{"id":3275,"date":"2025-03-12T10:41:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T14:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/?p=3275"},"modified":"2025-04-04T09:58:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T13:58:41","slug":"the-second-sunday-of-lent-year-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/the-second-sunday-of-lent-year-c\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2014The Second Sunday of Lent &#8211; Year C"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"3275\" class=\"elementor elementor-3275\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b8d22d7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"56950\" data-id=\"b8d22d7\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-99f195b\" data-eae-slider=\"62269\" data-id=\"99f195b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c77524 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7c77524\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Second Sunday of Lent \u2014Year C<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-29335d4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"66943\" data-id=\"29335d4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;shape_divider_bottom&quot;:&quot;book&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-shape elementor-shape-bottom\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-negative=\"false\">\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 100\" preserveAspectRatio=\"none\">\n\t<path class=\"elementor-shape-fill\" d=\"M194,99c186.7,0.7,305-78.3,306-97.2c1,18.9,119.3,97.9,306,97.2c114.3-0.3,194,0.3,194,0.3s0-91.7,0-100c0,0,0,0,0-0 L0,0v99.3C0,99.3,79.7,98.7,194,99z\"\/>\n<\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2633fe8\" data-eae-slider=\"87155\" data-id=\"2633fe8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99c059b elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"99c059b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ac32618 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ac32618\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reading I<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ce29ca elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4ce29ca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/15?5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>The Lord God took Abram outside and said, \u201cLook up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,\u201d he added, \u201cshall your descendants be.\u201d Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. He then said to him, \u201cI am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.\u201d \u201cO Lord GOD,\u201d he asked, \u201chow am I to know that I shall possess it?\u201d He answered him, \u201cBring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.\u201d Abram brought him all these, split them in two, and placed each half opposite the other; but the birds he did not cut up. Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram stayed with them. As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him. When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: \u201cTo your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-568d889 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"568d889\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Responsorial Psalm<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-352e7ef elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"352e7ef\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/psalms\/27?1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/><em><strong>R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.<\/strong><\/em> <br \/>The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life\u2019s refuge; of whom should I be afraid? <br \/><em><strong>R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.<\/strong><\/em><br \/>Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me. Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks. <br \/><em><strong>R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.<\/strong><\/em><br \/>Your presence, O LORD, I seek. Hide not your face from me; do not in anger repel your servant. You are my helper: cast me not off.<br \/><em><strong>R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.<br \/><\/strong><\/em>I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted and wait for the LORD. <br \/><em><strong>R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0ffa7f7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0ffa7f7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reading II<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5dc261d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5dc261d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/philippians\/3?17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Philippians 3:17\u20144:1<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us. For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their \u201cshame.\u201d Their minds are occupied with earthly things. 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. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-091e9f4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"091e9f4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Verse Before the Gospel<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-ff46c7f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-eae-slider=\"25324\" data-id=\"ff46c7f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-8b74efa\" data-eae-slider=\"3311\" data-id=\"8b74efa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c71559 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3c71559\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/17?5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Matthew 17:5<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>From the shining cloud the Father\u2019s voice is heard: <br \/>This is my beloved Son, hear him.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"has_eae_slider elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-055ecc5\" data-eae-slider=\"74246\" data-id=\"055ecc5\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cc12a73 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cc12a73\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Gospel<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e224d3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5e224d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/9?28\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Luke 9:28b-36<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, \u201cMaster, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.