Second Sunday of Lent
The desert is a place of spiritual rejuvenation and renewal. We journey with Christ again to return to our original grace. This Lent is a rare time, a scarce time. Lent comes every year, and still it is the only time in the year we can have to reset and prepare for Easter glory.
God called Abram into the wilderness to know him more. Abram obliged God on his invitation and received the promise to have countless descendants and followers of his faith. In Philippians, Paul reminds his students that our citizenship is in Heaven. Our identity is formed from the relationship we have with God in His Kingdom. Paul taught the Christian community at Philippi that they are in the World and not of it. Let us remember this always, for this message is for us as well. We belong to Christ. We don’t belong to the forces in the World.
Now in the Gospel Jesus leads Peter, James, and John upward onto a high mountain. Notice the transition from the desert to the mountain. Jesus is transfigured before them. His true friends and closest collaborators witness Jesus’ light. They see a glimpse of Heaven.
Your journey will take you down so many roads in life. You will take infinite steps regardless of where you go. It takes a constant daily march to live the devout life of a Christian disciple. It doesn’t change in giant leaps. It takes so many small actions to build momentum, like turning a flywheel. Once a flywheel gets moving at full speed, it generates power from its own momentum. Our actions prepare us to receive Christ’s grace. His redeeming power shines in us and sustains us when we take steps on the journey. These seemingly small steps become the long strides that carry us on the journey.
Now Jesus takes his friends down the mountain. They received a glimpse of the divine. Now the stage is set for the next part of the journey. We walk the Lenten way with Christ as we prepare for the culmination in Jerusalem.
Be Ready: Christ walks with you on the journey. Jesus calls you to renewal. Will you let him guide you, sustain you, and heal you?
Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections