SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
28 FEBRUARY 2021
This
account of Abraham willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, is one of the most
chilling and gut wrenching stories in all of Scripture. Yet, the Book of Genesis recounts it with
little emotion. To our modern ears, this
story seems impossible. Instead of
trying to analyze it, we can see it as an account of faithfulness. God had promised Abraham that he would be the
father of a host of nations. Abraham
trusted that promise, even though he and his wife were beyond childbearing
age. Now, his trust in that promise is
severely tested as he takes his only son to Mount Moriah. How could God keep his promise if Abraham
sacrificed the only link to that promise?
He places his entire life in the hands of the all-knowing and loving
God. Abraham passes the test. God keeps his promise and assures Abraham
that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands
on the seashore (the third of the Covenants).
We see a
similar example of trust in today’s Gospel.
Jesus is a descendant of Abraham.
He assumes the role of both Abraham and Isaac. He exhibits complete trust and puts his
entire life into the hands of his all-knowing and loving Father. He also assumes the role of Isaac. He will become the sacrifice, the Lamb of
God, who is willing to shoulder the cross and give himself to death out of
love. His decision is both chilling and
gut wrenching.
However,
death will not be the end for him.
Isaac’s life was saved by the ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Jesus will be saved from death by the Father
raising him to transformed life. On
Mount Tabor, Peter, James, and John receive a glimpse of his resurrection. The presence of Moses (giver of the law) and
Elijah (the greatest of the prophets) underscores the faithfulness of an
all-knowing and loving God who keeps promises.
The voice from the clouds repeats the identity of Jesus revealed at his
Baptism: “This is my beloved Son.” Only this time, the voice instructs
them: “Listen to him.”
They will
indeed have to listen to him. He will
lead them from this mountain to another “mountain.” On Mount Calvary, he will not be clothed in a
dazzling white garment. He will be
stripped of his clothing. There, he will
not be surrounded by two venerable witnesses.
He will be surrounded by two thieves.
There he will not be enveloped in a cloud of glory. He will be put to a dark and terrible
death. His disciples will have to learn
the lesson of the cross and the death of the Messiah. Only then will they understand what rising
from the dead would mean.
The Father
gives us the same command: “This is my
beloved Son. Listen to him.” We must shoulder our crosses and carry them
as we follow the Lord to Calvary.
Crosses come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Each of us has our own. However, all of us are carrying a common
cross these days – the cross of this pandemic.
This pandemic has dramatically changed our lives, charging all of us
with heightened emotions. These emotions
are not surprising, because they are emotions associated with mourning. We are mourning the loss of a normal life. Mourning brings up different and powerful
emotions: denial, anger, depression,
sadness, and many more. All too often,
we express these emotions in unhealthy ways – blaming others, lashing out in
anger, or throwing full-fledged pity parties for ourselves.
These forty
days of Lent can help us to see our changed lives as a cross. Lent invites us to carry this very heavy
cross together. The disciplines of
prayer, fasting, and almsgiving can encourage us to find healthy ways to vent
our emotions. More than anything else,
our Lenten disciplines can remind us that this cross will not destroy us. With the Lord carrying this cross with us,
this cross can transform us. This cross
will end, and we will get a glimpse of what rising from the dead really
means.
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