\u201d But he did not know what he was saying. 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, \u201cThis is my chosen Son; listen to him.\u201d After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7016bb1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7016bb1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Exegesis<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e16f610 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e16f610\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/15?5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>Genesis Chapter 15 is titled, The Covenant with Abram. As it begins, the word of God came to Abram in a vision: \u201cFear not Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great.\u201d Abram bemoans the fact that he and Sarah have no children to be his heir. In response, God promises Abram that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. Abram in turn replies to God with his pledge of faith: \u201cAbam put his faith in the Lord, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.\u201d (Gn 15: 6). God then pledges to give Abram and his descendants the land as a possession, i.e., the Promised Land.<br \/>A covenantal relationship is now formed between God and Abram and his descendants, us. It is a promise of the abundant life here on earth symbolized by the promise of descendants as numerous as the stars, and a promise of eternal life symbolized by the gift of the Promised Land, i.e. Heav-en. It is a promise for those who chose to enter this relationship with God by a response of faith, living in right relationship with God. Abraham will become known as Our Father in Faith. His faith, endurance and perseverance serve as an example for all.<br \/>The promise land, however, only comes after a period of servitude, symbolized by the years of slavery in Egypt. This period of servitude is a symbol of our slavery to sin here on earth. The Ex-odus to follow would then become a paradigm for salvation, our journey through the desert of this life to the Promised Land.<br \/>The ritual to seal the covenant involves the shedding of blood, the blood of animals. The partici-pants must acknowledge that the violation of the covenant will bring upon themselves the same result as the animals sacrificed and cut in half. The Prophet Jeremiah makes this clear: \u201cThe men who violated my covenant and did not observe the terms of the agreement which they made be-fore me, I will make like the calf they cut in two, between whose two parts they passed.\u201d (Jer 34:18). Life requires that we remain connected to God, the source of life. To be separated means sure death, eternal death.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17fc5a8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"17fc5a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/psalms\/27?1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>Psalm 27 consists of fourteen verses and is titled Trust in God.<br \/>It begins: The Lord is my light and my salvation. The Hebrew word that we translate as light is or. In the Creation Story, the first thing that God spoke into being was or, light. Light permeates Sacred Scripture from beginning to end. The Book of Revelation ends with the image that there will be no more need of sun or moon, as God will be our light. St. John proclaims: \u201cGod is light.\u201d (1Jn 1: 5). Jesus Himself states clearly, \u201cI AM the light of the world.\u201d The Hebrew word translated as salvation is yesa. The word Yeshua (Joshua or Jesus) is derived from yesa.<br \/>I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. King Hezekiah, after he had been extremely ill and recovered begins a beautiful prayer of gratitude by acknowledging his mortality: \u201cI said, \u2018I shall see the Lord no more in the land of the living.\u2019\u201d (Is 38: 11). Later re-joicing in his recovery Hezekiah proclaims: \u201cThe living, the living give you thanks, as I do today. Fathers declare to your sons, O God, your faithfulness. The Lord is our Savior; we shall sing to stringed instruments in the house of the Lord all the days of our life.\u201d (Is 38: 19-20). Like Heze-kiah rejoicing in the healing of his physical illness the psalmist is rejoicing in God\u2019s delivery from his enemies, all evil doers.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-acdbdbf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"acdbdbf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/philippians\/3?17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Philippians 3:17\u20144:1<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>Philippi was a flourishing town in the Roman province of Macedonia. It is situated on a busy road, the Via Egnatia, linking the Adriatic and Aegean Seas. The city lacked a Jewish synagogue. There was a very small Jewish community there so Paul\u2019s community was predominantly Gen-tile. The community was established by Paul during his second missionary journey. It was the first community established in Europe. (See Acts 19:9-40).<br \/>Our pericope today falls within a broader passage where St. Paul is addressing a polemic and dis-cord in the community. Some leaders in the community were becoming very legalistic which was causing undo stress among this fledgling church made up predominantly of gentiles. The tension was being brought about by overzealous legalistic teachers. They were placing a heavy emphasis on the need for strict adherence to all Jewish laws including circumcision. St. Paul uses himself as a negative example of a devout legalistic Jew who once violently persecuted the Church.<br \/>In our passage St. Paul continues by stressing the importance of living in the Spirit and detaching from things of the flesh, e.g. circumcision and legalistic dietary laws. Paul is encouraging the community to move beyond things of the world, earthly things, and to concentrate on things of heaven. In this effort he is reminding them that their true citizenship is ultimately in heaven. To be preoccupied with things of this world lead only to destruction and death.