Second Sunday in Lent - B - March 1, 2015

A Mountain Top Experience

Getting away to the mountains can have a cathartic experience. We feel renewed just because we have distance from our daily grind. We feel a sense of transcendence, for we are “above it all.” Yet, such an experience can be frightening, for we are not in control. Such was the experience of Peter, James and John. They saw Jesus transfigured. They were not in control.

DAILY READINGS FOR THE FIRST WEEK IN LENT

WEEKLY BLOG  This week, we look at the importance of changes.

VIDEOCAST  In this week's videocast, we investigate the Transfiguration and the Scriptures.

MP3 PODCAST In this week’s audio podcast, we ask the age old question: God, what are you trying to tell me?

FIRST READING The book of Genesis presents us with a dilemma in the story of Isaac. God’s law abhorred human sacrifice, but Abraham heard the divine command to sacrifice his son. What’s more important, God’s law or God’s will?

PSALM Psalm 116 celebrated the safe arrival of a pilgrim to the Temple in Jerusalem. It was a thanksgiving hymn that lauded YHWH for rescue even at the point of death.

SECOND READING “If God is with us, who can be against us?” This famous line came from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. This rhetorical question addressed the overwhelming power of God in life, a power so great even death could not get in the way.

GOSPEL Mark’s gospel laid out the classic lines and themes of the Transfiguration. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray. There, he was transformed. Moses and Elijah joined him. The three followers witnessed the voice of the Father declaring Jesus his Son. They also heard the divine command, “Listen to him.”

CHILDREN’S READINGS In the story for the first reading, St. Paul was presented as a changed man. He realized the love of God would not allow any opposition. If God was with us, who could be against us? In the story for the gospel, Peter walked up a mountain with his friends, only to be caught in a thunder storm. But, for a moment, he had a “WOW” experience, one not unlike the followers of Jesus had on the mountain.

CATECHISM LINK In this week’s Catechism Link, a study of the Transfiguration gives us an opportunity to discuss the Bible.

FAMILY ACTIVITY Read the Bible as a family this week, especially the stories about Moses and Elijah.