Year B: Second Sunday in Lent

Our Lady Help of Christians Parish

We’ve arrived at the beginning of the second week of Lent. The Church puts before us two dramatic scenes. On the one hand, the gruesome story of Abraham being put to the test to see if he’d be willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac. On the other hand, the spectacular scene of the Transfiguration with the dazzingly white-clothed presence of Jesus. There is a reason we are presented with these two scenes. The first speaks of darkness of death and the second speaks of the light of the resurrection. The whole of Lent is about entering more deeply into the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection and what that means for us.

The point is that what Abraham didn’t have to do in the end, God himself did – out of love for us God the Father sent his only beloved Son among us and this beloved Son was put to death. The story of Jesus’ death in itself would be tragic were it not for the Resurrection. Death does not have the last word. The Resurrection does. Salvation does. Jesus’ self-giving out of love for us was the positive sacrifice that saved us. And so, as he was leading his disciples up to Jerusalem which would speak of death, God offers Peter and James and John an anticipation of the experience of Jesus’ resurrection. Light penetrates the ominous dark clouds of death. There is hope.

St. Paul summarises. It is because of Jesus’ death and resurrection that we can have hope and trust. He writes, “With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give.”

“God will not refuse anything he can give”. That’s a wonderful phrase. It’s worth repeating to ourselves over and again. “God will not refuse anything he can give”. He has given his all for us so that we can be confident in his care. We all go through personal difficult situations or we worry about a family member or a complex situation we are aware of at work or in the lives of acquaintances. Not to mention the challenges of world peace. It’s easy to get discouraged. In this Second Sunday of Lent, we’re being told – “lift up your hearts!” “Don’t let the dark messengers in life drag you down!” “God is at your side. He has laid down his life for you and is always alongside you to strengthen you. He will not refuse anything he can give”.

So for this second week in Lent, we are being asked to strengthen our faith, our belief that, despite everything that might speak of Cross in our lives, what God ultimately wants for each of us in happiness. He knows what he is doing with us even if, at times, we can’t understand.

Abraham really believed, despite everything, that it was best to follow God’s plan, even if he didn’t understand. His faith is what we think of today when we think of Abraham. Peter and James and John would find their faith severely tested in following Jesus especially when he dies on the Cross. The event of the Transfiguration must surely have been a great inspiration to them. They too would eventually come out the other side of their trial and experience the Resurrection. God’s ways remain mysterious but with faith we find our way.

An American singer-songwriter, Jane Kristen Marczewski known professionally as Nightbirde shot to fame on America's Got Talent in 2021 with her song entitled “It’s ok”. Sadly she was suffering from cancer and died in February 2022. In one of her messages before she died, she shared a reflection on how we need to keep faith in the ways God is looking after us even when it might not be obvious: “I remind myself that I’m praying to the God who let the Israelites stay lost for decades. They begged to arrive in the Promised Land, but instead He let them wander, answering prayers they didn’t pray. For 40 years, their shoes didn’t wear out. Fire lit their path each night. Every morning, He sent them mercy bread from heaven. I look hard for the answers to the prayers that I didn’t pray.”