16/03/2003 2nd Sunday Lent Season - Year B 

The faith of those who are getting closer to Baptism must be fortified and purified. The one who gets closer to Jesus, infact, often holds to the hope or certitude that he is ready to resolve health problems, existence or lack of affection. In the first chapters of the Gospel, Mark presents us with people in need looking for Jesus: He listens to them, is moved with compassion, but also, makes sure that they understand, and hence affirms, that the ultimate reason why He came to the world is another one. The miracles performed are to be understood as a way to accept the proclamation of His "Gospel", the good news of the Fatherhood of God! Even His disciples seem not to understand! They are like doze off, influenced by the people than by the words of the Master.

Today, Jesus chooses three of His disciples and with them He goes up on a mountain. What happens up here is an event full of stress, teachings, revelations. We can underline only one part, the one that helps the catechumens to move one step forward towards their baptism, and us in our on going formation that helps our faith mature.

The light that shines out of the person of Jesus helps the three disciples to take seriously what they saw and heard. The persons of Elijah and Moses discussing with the Master, the fear, the cloud that enfolds them, and finally, the voice from the cloud, messages that touch the heart and mind of the three men! They don’t understand immediately, even so, they seem not to understand anything at all. Peter is infact thinking of a future without any problems!

Coming down from the mountain, Jesus explains what had happened in relation with His ressurection from the dead. We have heard this Gospel after the reading of the text from Genesis that speaks of a fact that is clear to the mind and faith of the disciples. Abram, the father in faith, is ready to offer his only son as a sacrifice! The faith of Abram is a true faith, pleased to God. The disciples are called to reach such a level of faith. The believers wont be true believers if they don’t understand the need to be ready to obey like Abram! The ones to be baptized are to be ready not only to receive the benefits, but also to trust themselves in the hands of God the Father! Faith doesn’t mean only to believe that God can help us in our needs, this is a common faith, even to pagans, but it means that we are to be ready to give our lives for Him, to obey Him, to make in our lives His Word, doing His plan for us and through us!

The disciples are to offer their Master, Jesus: He shall be killed and die. They don’t see His death as a disgrace, but as a sacrifice, His sacrifice, but also their sacrifice. They themselves offer to the Father the death of the Son, and unite themselves to Him with the offering of themselves! The death of Jesus will be "precious in the eyes of the Lord", and hence the offering of the life of the disciples! These are not afraid to offer themselves, for as Paul says, "God is for us" and therefore no one and nothing can be "against us"!

On the mountain the voice of God proclaimed Jesus as His "Son", as the "Chosen one", as the One in whom He is "pleased"! These three words refers to figures of which the Scriptures speak, like the Son who is the Messiah and King (Ps.2). The Chosen One is the beloved son of Abram taken by him up the mountain to be sacrificed! The One pleased by God is the servant who takes upon himself the sins of us all, with all their conseguences.

Now the three disciples know Jesus. They know Him in a new way, even if there is no light, no Moses and Elijah, no cloud anymore! Now they see Jesus in His true identity, the one worthy to lord their heart and lives. Now they listen to Him in a new way. The voice from the cloud said it: "listen to Him"! Now they wait for the Word of God to live it!.

We should prepare to live the grace of our baptism listening to Jesus without pay to much attention to our convictions or feelings. What we have seen and heard on the Mountain assures us that Jesus wont betray us, that He is our true life! I want to say it too: "I am your servant, Lord"!

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