Second Sunday of Lent, March 16, 2025

 Second Sunday of Lent, March 16, 2025

Today’s Readings, from the USCCB:

Reading I

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18

The Lord God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.” Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as a possession.” “O Lord GOD,” he asked, “how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He answered him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 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: “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me. Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

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.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

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.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Reading II

Philippians 3:17 – 4:1

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 “shame.” 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.

or:

Philippians 3:20 – 4:1

Brothers and sisters: 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, beloved.

Verse Before the Gospel

Matthew 17:5

From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, hear him.

Gospel

Luke 9:28b-36

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, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 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, “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.

 

The Silence After the Glory

"This is my chosen Son; listen to him." – Luke 9:35

The Transfiguration is one of those stories that feels like it belongs in a different world. Jesus, shining with unearthly light, His face changed, His clothes dazzling. Moses and Elijah appearing out of nowhere, speaking with Him. And then, a voice from the cloud – God’s own voice – declaring, "This is my chosen Son; listen to Him."

If there was ever a moment that proved Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be, this was it.

And yet, after the light fades, after the voice of God disappears into the heavens, Peter, James, and John are left standing there – speechless, confused, and uncertain about what just happened.

They don’t stay on the mountain.

They don’t get to hold onto the moment.

They have to go back down.

And that’s where I find myself today.

Coming Down from the Mountain

I’ve had moments where I’ve felt close to God.

Maybe not in the dazzling, supernatural way that Peter, James, and John did – but moments where I’ve known He was there.

The day my oldest was born.

A long, trying day in court.

The day my youngest was born.

The day – as a basketball coach for both of my sons – that we FINALLY were able to lift championship trophies together.

I knew He was there.

Moments of peace that seemed to settle into my soul.

Moments where a prayer was answered in a way that was too perfect to be coincidence.

Moments where, even in suffering, I felt held.

But those moments never last forever.

Because faith isn’t about staying on the mountain.

It’s about walking back down, into the mess of life, and still believing.

And that’s where I struggle.

When my mother was dying, I prayed constantly.

I wanted a miracle.

I wanted something undeniable – something that would make me say, See? God was here.

Instead, I watched her fade.

When my father’s heart stopped…when they got him back…when it stopped again…when they got him back again…I begged God to save him.

I asked, Just give me this one thing. Just let me keep him.

But seventy days after she was gone, so was he.

And what do you do with that?

What do you do when the light fades, when the mountain disappears, and all you’re left with is the silence?

The Darkness Before the Promise

I think about Abram in the first reading. God literally takes him outside and tells him, Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so shall your descendants be.

Abram believes.

He trusts.

But what happens next?

"A deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him."

Why?

If God had just made this promise, if Abram had just believed, then why did darkness still come?

Maybe because that’s how faith actually works.

It doesn’t mean we never experience the dark.

It doesn’t mean we always feel God’s presence.

It doesn’t mean the answers come quickly or in the way we expect.

Faith is believing even when the light fades.

What Does It Mean to Listen?

The voice from the cloud says, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him."

But how do I listen when I feel like I’m getting nothing back?

How do I listen when my prayers feel unanswered?

Maybe the answer isn’t in the mountaintop moments.

Maybe it’s in the waiting.

"Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord." – Psalm 27:14

Maybe listening to Jesus means trusting Him enough to keep going, even when it feels like I’m walking in the dark.

The Hope That Remains

Philippians reminds me of something bigger than this life: "Our citizenship is in heaven."

That doesn’t mean my pain here doesn’t matter. But it means this isn’t the end of the story.

Abram stood in the darkness before he saw the fulfillment of God’s promise.

The disciples had to come down from the mountain before they truly understood who Jesus was.

And maybe I have to keep walking through the silence before I realize that God never actually left me.

Because even when I can’t see it…

Even when I can’t hear it…

Even when I feel lost…

God is still leading me.

And that’s enough to take the next step.