THE LENTEN GUIDE

REFLECTION FOR 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR C

R1 Gen 15:5-12; 17-18,

R2 Phil 3:17-4:1, 

Gospel Lk 9:28-36

THEME: THE LENTEN GUIDE

The season of Lent is a special time for Christians, a period we start up a journey with our focus fixed on Christ and our target to re-establish and make stronger our relationship with God. The readings of today suggest different practical steps we need to adopt as to meet our target.

*1. Sacrifice:*

The Lenten observance is incomplete without our readiness to offer up something and to let go of our excesses and addictions. This attitude of letting something out and cutting down our excesses prepares us for a deep and closer encounter of God, just like Abraham in the first reading, whose vision of God was unclear until after the sacrifice of the animals.

Dear friends, we may not be true Christians without the readiness to leave up those things that block our vision of Christ. Those things may include hatred, anger, love for power, injustice, lies, jealousy, worldly pleasures, addictions, bad company or friends whose intention is to distract our union with God. These and more are what the second reading refers to as enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil 3:18).

*2. Spiritual Modelling:*

 Modernity has always posed a challenge to Christianity. St John in 1 John 2:15, warns us against the love of the world as this would mean the absence of the love of God.

 In the second reading, St Paul opens our eyes to the consciousness that there are many people who are bent on teaching modernity and incite people to embrace a world of pleasures as against the Christian demand of love of the Christ, characterized by self-denial and the way of cross following after the example of Christ. This poses a challenge to Christianity, hence, St Paul advices us to have a sort of spiritual guide who will help us focus on where we are going. More importantly, we ourselves should be good examples of what we believe to others.

St Paul in the second reading advices, to associate more with those who would help us in our spiritual growth and not those who will destroy our spiritual vitality. Hence, let us pattern our lives on example of those who have a relationship with Christ (Phil 3:17).

*3. Pray:* 

There is a saying that “A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.” Our desired union with God cannot be attained without prayer since prayer moulds us, shapes us and it gives us form and direction. Prayer itself is a link to the divine (Jesus’ prayer led to the opened heaven, the voice of the Father and the appearance of two great figures of faith; Moses and Elijah. Lk 9:30)

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus went up to the mountain with Peter, James and John to pray and there he was transfigured. It is important to note that while Jesus was praying, his three disciples were asleep and this prevented them from enjoying the grace of the transfiguration immediately until when they were awake. This speaks to us about what happens when we pray; during prayer we are being transformed and we have a glorious experience of God. When we refusing to pray or sleep away, we miss having a divine encounter. 

Again, Jesus prayed on the mountain and he was transfigured, Abraham left his father’s house to the land that God showed him and he was blessed. In the same way, the challenged before us today is to leave the comfort our homes to the place of God, to the house of God and to identify with Christ and that is when we shall experience the change we need and the change that will unify us with God on the last day. 

*Fr Vincent Chukwuemeka Livinus, SMMM.*