Liturgical Readings for : Sunday, 25th February, 2024
Second Sunday of Lent Year 2
God sacrifices his own Son as part of the plan of salvation of the world. Calvary is a sign of God’s love for us.
This story of Abraham’s sacrifice will be told again at the Easter Vigil as a preparation for Baptism.
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Genesis 22:1-2.9-13.15-18
The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith.
God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I am‘ he replied.
‘Take your son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.’
When they arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood. Then he stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he said. ‘I am here’ he replied.
‘Do not raise your hand against the boy’ the angel said.
‘Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son, your only son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his son.
The angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven.
‘I swear by my own self – it is the Lord who speaks – because you have done this, because you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.’
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 115
Response I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
1. I trusted, even when I said: ‘I am sorely afflicted.’
O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful. Response
2. Your servant, Lord, your servant am I; you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make: I will call on the Lord’s name. Response
3. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to theRomans 8:31.34
God did not spare his own Son.
With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us-he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Gospel Acclamation Mt 17:5
Glory and praise to you, O Christ !
From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’
Glory and praise to you, O Christ !
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you . And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Mark 9:2-10 Glory to you, O Lord
This is my Son, the Beloved.
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them.
Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Rabbi‘, he said 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 to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud,
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.‘ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came down the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead‘ could mean.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Introduction to the Celebration
As we continue our Lenten journey towards Easter, we recall today the experience of the first disciples on their journey to the first Easter in Jerusalem. On a high mountain they beheld for a moment the glory of Jesus and heard the Father’s voice saying,
‘This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him.‘
Let us now reflect that, forgiven our sins, we may behold Christ’s glory in this celebration, and let us ask the Spirit to help us hear Christ’s voice in our lives.
Homily Notes
1. Each year at the beginning of Lent Christian agencies devoted to the relief of poverty or for the promotion of justice and peace invest a great deal of effort and resources to produce information packs on how relatively affluent communities in the developed world can assist in their work. This information is often treated as if it belonged to a parallel universe when it comes to announcing the Lenten call to repentance. However, such a separation between doing good in the world and personal penitence and renewal is based on a distinction that is foreign to the Good News. If God offers us the possibility of new life through his forgiveness, then we on the earthly plane have to be offering new life to all who are deprived. One cannot wish to belong to the new creation brought about by Christ’s death and resurrection without being concerned about those for whom this creation is full of suffering. Likewise, one cannot be sorry for personal sins without recognising that we may live within systems in society or the economic world which are as much at odds with God’s plan for the universe as a life of personal debauchery.
2. There is, of course, a strong lobby that believes that Christian faith is a purely personal matter, either on a purely ‘spiritual’ plane, or that its morality only has application at a personal level. Thus ‘religion should stay out of politics’ or ‘church people should not meddle in economics’ or Voltaire’s desire that religion be confined to his wife, his servants, and his tradesmen so that there would be a suitable fear to keep them in check. However, Christian faith cannot accept these reductions, for our faith is that God is creator of all, of every single scrap of matter, and the whole creation is reconciled in Christ, and we are a people who must act morally at every level. Hence, the social teachings of the church, and the constant stream of teachings from the magisterium on social justice and development – summed up succinctly by Paul VI as ‘development is another word for peace’ or ‘if you want peace, then work for justice.’
3. In order to link these endeavours from agencies working for justice and development with the liturgy of the church as church – i.e. at the Eucharist – you could replace the homily today by going through whatever pack has been given out in your congregation this Lent. Noting the statistics it gives, noting how it is seeking to alleviate suffering, and repeating what it sees as the help it needs from people in the developed world.
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Gospel notes: Mark 9:2-10
The gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent each year is the account of the transfiguration of Jesus. In Mark we have just passed the half way point and Jesus has revealed to the disciples that he is the Messiah but he wishes them to come to understand this not in terms of glory and esteem but in being faithful to God’s will and so he has mentioned to them for the first time that he will have to endure his passion in Jerusalem.
Peter is appalled at the idea but Jesus does not shrink from telling him that those who want to follow must take up their cross. This is the background to today’s gospel. Peter, James and John who were present at the raising of the daughter of Jairus (chapter 6) are now invited up the mountain where they behold him quite literally in a whole new light. At this key moment of revelation of who he really is they are invited to ‘listen to him‘.
However, as the story continues we learn that they are poor listeners and they fail to take on board his message of the self-emptying love of the kingdom. The next time these three are invited to come aside with him is at the foot of a mountain, the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and there too Jesus is revealed to them, not in glory but in suffering and, because they have not listened, they will run away.
Gospel Reflection Mark 9:2-9
Lent is a time for letting go and these readings make the point very well. If we are to come to know God and the meaning of real love, then we must learn to let go of our certainties and insisting on having things our own way. Abraham and Jesus both learned to entrust everything into the hands of God the Father, even when this appeared to lead to the end of everything they had hoped for. God in Jesus would have us understand that he is with us in every moment of our lives and each moment, whether at the top of the mountain or in Gethsemane, is sacred. If we are to understand this, we must develop the art of doing what the Father has asked us and that is the art of listening, really listening to his Son.
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Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
