20/03/2011 - 2ND SUNDAY IN LENTEN SEASON - Year A
1Reading Gen 12,1-4a Psalm 32 2Reading 2Tim 1,8b-10 Gospel Mt 17,1-9
Last Sunday we had a look at the disobedience of Adam, today we give a look to
the obedience of Abraham instead. God asks him to commit himself "Leave your
land...towards a land I will show you", promising him his blessing. But Abraham
was to renounce every thing: property, social security, economical security, affections,
to anchor himself with the Word of the one who was speaking to him. Obedience is
the full expression of a trust in an invisible God: and Abraham moved out.
Abraham's obedience is the prophecy of the life of Jesus. He is the obedient par
excellence, the one who trusted himself completly, totally, in God during his life.
Today we contemplate him on the mountain while speaking to Moses and Elajah, the
two who have lived their faith in an exemplary way. They are the ones who spoke
with God, they have listened to him and obeyed him. They speak with Jesus, as if
to tell him that he was about to fulfill their expectations, even so, that he is
the one whom they have prophesized with their lives. He is the new Moses who is
to lead the people to the end, he is the Elajah who offers to the people the authentic
faith in the one true God.
Moses had elevated the bronze serpent in the desert, a prophecy of the one who was
to be lifted up for the salvation of sinner. Elaijah on mt. Carmel, offerred a pleasing
sacrifice to God, which was accepted by fire, a prophecy of the true sacrifice of
Jesus, which God accepted by raising him up from the dead. God is pleased with his
Son, and commands the three disciple to listen to him. He is the one who shall give
them the eternal and living Word, the creative Word, the Word that enlightens man's
journey. "Listen to him", said the voice from on high, a voice that wants
to resound in our ears too.
The weeks of Lent are an invitation to listen to Jesus. We are to listen to him
in silence. Jesus himself told them to keep silent. Before telling what they saw
and heard and what they have experienced on the mountain, they needed to reflect,
they needed to let that vision and that Word bear fruit deep down in them and change
them. We too are to listen to the Word in silence. Certainly we are called to bring
forward the Gospel to those with whom we come across, but we are to show them the
Gospel we ourselves live, which we ourselves bring to life by our thoughts and concret
actions of love and faithfulness. When infront of us there is only Jesus, like as
he was before Peter, James and John, then our life itself is a gift for those with
whom we meet. Silence is also the most beautiful way with which we can get closer
to the Passion of the Lord, that Passion that brought us salvation and which is
the way for all those who want to reach the fulness of life. Fulness of life is
the fulness of love, of our own gift, something we achieve when we die to ourselves,
leaving behind our same desires.
We get close to Easter in silence, a silence in which we welcome Jesus who immerse
himself in the baptism of his passion. In this silence we too welcome the adversities
and challenges that life offers to offer them to the Father alond the sacrifice
of Jesus. This is what the apostle invites us to. "With the poser of God, suffer
with me for the Gospel".
We want to take seriously this invitation, and wont run away from the pain of what
it costs to love faithfully. Let us try to do voluntary renounciations in union
with the love offerring of all the Church. Fasting, and not only abstinence from
meat, a longer time of listening to the Word, taking part in prayer meetings and
teachings, visiting and helping the sick, trying to get closer to people who suffer:
these are flowers that decorate our way to the Pascha of the Lord, and lights that
give life to our lives as lives that move in faith, the same faith that Abraham
embraced.