Reflection/Homily:
Second (2nd) Sunday of Lent (March 1 2015)
Theme:
At the Mountain-Top Faith gives way to Vision
As a little boy, when I first heard the
passage read in the first reading, the first question that was raised in my
mind was whether God could tempt one to sin since Abraham would have been
guilty of murder if he had sacrificed Isaac. I later grew up to understand this
passage better bearing in mind the distinction between temptation and test. The
transliterated Hebrew “nacah” is
rendered in English as “to test or tempt”. Its transliterated Greek equivalent “peirasmos” also means “test or tempt”.
The words “test and tempt” though similar are not exactly the same, the former
is positive while the latter is negative. For this reason, exegetes recommend
we look into the context to differentiate between the two meanings, bearing in
mind that God only tests while Satan tempts. The goal of God’s tests is for us
to prove our faith but the devil tempts to destroy our faith. St. James
stresses this distinction when he says “consider it a great joy when tests of
many kinds come upon you, for you well know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance… (1 v.2-3) and “… God does not tempt anyone to sin” (1
v.13).
In Genesis 12, God tested Abraham to
leave his father’s land for an unknown land. Abraham through his obedience
demonstrated that he loved God more than his father’s land. In the first
reading (Gen. 22:1-2,9,10-13,15-18) as we saw today, God tested Abraham again
to see how convinced and strong his faith was by asking him to sacrifice the
son of promise. Abraham through his readiness to do that also demonstrated that
he loved God more than his only son Isaac through whom God’s promise to make
him a great nation would be actualized. Abraham was a man of great faith and
his faith lead him to the mountain-top, a place of great encounter with God. It
took Abraham three days to journey to the mountain-top at Moriah for the
sacrifice and within this period Abraham never changed his mind for his faith
remained firm.
Within this period of lent, the
Church is inviting us to journey with Her in faith to the mountain-top at Calvary
where She will meet with Her crucified Spouse to re-enact that great sacrifice
that has redeemed the world. We the members are also required to offer our
individual sacrifices for our own salvation. That is why the Church teaches us
today how to offer a good sacrifice to God though the example of Abraham in the
first reading. Our first sacrifice should be to obey God without reservations
no matter how much it costs us just as Abraham did without considering how
precious Isaac was to him. As the Church urges us to fast, pray and do works of
charity, are we ready to obey? We must also learn to let go for God’s sake that
which we consider very precious to us, that we might become very precious to
God through our obedience. As Abraham was willing to let Isaac go, are we
willing to let our wealth go into works of charity, to let our strength go into
works of mercy, to let our meals go to feed the hungry, to let our knees kneel
before God pleading for mercy? We must also learn from the courage of Abraham
to confront those things we consider difficult, especially in our spiritual
lives. Perhaps, you may have been struggling with a particular sin but do not
have the courage to drop it, it is time to believe that God will provide the
grace to do that, just as he provided a ram for Abraham.
God wants you to make
the first step with determination and he will come and take control. Remember
not to entertain distractions and discouragements in your journey to the
mountain-top, Abraham had to leave his servants at the foot of the mountain
while he climbed with Isaac alone to avoid distractions. When we keep our faith strong in God
and we are ready to make enormous sacrifices towards meeting Him at the
mountain-top, then we can be sure that God will be on our side and as the
second reading says (Romans 8:31-34), if God is on our side, nobody can be
against us. Even when we make mistakes as humans, God would still forgive us
since Christ has died to spare us and he stands at God’s right hand interceding
for us. He will also give us all the graces we need because as the reading also
says, he will not refuse us anything He can give.
That is why in the gospel reading
(Mk. 9:2-10), we are presented with the image of what happens at the
mountain-top when we eventually get there. The three disciples’ experience of
the transfiguration is only a fore-taste of our own transfiguration when we
shall experience the beatific vision at the mountain top (in heaven). This
time, we shall not be mere observers but participants because the Bible says we
shall be like Him when we see Him as He really is (cf. 1 John 3:2). Then we
shall no longer ask for permission to build temporal tents but shall dwell in
the mansion He has gone to prepare for us. We shall not see Moses and Elijah
only but all the angels and Saints, even our family members and friends who
have gone before us. Dearest brethren, within this period of lent, let us
remain focused on our journey to the mountain-top, let us obey and sacrifice
all we can so as to reach there at Easter and beyond, for at the mountain-top,
our faith will give way to vision. God loves you.
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