Second Sunday of Lent

Today's Mass Readings

Today we hear in our first reading that God wants Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to Him. Just think about how Abraham must have felt sacrificing his beloved son! But because of the love that Abraham has for the Lord, he would not disobey Him. Of course, the Lord intervened and stopped Abraham.

In our gospel reading, we hear of the Transfiguration. The Lord Jesus knows his mission and knows what he has to do to save humanity from sin. Jesus knows that he has to suffer and be sacrificed on the cross. Jesus is like Isaac, who is innocently led to be slaughtered as a sacrifice. The only difference is that God the Father allows the crucifixion to happen because of the love He has for all of us. Think of the heart of God the Father! Sitting upon his throne, He probably wants to put a stop to the cruelty that his Son is enduring, but He can’t because he knows that this is the best thing for humanity.

I remember one of my brothers telling me that they had to take their son to the doctors for a checkup and to have blood drawn. My nephew was crying saying, “Dada, dada!” but my brother knew he could not intervene because this was for the best for his son. God the Father knows what is best for us. Sometimes he puts us through trials that seem impossible to get out of, but we look to our crucified savior and know that whatever comes our way we can handle it with God’s strength.

Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB