Second Sunday of Lent [C]

 


SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT [C]


Back in 1964, Chuck Berry was singing about the experience of having “no particular place to go.”  Was it a problem for him, not having any particular place to go? Actually, he didn’t seem to mind at all. What about the patriarch Abraham? He evidently has no particular place to go. Does it bother him? We don’t know for sure. We can say this much, however: if it doesn’t bother Abraham, it does represent a source of bother for the God of Abraham. An apparition takes place; suddenly Abraham is on the move. He has somewhere to go. He leaves the region of Mesopotamia, traveling several hundred miles west, and then another few hundred miles south. By the time he concludes his journey, Abraham is now residing in the land of Canaan (see Gen. 12). 


Are we talking about change for the sake of change? Is it simply about a change of scenery for Abraham? Is this God having some fun, moving pieces around on the chess board? No, in Genesis chapter 15 we hear that this all has to do with a wider purpose. God plans to bless Abraham with a stretch of land and with a line of descendants (15:5-21). God makes it clear: When I lead you somewhere, it’s for your own good; it’s for your own benefit. This theme will carry over into the New Testament period. Note the sequence recorded in Luke chapter nine: why have Peter, James, and John been led to the peak of Mt. Tabor? Is it another case of the Chuck Berry syndrome? If they have no particular place to go, then let’s have them climb to the top of a high mountain? Send them someplace where they can enjoy the view? 


No, once again we see that when the Lord leads you somewhere, it’s for the sake of a greater good. The vision on Mount Tabor translates into a very meaningful gift. This represents a sneak-peek, a preview of coming attractions. We’re being given access to a chapter that is yet to come. We’re just getting ready for the Calvary chapter. And yet, on Mt. Tabor we seem to have fast-forwarded to the glory of Easter Sunday. The hope for Peter, James, & John is that they will file this image away, deep within their minds and hearts. Jesus wants them to be sustained. The Calvary chapter will take its toll. Appreciate the fact that this excessively dark chapter will be followed by a chapter of amazement and glory. In other words, he’s preparing them. Jesus prepares them because he cares for them. 


Likewise, the Lord cares for each and every one of you. Yes, we find ourselves being afflicted by the powers of darkness. We are all confronted by episodes of calamity, episodes of adversity, episodes of despair. Know that the Lord is watching over you, in the same way that a shepherd watches over a flock of sheep. He’s reaching out to you. He is fortifying you so that you will be able to cope, to manage, and to overcome. Furthermore, he wants you to forge ahead. You have a citizenship that needs to be claimed. It doesn’t belong to the here and now. It’s waiting for you, elsewhere. It’s waiting for you in Heaven, according to St. Paul (Phil. 3:20). Therefore, the words of Chuck Berry have no application for you. But the words of Genesis do apply. The words of Luke do apply. And the words of St. Paul do apply. These words combine to form a message; they formulate what could be called a covenant message: Through God’s initiative you HAVE BEEN GIVEN a particular place to go.  

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 These are text versions of the sermons I have prepared for the Sundays of the calendar year. I am a Catholic priest of the diocese of Gaylord (Michigan), ordained in 1997. 
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