018 Second Sunday of Lent

Readings

Cycle B Second Sunday of Lent

Old Testament: Genesis 22:1-2, 9, 10-13,15-18

New Testament: Romans 8:31-34

Psalm: Psalm 116

Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

Homily Theme

Life or Death

In the first reading this week, Abraham is asked to sacrifice his only son on a mountain top. As he is about to take the life of his son, Isaac, God the Father accepts his offering but stops the death of Isaac, his son, and allows him to offer a male lamb that is caught in the bush by its horns. This ram is yanked from the thicket with a crown of thorns on its head. This is a prophetic sign of what God intends to do for us by offering His only son on top of a hill. He will be crowned with thorns and suffer death for us so that we may have eternal life. The Almighty has such love for us that He will do for us what He did not permit Abraham to do for Him. To sin mortally is to die a spiritual death, but Jesus will pay the price of our sins by His painful death on a cross. Such is the immensity of God’s love for you and for me.

We are reminded by St. Paul, that God did not spare His only Son but handed Him over for us. He accepted His death so that we might have life forever, so great is His love for us. Let us think of this as we recite the psalm response that precedes the reading of St. Paul... I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living, because Jesus has paid the debt for our sins and if we repent of them we shall have life. God will spare us also because Christ Jesus, who died and rose again, and sits at the right hand of God the Father where He intercedes for you and for me.

In today's gospel, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a mountain. It was after climbing this mountain that they are privileged to see Jesus in all of His glory, shining like the sun. The Father speaks to them, 'This is my Son, listen to Him.' They are in the presence of the Holy Trinity. This is a real mountaintop experience. Jesus tells them to tell no one of the event until He has risen from the dead. They wondered what rising from the dead meant. Do we sill wonder ?

After their mountain experience they must come back down to the real world. We, too, may have a mountain experience if we are so privileged by God, but we can’t live our lives on a spiritual high. Later, these same three apostles will be taken to a garden where Jesus will sweat blood as He prepares to die for us. Let us die to ourselves so that we can live with Him forever. We must be like the first Christians and be true to our faith in Him. We must really live what we profess to believe.

Pro Lifers live that faith...It is a matter of life .........not Death