2nd Sunday of Lent

2nd Sunday of Lent
 
I don’t like the first reading. After all the heartbreak, Abraham and Sarah gave birth to a precious son. Then in a remote mountain place God puts Abraham to the test. God invites Abraham to kill his precious boy to show God that he loves God more than anything or anyone else. I don’t like that. I don’t want God to be cruel. Then I get confused. Paul, in his letter states, “If God is for us who can be against us?” I hope the answer is not God as well. After reading about Abraham I don’t want God to be against me. Then Paul tells us that God did not spare His only Son but handed Him over for us all. The very act He asked of Abraham, God did that. This is too much to understand. Clearly we don’t know the ways of God. We cherish our children. Why would I willingly kill any of them to make a point? Don’t go all scandalized on me now. For reassurance, I think we are allowed to be uncomfortable with some of the stories of the Bible. I need time to clearly understand what the Bible is saying. It doesn’t follow that I am some kind of rebel or terrible believer. I love God above all things. It is just that sometimes I find it hard to understand. That’s all. The Gospel reading gives us the story of the Transfiguration. Jesus reveals His Divinity to His Apostles. At some point in any relationship I have to reveal who I am. For Jesus, who I am is that I am the Messiah, the Son of God. That is a lot to take in. Clearly Peter was very excited. He saw all the possibilities. When Peter starts talking about putting up tents I think Peter sees dollar signs. The cloud comes down and they hear the voice of God. This is the same message that John the Baptist heard in the Jordan river at the Baptism, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” That is the message for us today. God tells us to listen to His beloved Son. The problem is for all of us is that we are very good at being deaf. We love being distracted. We don’t worry about things because somebody will take care of it. The future is always bright. We will never have problems. We will never know heartache or suffering. Life will be just one long vacation. God tells us to listen to the Son of God. He has something to say to us. He asks us to put down or toys and pay attention. Can we do that please? Let us not have regrets. Let it never be too late. Let me find the way to the Promised Land of heaven and never depart from it.
With love, Fr. Pat