Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent (B) (28th February, 2021) on the Gospel
Gen 22:1-2.9-13.15-18;
Ps 115:10.15-19. (R. 114:9);
Rom 8:31-34;
Mk 9:2-10.
A friend of mine once told me a story of his classmate
who repeatedly failed virtually every Mathematical question. At a point his
father hired one of the best Mathematics teachers around as his private tutor
but the news still remained unchanged. His father at a point threatened to
disown him. But the boy pleaded with his father, telling him how much he had
tried to get a better result but all to no avail. As he was still narrating,
his father cut in and told the boy that all the reasons he was giving why he
should not disown him were actually the reasons why he wanted to disown him.
According to the man, the boy had not acted as their people do. He went ahead
and offered his son what he called the master key he would use to unlock not
just mathematical problems but every task facing him in life. He said: “This
might look simple but very effective. When you face any task you want to
succeed in, first simplify it by adding a prefix (naira, ₦) and a suffix (kobo, K)
to that thereby assuming that as what you will get”. At the end of their break
the boy went back to school and used his father’s master key so well that the
result became unimaginable – he moved from failing to passing almost every
mathematical question.
Topic: It is good to be there, cf. 1Cor 2:9; Is 64:3.
We saw the picture of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ in today’s gospel. This took place when Jesus was alone with Peter, James, and John on a high mountain (Mk 9:2). According to today’s gospel and the gospel according to Matthew (Matt 17:1), Jesus transfigured six days after he foretold of his death and resurrection. But according to Luke’s account (Lk 9:28), it was after eight days. And for William Barclay in The daily study Bible: The gospel of Mark, “There is no discrepancy here”. They all mean to say “About a week afterwards” (pp. 209-210).
Jesus was about to go to Jerusalem where what he
foretold would take place. The transfiguration of Jesus has a number of
significance. Just as we reflected in our homily for the first Sunday of Lent,
there was need for Jesus to reflect deeply on what he was about to embark on. On
that mountain, the most important figures in the Jewish culture (Moses and
Elijah) appeared to and conversed with him. William Barclay in The daily study
Bible: The gospel of Mark rightly noted that in Israel, Moses was the supreme
law-giver and Elijah was both the first and the greatest of all the prophets
(p. 211). Their appearance implies that Jesus’ decision was in line with the
law and the prophets. And Jesus citing Deuteronomy said in the gospel, “... the
testimony of two men is true” (Jn 8:17;
cf. Deut 17:6; 19:15). These were
not just two men but two real great men.
In the bible, the presence of God is often connected
with the cloud, cf. Ex 13:21; 14:24;
16:10; 19:9; 24:16; 33:9; 34:5; 40:34: 40:35; Deut 31:15. And the gospel
reads further: “Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a
voice, ‘This is my Son, the beloved; listen to him!’” (Mk 9:7). Here God testified that Jesus is his Son and implicitly doing
what pleases him, hence, the adjective “the Beloved”.
In our introductory story, that boy consistently
failed virtually every mathematical question because he never saw any value in
that. The disciples who were scandalized by Jesus’ proclamation of his death
and resurrection needed something to hold on and there is nothing better than
the glory that will come after as Saint Paul rightly quoted: “... What no eye
has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared
for those who love him” (1Cor 2:9).
At the glimpse of which Peter managed to utter: “... it is good for us to be
here ...”
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, it is indeed
good to enjoy the beatific vision but we must first do what God asks of us:
listen to his only and beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Again, we must accomplish
different acts we resolved to achieve this Lenten season bearing in mind that
God will greatly reward us according to our deeds, cf. Rev. 22:12. Finally, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,
we are of all men most to be pitied” (1Cor
15:19). Think of the world to come.
Bible Readings: Jn 5:19; 1Cor 2:6-16; 1Thess 4:1-12; 2Thess
1:5-12.
Thought for today: As one who wants to rejoice in the presence of God,
do you listen to Jesus?
Let us pray:
Lord, we ask for the grace to always listen to your
beloved Son, Jesus Christ – Amen.
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