Lent, Week 2. Sunday.

ANTIPHON
Of You my heart has spoken: Seek His face. It is Your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not Your face from me. (Psalm 27:8-9).

COLLECT
O God, who have commanded us
to listen to Your beloved Son,
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold Your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
The Lord is my light and my salvation. (Psalm 27: 1).

SCRIPTURE EXCERPT
“Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:28-31)”

REFLECTION
In terms of the Lenten journey, the journey to full Sacramental communion, or the entire Christian life – the event of Jesus’ Transfiguration is a moment-of-moments in His Public Ministry. Commentary abounds on this Event from the Fathers of the Church to contemporary interpreters, notably the late Dominican priest, Jean Corbon who penned deep insights in his work, Wellsprings of Worship. Hence today’s ‘words of THE WORD’ will cull a bit more directly from these giants to help all of us in the walk to Calvary with our Master and Savior, Jesus.



Corbon notes that the “Transfiguration is the historical and literary center of the Gospel by reason of its mysterious realism: the humanity of Jesus is the vital place where men become God (this is ‘divinization’ among the Eastern Fathers of the Church) and the apostles could properly see the nature of their Lord (91).” Accordingly, it is not so much a change in or about Jesus; rather the Event is the grace whereby humanity is able, once again, “to see” the glory of God – a power that has been damaged severely by the Fall and subsequent transgressions.
For the evangelist Luke, this ‘restored’ ability “to see” is crucial because in terms of his chronology, Luke situates the Transfiguration among lessons on discipleship and the Passion just prior to Jesus’ declaration to resolutely turn and head towards Jerusalem. Corbon writes: “The reason for the transfiguration can be glimpsed, therefore, in what the evangelists do not say: having finished to instruction preparatory to his own Pasch, Jesus is determined to advance to its accomplishment. With the whole of his being, the whole of his ‘body’, he is committed to the loving will of the Father; he accepts that will without reservation. From now on, everything, up to and including the final struggle at which the same three disciples will be invited to be present, will be an expression of his unconditional ‘Yes’ to the Father’s love (93).” In other words, Peter, James and John behold that Jesus’ glory lie in His total Gift of Himself in doing His Father’s Will. Jesus’ “Yes” is the light of glory transforming the darkness of sin and selfishness.
In many parishes this Sunday, the “Penitential Rite (Scrutiny)” will be celebrated for adults preparing for Full Communion with the Church during the Easter Season. The connection between the proclamation of Jesus’ Transfiguration and this Liturgical Rite is powerful. In the Rite, all are asked to pray that the candidates “will be given a spirit of repentance, a deepened sense of sin and the true freedom of the children of God (RCIA, 468).” The Church’s prayer, prayed over them, asks that they be “Enlightened … clearly seeing their sins and failings” that they “may place all their trust in Your mercy and resist all that is deceitful and harmful (RCIA, 470).”
Thus in the Liturgy “our eyes can be opened so that we may recognize the Lord and be transformed into Him. This, then, is the body of Christ, the sacrament of human salvation and God’s glorification. The liturgy creates in the Church the transfiguration of the ‘whole body’, which is now growing, the transforming union in which men become God (97).”

Lent, Week 1

ANTIPHON (click for full Psalm)
When he calls on Me, I will answer him; I will deliver him and give him glory, I will grant him length of days. (Psalm 91:15-16).


COLLECT
Grant, almighty God,
through the yearly observances of holy Lent,
that we may grow in understanding
of the riches hidden in Christ and
by worthy conduct pursue their effects.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.


RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble. (Psalm 91: 15).


SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)
“Filled with the Holy Spirit,
Jesus returned from the Jordan and
was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted (πειραζόμενος, peirazomenos)
by the devil (διαβόλου, diabolou) (Luke 4:1-2).”


REFLECTION
All sorts of images flood the mind when one hears the word, “devil.” While temptation and sin are words closely associated with ‘the devil,’ it helpful for a moment to put aside Medieval era depictions of ‘the devil’ and examine ‘the devil’ from the perspective of the Scriptures themselves.


