer false glories—glories that do not last.

In the second reading, St Paul encourages us to bear hardship for the sake of the Gospel. He assures us that God will accompany us with his grace through Christ in all our difficult moments. God’s grace never fails those who trust in him as Abraham did; rather, it leads them safely through every rough path.

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima