LENT IS A TIME TO ENCOUNTER GOD CLOSELY

Homily for the Second Sunday in Lent, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Scriptural Texts: Genesis 12:1-4a, 2 Timothy 1-8b-10, Matthew 17:1-9

 

Lent is a forty-day journey with Jesus. The Lenten journey lasts for forty days because it is a journey towards repentance, rebirth, renewal and purification which the biblical number forty symbolizes. On the course of this journey, Jesus, the one we are accompanying, will lead us to several places. On the first Sunday in Lent, Jesus led us to the desert where he was tempted by the devil. He did that in order to show us the reality of temptation and to teach us how to overcome them when we experience them. On this second Sunday in Lent, Jesus takes us to another location, the height of the mountain of transfiguration. He takes us to the mountain in order for us to encounter him.

In the Bible, the mountain is a universal symbol of the presence of God and the place of awe-inspiring encounter with God. On the mountain of transfiguration, Jesus appears with Moses (Law) and Elijah (Prophets), who themselves encountered God on the mountaintop in the Old Testament (Exodus 33; 1 Kings19). The Transfiguration is the moment when the disciples encounter God through Jesus, and Jesus, in turn, is seen as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. The Lenten season is a special time (kairos) of ascent in the virtues. It is a time to have a closer encounter with God and a special experience of God’s presence as Peter, James and John had on the mountain (Matthew 17:1-9).

Also, the mountain symbolizes a place of solitude, away from the attractions and distractions of the world. Mountaintops are places to find peace and quiet so as to connect with God. For us to encounter God in this season of Lent, we need to step away from sin and embrace repentance. That is why the Lenten season is an invitation to move away from the things that make it difficult for us to listen to the voice of God. It is a time to find within our heart, a quiet place where we can connect with God. In this busy and noisy world, we are invited today turn our hearts and our minds towards God; to center ourselves upon God so that we have a place where we can listen to him.

Unlike the voice that spoke after the baptism of Jesus, the voice we hear at the transfiguration identifies Jesus as his beloved Son and then invites us to listen to him. To be able to listen to Jesus, we need to turn down the volume of the world and attune our ears to the spiritual realities. In this Lenten season, the Lord is calling us in the same way as he called Abram in the first reading (Genesis 12:1-4). Like Abraham, he is calling us to leave behind our country, our kindred, and our father’s house and follow him. What can you leave behind in this period in order to answer God’s call? Remember that Abram was obedient to God’s word. Obedience to the Lord comes up a lot especially in Lent. Therefore, like Abram, we are to go as the Lord directs us.

Mountain-top experience is transformational. Nobody encounters the Lord and remains the same. After Peter, James and John had seen the glory of God and heard the voice that comes from the cloud, their faith was strengthened as God revealed to them in a powerful way the divine hand that is at work in the events Jesus will undergo. May our encounter with God and our journey with Jesus in this season of Lent bring about a transformation in our lives. Amen.