Hymns for Mass – Press Here

FIRST READING (God made a covenant with Abraham, his faithful servant.)

A reading from the Book of Genesis (15:5-12, 17-18)

The Lord God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.” Abram put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.” “O Lord God,” he asked, “how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He answered him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Abram brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them. As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.” —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14)

The Lord is my light and my salvation. (Ps 27:1a)

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (R)

Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me. Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. (R)

Your presence, O Lord, I seek. Hide not your face from me; do not in anger repel your servant. You are my helper: cast me not off. (R)

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (R)

(Long Form)

SECOND READING (Christ will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.)

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (3:17-4:1)

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord. —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

(Short Form)

SECOND READING (Christ will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.)

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (3:20-4:1)

Brothers and sisters: Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord. —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Cf. Mt 17:5)

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, listen to him. (R)

GOSPEL (While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (9:28b-36)

Jesus took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen. —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers

Celebrant: Having listened to the Lord, the Chosen One, on whom divine favor rests, with confidence we stand to present our prayers to his Father.

READER: For the holy Church of God, that pastors and people will always listen to the beloved Son as they journey on their pilgrim way, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For the leaders of all nations, that they may open their hearts to transform the lives of people by wise and prudent decisions that will inspire, strengthen, and lead to peace, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all who believe, that the transfigured Christ will strengthen the hope of a glorious resurrection of our bodies, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For those alone, afraid, worried, and feeling trapped in the darkness of sin and temptation, that the light shining in Christ may free us and bring us to hope in God’s favor, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For our community, that we may find it supportive to worship in the company of saints praying daily for each other, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For all the critically sick and suffering in our parish, especially those for whom we pray in our Dial God Direct group, and for the intentions we carry in our hearts, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT: Father of light, even a glimpse of your glory makes us long for your presence; grant us your favor as we make our prayers, through Christ our Lord. (all) AMEN.

Homily

Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-18
Philippians 3: 17- 4:1
Luke 9: 28b-36

“Master, it is good that we are here…”

Have you ever wondered what you would have done if you had been privileged to witness a phenomenon in the heavens such as what is reported to have taken place at Fatima or Lourdes? Would you have fallen down on your knees? Or would you have turned away in disbelief? We know too that skeptics are often mesmerized by what they cannot explain or clearly understand.

We have faith in the power of God and in the possibility of a manifestation of that power, and yet many of us over the last few years have come to quietly question that faith – we wonder why God has seemingly abandoned us?

Our readings on this Sunday recount extraordinary displays of divine revelation. In the face of these readings, a question that should be asked – at Fatima, at Lourdes, or by Abram or the disciples on Mount Tabor is the same in each case: “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?”

In our first reading from Genesis we hear of God’s promises to Abram and the covenant made between the two of them. The ritual of “cutting the covenant” was an acted-out curse signifying the agreed-upon fate of either partner who might be unfaithful to the pact. It meant, “If I violate this pact in any way, you have the right to do to me what we have just done to the animals.” Cutting a covenant was serious business at that time. An aspect of this reading, often overlooked because it seems so matter-of-fact, is God’s self-revelation: “I am the LORD!” In whatever way this event occurred, Abram and his descendants after him were confident of God’s special concern and faithful care, regardless of how this and other events of their history unfolded.

This story leaves shows that the origin of the covenant relationship was UNCONDITIONALLY initiated by God who had chosen and called Abram in the first place. It reminds us that God seeks us much more insistently than we could ever seek God. Our role, like that of Abram, is to accept the favors that are offered to us – to accept the free gift. These favors are often summed up in the phrase, “to become the chosen people of God.” God uses very ordinary aspects of our lives such as an ancient agreement so that we will understand this covenant.

The Gospel account of the transfiguration – that is read on every 2nd Sunday of Lent – describes a moment when the disciples closest to Jesus glimpsed his true identity and the glory that was his. Here too, we have an instance of divine revelation. The voice from heaven identifies Jesus as “my chosen Son.” Moses and Elijah, who represent the law and the prophets –the two pillars of belief in the Old Testament – discuss the events that Jesus will soon have to face in Jerusalem. Who among us would not share Peter’s desire to remain in the midst of such a glorious experience – to build a tent and bask in the glory of Christ?

The primary focus of the revelation here is his suffering and death. The fact that Moses and Elijah discuss this with Jesus well in advance of its occurrence shows that it was not some dreadful accident of fate. Rather, in some way it brings to fulfillment the essence of Israelite tradition. The presence of Moses and Elijah testifies to this. The TRANSFIGURATION demonstrates the glorious (redemptive) value of Jesus’ suffering and death.

This story reminds us that the extent of God’s love for us is revealed in the suffering and death of Jesus, which, though painted in hues of defeat and disgrace, really present the image of unimaginable victory and glory.

Our 2nd reading from St. Paul speaks of a kind of transfiguration that occurs to those who accept Christ – and this is addressed not just to those of us baptized, but more especially to the ELECT who soon will be baptized. They will be conformed to Him. What might this look like? Paul risks being considered arrogant when he instructs the Philippians to be “imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us.” In other words, God is revealed to us through the goodness of others.

This has been the experience of so many! Over this weekend, the Church is celebrating a most remarkable event, the 400th Anniversary of the canonizations of 5 famous saints: Teresa of Avila, Francis Xavier, Ignatius of Loyola, Philip Neri and Isidore of Madrid. These were ordinary people who led extraordinary lives touched by God’s grace. On 12 March 1622, Pope Gregory XV conducted what might be considered the greatest canonization ceremony of all time. These saints are examples of unquestionable integrity, unselfish service of others, generosity, and dependability. They probably did not recognize the glory that shined forth from them. They believed that they lived ordinary lives. But it is the way in which they lived these lives that makes them so extraordinary. I would recommend to each of you to spend some time this week reading about the lives of these 5 extraordinary men and women.

Today’s readings describe the glory of God as revealed to a wandering migrant, to newly converted pagans, and to simple fisherman, all living quite ordinary lives. These accounts remind us that God is revealed to us as well – in the ordinary.

The challenge for us is the same as it has always been – We must have eyes to see beyond what we usually see – to experience the glory that is offered.

Let us pray that the God of all creation who has made all things new through His Son, and who is both transfigured and transfiguring, will open our eyes in this Lenten season to see His presence in our lives. May he wake us from a spiritual slumber that keeps Him hidden from us. May the Transfigured Lord, make us NEW!