<br \/>The focus thus turns from things of the earthly body to our hope for a glorified body. This obvi-ously links us to our Gospel and the Transfiguration, where Jesus is revealed in His glorified body. St. Paul always seeks to put on the heart and mind of Christ, and to rejoice in the glory of Christ. Paul is inviting the community to emulate him in this effort. He ends by encouraging them to \u201cstand firm in the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e6f3db elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6e6f3db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/9?28\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Luke 9:28b-36<\/strong><\/span><\/a><br \/>It is always essential to understand the setting of each Gospel scene to capture full meaning. Je-sus is about to turn His focus toward Jerusalem and His Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascen-sion, i.e. the fulfillment of His mission as Savior. He is also preparing His disciples for their mis-sion as His Mystical Body, His Church. At the beginning of Chapter 9, \u201cHe summoned the twelve and gave them power and authority\u2026 and sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God.\u201d (Lk 9: 1).<br \/>When they returned crowds gathered around them, they were hungry, and Jesus told the twelve, \u201cGive them some food yourselves.\u201d (Lk 9: 13). Jesus then multiplied their meager gifts of five loaves and two fish and gave them to the disciples to distribute to the crowd of five thousand men. This is followed by Peter\u2019s confession about Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus then explains what it means that He is the Messiah and clearly teaches them about His Passion, Death and Res-urrection. Finally, He explains to them the conditions of discipleship.<br \/>\u201cAbout eight days after he said this, He took Peter, John, and James and went up the moun-tain to pray.\u201d (Lk 9: 28). Why is the time frame of eight days mentioned? It was on the sev-enth day that God appeared to Moses. \u201cThe glory of God settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day He called Moses from the midst of the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord was seen as a consuming fire on the mountain-top. But Moses passed into the midst of the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and there he stayed for forty days and forty nights.\u201d (Ex 24: 15-18). Perhaps the eighth day (the next day) represents the fulfilment of the gift of the Law in Jesus.<br \/>Elijah also experienced a theophany on the mountain. \u201cHe (Elijah) walked for forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb\u2026 Then the Lord God said, \u2018Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.\u201d (1Kgs 19: 8, 11). The Transfiguration also portrays Jesus as the fulfilment of the Prophetic Tradition. Luke reveals Jesus as a Prophet in the miracle of the raising of the widow\u2019s son: \u201cThe dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glori-fied God, exclaiming, \u2018A great prophet has arisen in our midst, and God has visited His peo-ple.\u2019\u201d (Lk 7: 15-16).<br \/>Moses and Elijah both anoint their successors with the Spirit as Jesus will do in the Upper Room on Easter Sunday evening and in a broader sense at Pentecost. Moses anoints Joshua before his death: \u201cNow Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the Spirit of Wisdom, since Mo-ses had laid hands upon him.\u201d (Deut 34:9). Elijah anointed Elisha: \u201cThen you shall anoint Elisha as prophet to succeed you.\u201d (1 Kgs 19:16).<br \/>So much has been written about the presence of Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration sig-nifying that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and rightfully so. What about the fact that Moses and Elijah had been dead for hundreds of years? Now they are standing on the mountain conversing with Jesus about His Exodus. Jesus is standing before Peter, John and James with light radiating from within Him such that His clothes became dazingly white beyond anything this world could create. He is standing before them in His glorified body. The voice of the Father can be heard: \u201cThis is My chosen Son, listen to Him.\u201d Unlike the voice of God at Jesus\u2019 baptism where God is speaking directly to Jesus, i.e., \u201cYou are my beloved Son,\u201d God is now speaking to the apostles and to us. God is giv-ing us a glimpse into eternity! He is giving Jesus, the three apostles, and us, a vision of life beyond the Cross, life beyond death.<br \/>Peter, John, and James want to hold on to the moment signified by their offer to build three tents. They are wrong in thinking that they can prolong and preserve the theophany. They are also wrong in making Jesus an equal with Moses and Elijah, e.g. three equal tents. Luke reveals to us in Acts through Stephen that \u201cThe Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands.\u201d (Acts 7: 48). Stephen then quotes the Prophet Isaiah: \u201cThus says the Lord: The heavens are my throne; the earth is my footstool. What kind of house can you build for me; what is to be my resting place?\u201d (Is 66: 1).<br \/>They must come down from the mountain. Jesus then begins His journey to Jerusalem. He has one more mountain to climb, the Mount of Calvary; but now we have all seen clearly what lies beyond!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f41bf79 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f41bf79\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reflection<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d266f89 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d266f89\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Referring to the current state of our society someone once said, \u201cWe are like a people on a journey who have forgotten where we are going.\u201d As I look at our society, I see that very clearly. We tend to be listless, and we easily follow the latest trend. Perhaps it is part of the human condition. Dante wrote centuries ago that life is like waking up in the middle of a forest and not knowing which direction to go or like coming to a fork in the road and not knowing which path to take.