2nd Lenten Sunday

Let us not be afraid of the divine call, for if we respond positively to this divine call, God will accompany us, walk with us and protects us from our enemies.  For this we must free ourselves from our constraints, including the pearls we have earned all our lives, for the treasure that God will give us is greater than anything we have today. The time of Lent gives us this opportunity to meet the Lord.  Like Father Abraham and like the merchant in the parable who sold all his possessions to buy the land, let us move towards the feast of Easter.

Jesus took with him Peter, John and James, "and led them away on a high mountain. "As Christians, we must acknowledge the election through our baptism. He has already called, consecrated and sent us. He takes us with Him, on a high mountain. This height (baptism) will help us to see everything with faith, as baptized and consecrated. If God takes us to this place of importance, because He desires us to stay with Him and wishes that we learn to look at everything as God looks at the world.

There we will see Jesus totally transfigured. In the book of Exodus 24:15-16 we already see this divine glory, a theophany, the manifestation of God. God comes down and dwells there. The transfiguration is not an external act, but an internal one, Jesus reveals Himself and in this revelation Jesus connects the present with the past, a fulfillment of the Old Testament and He leads us to the future, to the resurrection. We will see him not in his humanity, but in his divinity, with his glory. How can we bear witness to this divine glory, if we do not walk with Him, if we do not go up to this holy mountain? God by His grace lifts us up where we can be perfect in our humanity, just as our heavenly Father is perfect in His divinity. Let us not forget that we are those pilgrims who walk towards divine holiness. That is why the Holy Father in his Lenten message tells us that there is an urgent need for conversion. It is here and now.

Lent helps us to meet God. This encounter does us good, it makes us grow in faith and it makes us effective in our human activities, filled with joy and happiness. By the grace of God, our life will be illuminated and will be a light for others. Peter would like to stay there, prolonging this moment of glory, by putting up the three tents. If Jesus makes them go up to a high mountain, that they may discover the divine glory and come down with Him, to the people, the beloved of the Father.  A transfigured, illuminated face will be disfigured in a few days. This is the paradox of our daily life. When we climb down, life won’t be the same, the glory we have seen on the mountain. The passion waits for us, the only way towards the resurrection.

The liturgical team of St. Lazarus Parish proposes this theme to live this week, "Let us not be afraid of the divine call, let us free ourselves from our constraints like Abraham, Peter, John and James, let us go up to the mountain together and meet the Lord. "I wish you all a good Sunday and a pleasant week.