2nd Sunday of Lent Homily Year B
Theme: TRUST A VACCINATION FOR FAITH!
By: Fr. Augustine Ikechukwu Opara
Homily for Sunday February 28 2021
(GN. 22:1-2,9A,10-13,15-18, ROM.8:31B-34, MARK 9:2-10)
The destination of our Lenten journey is clearly to be seen in today’s readings: the mystery of the Cross, in which the father ‘did not spare his own Son’, and the glory which was to be the Risen Christ’s in his final triumph, glimpsed on the mountain. Faith and trust are often interchangeable words but there is a subtle line of difference. Without going into semantics, every faith has some sense of trust but not all trust needs faith and among other things, faith is deeper though more abstract than trust. Peter, James and John needed a spiritual shot in the arm after the shocking experience of Jesus’ narrative of his death on the cross. And supposedly the church presents us with this reading in our forty days desert experience as a spiritual shot in the arm before it turns our attention to the passion of Christ and death of Christ on the cross. If not lots of people in shock may not live after good Friday to see Easter Sunday.
Today Christ is revealed through his transfiguration as the son of God. The only thing that God demands from us is: “Listen to him!” If we listen to Christ, we shall be successful in our journey with him this season. The context for Mark’s Transfiguration story is similar to that found in both Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospel. The Transfiguration occurs after Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus’ prediction about his passion. After this, in each of these Gospels, there is also a discussion of the cost of discipleship.
Elijah and Moses are significant figures in the history of Israel. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and received from Yahweh the Ten Commandments. In appearing with Jesus at his Transfiguration, Moses represents the Law that guides the lives of the Jewish people. Elijah is remembered as one of the greatest prophets of Israel who helped the Israelites stay faithful to Yahweh. Most Jews believed that Elijah’s return would signal the coming of the Messiah. The appearance of these two important figures from Israel’s history with Jesus signifies Jesus’ continuity with the Law and with the prophets and that Jesus is the fulfillment of all that was promised to the people of Israel.
Listening to Christ means transforming our lives and changing our ways. It means living according to the word of God we hear every day. Listening to Jesus means obeying His will and paying attention to what the church teaches us every day. So. our readings today are clear: seek to do the will of God in all things, believe that Christ died and was raised from the dead for us and see in the Transfiguration of Christ that we also can be transfigured by our complete faith in Him. Let us give all to the Lord and receive from the Lord whatever He sends us.
These Abraham did; he was attentive to the word of God and obeyed God’s command. The second is his trust in God. Third is, his generosity towards God. Lent is a season to pause, and to ask God: “Please Lord, what must I do to make you happy? The answer is simple. We must be ready to listen to God and, to do what he asks us to do as Abraham. The point of the account in Genesis is not about God asking Abraham to do something immoral, to kill his son, but about Abraham being willing always to do the will of God. Abraham is called “our father in faith” because of his absolute faith to doing whatever God asks of him.
My brothers and sisters, It was a long journey from Abraham’s testing to the final fulfilment of God’s promises. We are privileged that the route our journey must take is so clearly marked out for us. We can walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living by having faith in the voice of the Father like our father in faith and trusting in the voice of the son,”
Fr. Augustine Ikechukwu Opara