<br \/>This weekend\u2019s Gospel is Luke\u2019s rendition of the Transfiguration of Jesus. If you look at the setting in the Gospel, Jesus has just told His disciples for the first time that He was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die and be raised after three days. The disciples were in a state of shock and full of fear and anxiety. Then Jesus takes Peter, James and John up the mountain and He is transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah are there with Him. The risen Lord is there in His transfigured glorified body. Moses and Elijah are alive and recognizable as well. The voice of God is heard, \u201cThis is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.\u201d Jesus and His closest disciples get a glimpse of eternity, of the great beyond. The ultimate destination be-comes visible. They see where they are headed.<br \/>Peter wants to hold on to the moment. He wants to build three tents for them to stay in the experience. Jesus has other plans. He leads them down the mountain. Even though Easter is before them, Good Friday is in His path. He must come down the mountain. There can be no resurrection without the Cross. It is for this hour that He came. Jesus needs to accomplish the task at hand, but now the ultimate destination is in sight.<br \/>Coming down the mountain the disciples question what rising from the dead meant. Two paragraphs before the account of the transfiguration has a heading that in all bibles reads, \u201cThe First Prediction of the Passion.\u201d The first sentence is as follows: \u201cHe began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and rise after three days.\u201d Why is the heading of the paragraph not, \u201cThe First Prediction of the Resurrection.\u201d<br \/>Often in the Gospels we hear that Jesus\u2019 face is set like flint on Jerusalem, or that He is resolutely journeying to Jerusalem. I always interpreted or understood that as His focus to be on the Cross. Maybe His focus was beyond the Cross and the Cross was just in His path. Perhaps His vision was on the ultimate goal, union with the Father and with us! At the Last Supper He prayed, \u201cFather may they be one as you and I are one.\u201d<br \/>Perhaps that should be our focus as well. We are all on a journey and we should keep our ultimate destination in sight. If we do, we have a much better chance of getting there safely. We are all companions on the same journey and we all should have the same destination as our goal. We need to all help each other along the way. Jesus is walking with us, this I know. I also know that this parish community is a great group to travel with! May God bless us on the way.<\/p><p>In Jesus and Mother Mary,<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-588 aligncenter\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-300x77.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"77\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-1024x262.png 1024w, https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-768x196.png 768w, https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature.png 1401w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34bae4f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"34bae4f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Personal Witness<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aa924a9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"aa924a9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>During my prior life as a Certified Public Accountant I did a fair amount of work-related travel. Several of my clients owned their own private aircraft. Several had licenses to fly but they were not professional pilots by any means, and so I was always a little apprehensive to fly with them. One of those pilots in particular gave me cause to worry.<br \/>One day we were flying back to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from a business meet-ing in Detroit. There were four stout men cramped into a twin engine four seat Cessna. For some reason I drew the copilot\u2019s seat. Being an amateur that he was, the pilot apparently did not check the weather. After being in the air for about 30 minutes he said, \u201cIt looks like there is some weather ahead.\u201d I could see it on the radar screen and shortly thereafter I could see total darkness ahead and it was early afternoon. We flew into a hailstorm.<br \/>Now sitting in the copilot\u2019s seat with my knees against the dashboard and my face about 18 inches from the windshield I had a pretty good view of what was coming. Suddenly it was total darkness. The hail hitting the windshield was deafening. It sounded like a ma-chine gun. I felt that the windshield could collapse at any moment. I looked over at the pilot and he was turning white. I discovered that I could pray three complete rosaries in five minutes flat. I think that the worst part of the experience was knowing that we were travel-ing at 180 miles per hour without being able to see where we were going.<br \/>After about 10 or 15 minutes that felt like an eternity, we either flew out of or above the storm. We burst out into a clear blue sky. After total darkness the light was blinding. I looked back at the darkness and never wanted to go through that again. I immediately felt that my prayers were answered, and I thanked God for delivering us from that nightmare.<br \/>Whenever I ponder the Transfiguration, I think of that experience. Jesus had just told His disciples that He was journeying to Jerusalem to be crucified. It had to be a dark moment for them. The climb up the mountain must have been particularly long and arduous. But then from the cloud came the voice of God. Jesus was transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah, dead for hundreds of years, appear with Him. It is a glimpse into eternity. It is a vi-sion of life beyond the storms of this world. It is life beyond the Cross as the Glorified Ris-en Lord stands before them.<br \/>There was still work to be done and they had to journey with Jesus down the mountain and then up the Hill of Calvary. This experience had to give Jesus and His disciples the courage to go on. Unlike the baptism of Jesus where the voice of the Father is addressing Jesus, God is now speaking to the disciples and to us, \u201cThis is my beloved Son, listen to Him.