Sunday Homily 3-4-12, 2nd Lent
Genesis 22, 1-2, 9-13, 15-18, Take your son Isaac. You shall offer him up as a holocaust; Psalm 116, I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living; Romans 8, 31-34; Mark 9, 2-10, He was transfigured before them.
Introduction to Genesis 22
The concept of a covenant between God and His people is one of the central themes of the Bible. The First Reading last week was the covenant God made with Noah. This week it is the covenant God made with Abraham, and next week it is the covenant God made with Moses. Of course, as Christians, our belief is that we have a covenant with God through Jesus Christ.
God, with infinite love for us brings salvation to the Table in the covenant won for us by Christ. What are we to bring? We are to live the spoken Word in our lives with gratitude!
Before Bill Poncik gives the first reading, I want to share a story he emailed me a couple of weeks ago. The mother of a young boy knowing that he had a terminal disease and only a few weeks to live asked him what he wanted to do that day. He replied that he would like to go to the Fire station for maybe he would have been a fireman. She called the neighborhood fire station in Phoenix where they lived, told the chief there the situation and asked if her son could come for a visit. The chief asked for his height and weight and told her to bring him at 9:00 AM and plan to stay awhile. They were greeted by the morning shift of 16 men who made him a fellow fireman for a day, gave him a fitting safety helmet, yellow protective coat and boots. He and his mother began a wonderful tour; but he was told that if he heard the bell ringing that one of the 16 firemen would escort him to one of the trucks. Three times that day the young boy lived his dream. A few weeks later his mother called the station once again to tell them that the angels would be coming for her son, that he was still awake but not for long. She was told to open the window of his bedroom when she heard the siren. That day 16 firemen climbed the ladder and entered his window fully dressed in their yellow and red. They were there, when the boy left them, dressed like the angels who had come to carry him to paradise. 16 men were living Christ’s words with gratitude in answer to God’s gift of salvation.
Homily from Mark 9:2-10
Again, to better understand a reading, one must consider the context in which it has been placed. So, in the teaching that precedes this transfiguration event, a man is seeking to be in a covenant relationship with God through Christ. In this process of coming to faith he observes those around Jesus to be ‘like trees that are walking.’
What does this mean? Christ’s disciples have to commit themselves to Christ’s words. The seed has been planted; but they have no roots, no foundation. They have failed to understand that he is the Messiah. That teaching does end with Peter coming to the realization that the Messiah has come to them; however, he misunderstands Christ’s mission and the disciples’ responsibility in response to God’s plan of salvation.
Secondly, let’s look at the purpose of Christ’s mission in the very first verses of this Mark gospel realizing that since they are in the summary of the gospel we will find them somewhere in the later text of the Mark gospel. When the Mark gospel begins we find that when Jesus comes forth from the waters where John was baptizing, the Holy Spirit comes upon him with the voice from heaven saying, ‘This is my son the beloved.’ These words are present twice in the Mark gospel. Here in the beginning of the summary of the Mark gospel—the second time, of course, is in today’s gospel.
Thirdly, we need to look at the very beginning of the Bible in the covenant God made with Abraham in the Book of the Law. When Moses came up from the waters of the Red Sea leading the Israelites to freedom the Spirit came upon him. Later, when Moses went up the mountain, by himself, the second time to receive the 10 commandments, Moses face continued to give off some light for he had been close to the radiance of God when the covenant had been made with him.
In today’s reading, Jesus takes his inner circle of Peter, James and John up the mountain where Christ’s divinity is revealed to them. Streams of light come forth Him, for he was dazzling bright. When Moses and Elijah appear Peter is still in the dark, for he wants Jesus to abide in the presence of Moses and Elijah. It is then we hear, with Peter, the voice from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, Listen to Him!’ (Exclamation point) No one is there but Jesus. The words of Moses and Elijah are to be understood as an expectation of the Law and the Prophets for the coming of the Messiah. When one listens to, and puts into practice, the words of Christ with all their mind and heart and soul, they enter into the new covenant with God through Christ through grace. The words of Christ fulfill the covenants that required circumcision and obedience to the Mosaic Law.
Some might be saying, ‘Well, yes, I understand; but be more specific about that to which we are to listen.” Well, now we know why the inspired writers of the Matthew Gospel have a Sermon on the Mount! That sermon is to enlighten us. Not only is it a summary of how we are to live our lives; but it informs us that it is how we are to illuminate others to come to glorify God. During Lent I would recommend that we all reread it. It begins at Matthew’s Chapter 5. How are you going to remember where it is in the Matthew gospel? Just look at one of your hands—five fingers—Chapter five.
If you read the Letter of James written to the Jewish Christians its inspired writers tell us that in the New Covenant there is one perfect law. Since in that letter there are many references to the John gospel, it’s not hard to realize what those inspired writers meant. In the John gospel Jesus presents his disciples with one commandment. We are to love one another as Christ loves us! When we do that we are truly living the entirety of Christ’s words—the perfect response to the covenant God has made with us in Christ Jesus.
Reflect for a moment on something you plan to do this coming week. How will you illuminate those moments to those who around you by your words and actions? Remember, we show our gratitude to God only to the degree we show our love toward others!