Homily Second Sunday of
Lent Year B: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo
·
Gen
22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18;
·
Ps 116:10, 15,16-19;
·
Rom 8:31b-34
·
Mark
9:2-10
Offering It Up To the Lord Who Irrevocably
Loves Us!
Lent is one of those intense liturgical
times of grace for retrospection, reflection and renewed solidarity with Christ who
irrevocably loves us (Rom 8:31-39). It
is a kind of a great retreat. A time of prayer, penance and close
listening to what God says to us through the scriptures and the Church. It is a
time when we are called in Christ’s Spirit which indwells in us, to offer
ourselves[our personal feelings, our freedom, what we love, our ears and
hands, our bodies, our families, jobs, our opinions, our illnesses,
sufferings, pains of the loss of a loved one, fears, joys, faith, hope,
and treasures] to the Lord and our neighbors as Abraham did with his son Isaac,
foreshowing God’s gifts of his Son, Jesus Christ who is always on our side!
That
God is always on our side is true in the first reading, Genesis 22. Here,
Abraham, with the spirit of God in him, offers back his only son Isaac to God. In
spite the antecedent challenges, of trials, Sarah’s barrenness, Abraham- Lots’
rifts, hardship and temptations, the
righteous man, Abraham( a saddiq), trusted in the Lord, who justifies
him, who loves him, who blesses him irrevocably as he had promised in Genesis
15 and 17.
Paul must have been aware of the story of
Abraham. Familiar with this text, and in carrying out his missionary journeys
throughout the eastern Mediterranean , in spite of trials and difficulties; and in readiness to travel to the west, with God’s healing love, hope, a sense of unity, clarity
to the gospel (euangelion) rhetorically stresses in his letter the mystery of God’s
teaching gifts and offering of himself to us through Christ.
With his gifted rhetoric and diatribes, Paul
says, “Brothers and sisters, if God is for us, who can be against us? He who
did not spare his own Son, but handed him over for us all, how will he not also
give us everything else along with him?”(Rom 8:31b-34).
Christ’s healing, loving and forgiving
mystery up to the Cross is God’s offering and ultimate sacrifice for us, that
Lenten scripture invites us to imitate and to reflect upon.
God
will always be on our side., today's Gospel also stresses. He was on the sides of his Son’s disciples prior to the
event of the cross of the paschal week that is the Tabor experience. At this event, of Christ’s transfiguration and
prediction to his disciples, Peter, James and John (Mark 9:2-10). With
the dazzling cloth and glorious face of Jesus, the disciples would want three
tent to be built Israel’s great prophets, Elijah, Moses and Jesus. Like in the
case of Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice Isaac, Peter’s proposal is met with a
voice from heaven, “this is my beloved son listen to him” (Mk 9:7b, Matt 17:5).
How
often do we not tend to listen or forget that God is on our side in the midst
of our daily struggles and challenges? Paul
is right. God is for us. Nothing should prevents us from emptying ourselves for
one another, sharing our talents and blessings with our neighbors. Nothing
should prevent us from being on the side of the poor, promoting social justice,
much needed in our world today. Nothing should prevent us from taking our
family and other responsibilities religiously. Nothing should prevent us from being inclusive in approach to life. Nothing should take the hope of the resurrection away from us. And nothing should prevent us
from daily celebrating the irrevocably love of God who justifies us!
Reflection
Questions;
1.
In what
way do you personally relate to the faith of Abraham and the Zeal of Paul?
2.
Do
you see your talents and blessings as God’s irrevocably Love and Grace?
3.
And how
do you share your blessings, the goodnews of Christ, the resurrection news, the
hope and the gospel with others, particularly members of your faith
communities?