\u201d God wants us to know what lies ahead for us as well, if we but remain faithful, and that should give all of us the courage to go on. The inevitable storms of life remain in our path, but the bright light of Easter dawns for us who believe.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-588 aligncenter\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-300x77.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"77\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-1024x262.png 1024w, https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature-768x196.png 768w, https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/signature.png 1401w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f44b3c8 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"f44b3c8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" 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class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bbd25bc elementor-testimonial--skin-bubble elementor-testimonial--layout-image_above animated-slow elementor-testimonial--align-center elementor-arrows-yes elementor-pagination-type-bullets elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-global elementor-global-788 elementor-widget-testimonial-carousel\" data-id=\"bbd25bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;,&quot;show_arrows&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pagination&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;speed&quot;:500,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;autoplay_speed&quot;:5000,&quot;loop&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_hover&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_interaction&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;space_between&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;space_between_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;space_between_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"testimonial-carousel.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-main-swiper swiper\" role=\"region\" aria-roledescription=\"carousel\" aria-label=\"Slides\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tI first encountered Fr. Glenn\u2019s preaching on Ash Wednesday, 2006.\u00a0 It only took one homily, and my family and I realized that Fr. Glenn has a very special gift.\u00a0 Fr. Glenn is clearly very spiritual, and that comes through in all of his homilies and reflections.\u00a0 His spirituality is not aloof, or inaccessible.\u00a0 His holiness is authentic, grounded, accessible and on fire.\u00a0 And, that fire is shared, such that the listener also becomes on fire, and inspired to go deeper with Scripture, with God and with our neighbor.\u00a0 Fr. Glenn has inspired me to engage at the deepest level and to work to find my spiritual path, always encouraging, mentoring, coaching.\u00a0 I would strongly encourage anyone who can to attend one of his Masses, homilies, or podcasts.\u00a0 Catch the fire of the Holy Spirit working through Fr. Glenn!!!\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gf-favicon-01.png\" alt=\"John J Hern Jr.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-testimonial__cite\"><span class=\"elementor-testimonial__name\">John J Hern Jr.<\/span><\/cite>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tFr. Glenn has many charisms, which he displays by his compassion, theological intelligence, spirituality, and love of God.  His compassion is continually displayed when he visits the sick of the parish. His manner of prayer and conversation is definitively a gift from God.  His spirituality is very evident when he preaches. His homilies are instructive, encouraging and centered on God\u2019s infinite love for each of us. Fr. Glenn is a teacher, a mentor, and a wonderful listener who encourages those around him to follow Jesus more closely. He is Spirit filled, Spirit led and Spirit giving!\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-testimonial__image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/gf-favicon-01.png\" alt=\"Deacon Scott &amp; Claudia Jamieson\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-testimonial__cite\"><span class=\"elementor-testimonial__name\">Deacon Scott & Claudia Jamieson<\/span><\/cite>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-prev\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Previous\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-chevron-left\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M646 125C629 125 613 133 604 142L308 442C296 454 292 471 292 487 292 504 296 521 308 533L604 854C617 867 629 875 646 875 663 875 679 871 692 858 704 846 713 829 713 812 713 796 708 779 692 767L438 487 692 225C700 217 708 204 708 187 708 171 704 154 692 142 675 129 663 125 646 125Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-next\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Next\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-chevron-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M696 533C708 521 713 504 713 487 713 471 708 454 696 446L400 146C388 133 375 125 354 125 338 125 325 129 313 142 300 154 292 171 292 187 292 204 296 221 308 233L563 492 304 771C292 783 288 800 288 817 288 833 296 850 308 863 321 871 338 875 354 875 371 875 388 867 400 854L696 533Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Second Sunday of Lent \u2014Year C Reading I Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18The Lord God took Abram outside and said, \u201cLook up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,\u201d he added, \u201cshall your descendants be.\u201d Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":858,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sunday-readings"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2014The Second Sunday of Lent - Year C - The Gratitude Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gratitudefoundation.us\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/the-second-sunday-of-lent-year-c\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2014The Second Sunday of Lent - Year C - The Gratitude Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Second Sunday of Lent \u2014Year C Reading I Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18The Lord God took Abram outside and said, \u201cLook up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. 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