• 2nd Lent (C), March 4, 2007
• Theme: Journey to Jerusalem

• L. A. Marathon – 26 miles – race of endurance

• We continue with our Lenten Retreat
• Lenten Journey with Jesus to Jerusalem and the Paschal Mystery
• Time of reflection on our lives
• Time to return to the Lord
• The readings of the Sundays of Lent urge us to get on with our journey of Discipleship.
• Last Sunday’s Gospel recounted the Temptations in the Desert
• Preparing us for the suffering and death of Jesus
• This Sunday’s Gospel speaks to us of the Transfiguration
• That prepares us for the Resurrection and Victory of Jesus
• It is our faith that leads us in the journey with Jesus.

• It seems to me that the story of Abraham in the first reading from the book of Genesis puts us in a Faith Perspective.
• Abraham is presented as the Father of all believers
• For this reason God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. (The name means, “Father of Many Nations.”)
• As a matter of fact, Abraham is revered as a patriarch by the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
• God asks Abraham for a total commitment, even to abandoning home and country.
• Abraham is seen as the great model of faith and total obedience to God.

• Jesus in the Gospel passage also responds completely to God’s call
• This call will lead Jesus to Jerusalem.
• In Luke’s Gospel – the whole life of Jesus is a journey to Jerusalem where he will encounter the cross
• At the Baptism in the Jordan, God said, “You are my beloved Son…”
• In the desert Jesus confronts the temptation to turn away from his call
• Today on Mount Tabor, God speaks an encouraging word, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to him.”
• With each event, Jesus draws closer to Jerusalem.

• What is this Transfiguration?
• A complete change of appearance
• His clothes became dazzling white
• Then the contrasting theme: “Moses and Eljah speak to Jesus about the death that awaited him in Jerusalem.”

• For whom did this Transfiguration occur?
• For Jesus – to support him in what was to befall him
• For Peter, James and John – to support them when they discovered that Jesus was not the type of Messiah that they were expecting.
• For us – to support us as we face the struggles and suffering that we confront in our daily lives.

• Peter, James and John
• Wanted to stay on the Mountain Top
• Peter said, “Let’s build three tents…” to make this moment last forever.

• Like Peter, we would like to stay in those sublime moments in our lives and flee from the problems of the world.
• But to follow Christ is to come down from the mountain
• To confront our difficulties
• To carry our Cross
• Knowing that we are not alone

• Everyone has a cross to bear in life
• Maybe it is the cross of having a marriage that is less than perfect
• Perhaps it is not yet finding the right career or job
• Maybe it is having been unjustly treated and doing everything not to become bitter or vengeful.
• Maybe it is the struggle to raise our children:
• Have we become too permissive in our society as we try to build the self esteem of our kids?
• In an article that came out in the L. A. Times on Tuesday, a study was reported in which, “Researchers warn that a rising ego rush could cause personal and social problems for the Millennial Generation, also called Gen Y. People with an inflated sense of self tend to have less interest in emotionally intimate bonds and can lash out when rejected or insulted.”
• Taking parenting seriously may be our cross
• In all these, we do not carry our cross alone – but in the company of the Lord

• We move forward in our life’s journey
• With the faith of Abraham
• With the confidence that Jesus gives us in identifying with us by having carried his own cross
• With the faith that God can transform our lives,
• And that we can help transform the lives of our sisters and brothers by the care and concern we show to them.

• As we continue with our Mass – our Lenten Journey
• Let us give thanks to God for the love that God has shown us especially in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
• Let us proclaim our faith that God can indeed conquer the sin and death that we encounter in our lives.
• Let us ask for the grace to be able to share the transforming love of God with a longing world.

Amen.

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