Reflection for Sunday of the Second Week of Lent
Looking at Lent Through A Different Lens
Throughout the Second Week of Lent, we will look at the readings presented to us in the sacred liturgy through the lens of the entrance and communion antiphons given to us in the Roman Missal. These texts often provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages each day and present key phrases that can serve as reminders throughout the day that can give comfort, support, and challenge as we face new situations in our lives.
On the Second Sunday of Lent, the liturgy opens with the words of the entrance antiphon “Of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face from me” (Ps 27:8-9). This is a prayer that recalls the catechumens—those seeking the face of Christ through entry into the church—who have on this day (or the previous Sunday) begun a period of purification and enlightenment, a time during which the mysteries of the faith are gradually unfolded for them. Seeking, looking, and light are to be found everywhere in our readings today. In the first lesson from the book of Genesis, the Lord calls Abram to go forth into a new land that “I will show you”—the promise that he will see the fulfillment of the covenant blessing. (Recall that when God first appeared to Abram (Gn 17:1-3), he “fell face down,” afraid to look upon the face of God.) In the response to that reading from Psalm 33, we hear, “See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him.” Here it is the Lord who is looking at us, searching for those who place hope in his kindness. And later in the same psalm, we read of the search for God’s face: “Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield.” St. Paul writes in his letter to Timothy that God’s design and grace were made manifest through the appearance of Christ, who brings life and immortality to light through the gospel. God’s plan is made manifest to us in Christ through the gospel. And finally, St. Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration brings to fulfillment this search for the countenance of God as Peter, James, and John behold the face of Christ in the fullness of divine glory. “He was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Mt 17:2). The communion antiphon points directly to the message which we can carry throughout this day: “This is my beloved son, hear him.” This is the face we seek. It is the face of the Son through whom the Father’s glory is revealed to us. Listen to him, for he has the words of eternal life.
Reflection: When has the face of Christ been made manifest in your life? What did he say to you? How have you responded?
Posted in Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources