Second Sunday of Lent Year C

Entrance Antiphon

Of you my heart has spoken, Seek his face.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;

hide not your face from me.

First Reading: Genesis 15:5-12. 17-18. A reading from the book of Genesis

God made a covenant with Abraham, his faithful servant.

Taking Abram outside the Lord said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.

‘I am the Lord’ he said to him ‘who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to make you heir to this land.’ ‘My Lord, the Lord’ Abram replied, ‘how am I to know that I shall inherit it?’ He said to him, ‘Get me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these, cut them in half and put half on one side and half facing it on the other; but the birds he did not cut in half. Birds of prey came down on the carcasses but Abram drove them off.

Now as the sun was setting Abram fell into a deep sleep, and terror seized him. When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, there appeared a smoking furnace and a firebrand that went between the halves. That day the Lord made a Covenant with Abram in these terms:

‘To your descendants I give this land,

from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River.’

Responsorial Psalm: The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The Lord is my light and my help;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life

before whom shall I shrink? (R.)

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;

have mercy and answer.

Of you my heart has spoken:

‘Seek his face.’ (R.)

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek,

hide not your face.

Dismiss not your servant in anger;

you have been my help. (R.)

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness

in the land of the living.

Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.

Hope in the Lord! (R.)

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17 – 4:1. A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians

Christ will transfigure these bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body.

My brothers, be united in following my rule of life. Take as your models everybody who is already doing this and study them as you used to study us. I have told you often, and I repeat it today with tears, there are many who are behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ. They are destined to be lost. They make foods into their god and they are proudest of something they ought to think shameful; the things they think important are earthly things. For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe.

So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful in the Lord. I miss you very much, dear friends; you are my joy and my crown.

Gospel Acclamation: Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: this is my beloved Son, hear him. Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

Gospel: Luke 9:28-36. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

As Jesus prayed, the aspect of his face was changed, and his clothing became brilliant as lightning.

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

Reflection by Nick Brodie

Pope Francis draws our attention to Peter, James and John. Understandably weary, they were struggling against sleep and almost missed the Transfiguration entirely!

‘The drowsiness of the three disciples appears to be a discordant note’, the Pope muses. These three disciples later fall asleep at Gethsemane! ‘This sleepiness in such important moments is surprising’, the Pope remarks.

In this regard, the apostles can help us think about Lent. ‘It is a period’, the Pope suggests, ‘in which God wants to awaken us from our inner lethargy, from this sleepiness that does not let the Spirit express itself.’

In their sleepiness these apostles make good role models for us. Despite their exhaustion, they remained open to the working of Grace. ‘We might think’, the Pope says, ‘that it was the light of Jesus that reawakened them.’

‘Like them, we too are in need of God’s light,’ the Pope affirms. And that light, he adds, ‘makes us see things in a different way: it attracts us, it reawakens us, it reignites our desire and strength to pray, to look within ourselves, and to dedicate time to others.’

We might sometimes feel sleepy, in faith as in work, but we can still be witnesses to the Transfiguration if we are really open to the light of Christ.