Second Sunday of Lent

Reflection on Scripture

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is transfigured and allows a few of His disciples to witness and see Him when He is returned to His glory. He allowed the Apostles present to witness this because He wanted to reveal to the world what had been prepared for those who believed in Him.

Paul tells us that we are citizens of heaven, and we are pilgrims on a journey on earth. Those who despise the cross and act to fulfill their earthly longings, have received their reward here on earth because all that they longed for has been given to them.

We as citizens of heaven, through the grace of God, have a more permanent vision of what is to come. Our lives on earth are for a short time and then we will be united with God and in glorified bodies we will share in God’s glory and His divinity as Jesus humbled Himself to share in our humanity.

The will is at odds with the spirit because the will seeks satisfaction in the here and now without any regard to eternal life. The spirit on the other hand, seeks first the kingdom of God and instills in us a desire to see God as He is in His glory.

Everyday, we feel the tug of the will enticing us to partake of the things of the world, which give temporary happiness, and to abandon our quest of the things of heaven which will satisfy our longing to see God.

Lent is the time when we renew our efforts through the grace of God to grow closer to Him in love and to tame the desires of the will.

If we look at the lives of the saints, we will find that they received the gift of a consistent quiet time with the Lord, a devotion to Mary, an extraordinary desire to participate and partake of the Eucharist, and an unwavering desire to see the face of God.

Our perception of Lent should be that this is our one moment in time when we experience the love of God in our lives as never before and we continue our growth in holiness and into the very image of Jesus.

Deacon Phil