February 28, 2010
Second Sunday of Lent
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.
He took him outside and said: "Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be." Genesis 15:5
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself. Philippians 3:20-21
While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him." After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen. Luke 9:34-36
Piety
Years of giving retreats have made me consciously aware of the glow of a face that is at peace with the love of the Lord in their hearts. The enemies of the cross of Christ are trapped in the many forms of selfishness. We work on the problems of our lives with the hope of the Resurrection giving form to the glory that is waiting for us if we take up our crosses and follow Christ. The notion that the only way to save our lives is to lose it in the name of Christ is the challenge of the Spiritual Life. We can only have in the Spiritual Life what we have given away. Paul holds himself as a model for us in the third chapter of Philippians. His tears show how deeply involved his heart is in his prayer. He beseeches for his people to not be enemies of the cross of Christ. There is no bypass of the cross. The equation of salvation is simple. The cross of Christ carried well in our lives plus the resurrection equals salvation. The two together bring salvation to us. The resurrection brings happy fulfillment to the crosses of our lives. Our citizenship is in heaven. We live our lives with the realization that Christ is the better part of ourselves, already in heaven waiting for us. Our job on earth is to be his presence by the way we live out lives in his name with our crosses. We are his by our Baptism where he gave us his life. Our Christian identity is nourished by our participation in Eucharist. Christ thereby increases his life within us. Our possession of the love of God connects us to the cross of Christ and gives meaning to the crosses we carry in his name.
Study
We look at the Transfiguration of Christ with the Apostles and realize Christ is showing to his Apostle the glory that is waiting for us in the Resurrection. In heaven we will share in the glory of Christ. Even as he has taken us into his life by the Sacraments, he gives us insight off the meaning of the Resurrection in the glory that shone through his transfiguration. We are all called to be changed by our relationship with Christ. The fruits of the Spirit that grow in us are an aurora that shines around our patience, kindness, long suffering, charity, benignity, chastity and the love we have for life and the people who are our family and friends. The light of Christ shines through the good we do in life and the fruits of the spirit make us shine out with the love of Christ rising from our hearts in the smiles and gentle touches on life we offer by the way we love one another. The transfiguration we share in with Christ changes our behavior and allows us to be the light of Christ.
Action
Lent offers us the chance to make time for Christ in our lives. Spending the special time of prayer with the Lord changes us. Making time for Eucharist feeds the life of Christ within us. Fasting makes us beautiful for the Lord. We learn a lot from the good we have done in life. We see what is worth doing in our lives by the good effects goodness has on us. Our Apostolic plan does not have to be just what we do for others. We need to plan out our lives in the richness of what our good acts can do for us. How do I want to be changed by Lent? I must go to the mountain of the transfiguration with Christ and his Apostles and celebrate the wonder of being there. Thus we see the changes Christ’s love accomplishes. We find insight on what more changes are possible with the light of Christ. The Transfiguration prepares us for the crosses of our lives and brings strength to our hearts when we share the Passion of Christ.