διάβολος (diabolos), translated often throughout both Testaments of Scripture as ‘adversary’ or ‘devil,’ is a compound that means “to throw apart.” It is the opposite of παραβολή (parabole), which can be translated as “parable” or “symbol.” All throughout the Scriptures, διάβολος is an active power working ‘intelligently’ (with a plan) to divide and to separate. Often this active power is a person, who ‘connects’ to or with other persons (Divine, human or angelic) to divide and then conquer. The image that many have of the devil being that ‘bad voice’ whispering in the ear to do something bad does not really capture the horror of διάβολος. The popular image of being tempted to do this or to do that, misses the mark that the work of διάβολος is to separate one completely from the Other and others. διάβολος is about derailing life’s plan in a way that makes a train wreck out of life. Worse still in the Gospel account, διάβολος is the attempt to drive a permanent wedge between God the Father and the loving plan of salvation He has for each person. Here the words of Saint Paul must be the believer’s battle armor: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).”
Consider for a moment when this particular event occurs in Jesus’ life. The Gospel pericope proclaimed today begins: “Jesus returned from the Jordan.” In the Lucan chronology, Jesus had been baptized by John and was about to begin the Public Ministry in Galilee. Between those 2 events stands Jesus’ ‘test’ of 40 days in the barren wilderness of the desert. The Greek verb πειράζω (peirazo), translated here ‘tempted,’ has an array of meanings including “to test,” “to scrutinize,” and “to prove.” Why would Jesus have to undergo any form of ‘testing, scrutinizing and proving’? A response (not the answer) to that question lies in 2 other Books of Sacred Scripture: The Book of Job and The Letter to the Hebrews. In Job, διάβολος is a person whose role is to antagonize God. God speaks glowingly of the people who follow His way of living. The Antagonist says that humans only do that because of Divine blessings received in the form of various material goods. Take them away and humanity will curse God. Thus begins the ‘testing of Job.’ Will he separate himself from God by cursing God for what has befallen him?
The Letter to the Hebrews offers another facet to consider. “In the days when He [Jesus] was in the flesh, He offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was, He learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:7-10).” In His humanity, Jesus lives life always attentive to His Father’s Word. He does not list to another (cf Genesis 3) and certainly dialogues with no one who will derail the Mission He has received from His Father. In His ‘testing,’ Jesus lives in way the Father intended ‘from the beginning.’
The Lenten journey is a journey with Jesus to oneness and wholeness, realizing that each of us has abused many of the elements of creation and in so doing have separated ourselves in varying degrees from our Father’s love. We learn from the catechumens and candidates, many who will be ‘elected’ by the local Bishop in dioceses throughout the world during these early days of Lent. They have listened attentively to The Word that has brought oneness and wholeness to them. They have struggled to separate themselves from elements of the world that preclude a loving relationship with the Divine Persons they will meet in Baptism at the Easter Vigil. For those already baptized, we join in loving solidarity with them – knowing sadly that we have permitted separation from our First Love to infect our very beings with promises for false hopes and joys. With the Word of God and the guarantee of Divine Love, may Lent be the joyful season of Grace that plunges each into deeper union with Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Sunday. Time through the Year, Week 5.

ANTIPHON (click for full Psalm)
O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God Who made us, for He is the Lord our God. (Psalm 95: 6-7)

COLLECT
Keep your family safe, O Lord,
with unfailing care, that,
relying solely on the
hope of heavenly grace,
they may be defended
always by your protection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)
In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord. (Psalm 138: 1).


SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)
“They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy (קָדֹשׁ, qadosh) is the LORD of hosts (צָבָא tsabaʾ)! All the earth is filled with his glory (כָּבוֹד kabowd)!” At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke.
(Isaiah 6:3-4).”


REFLECTION
Actions, words, images and thoughts abound when it comes to a discussion of holiness. What exactly is holiness? Many will certainly acknowledge that it is an important element of Christian living. Yet nailing down a meaning that assists the human living of holiness in an authentic way is a bit harder. Christian history is filled with episodes of movements seeking holiness that actually do more harm than good. While we may not welcome a burning ember touched to our lips, Isaiah’s recollection of his call to prophetic ministry is significant in getting on the proper track of holiness.


When the sight of “the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne” unfolds before Isaiah, he cries out in a way similar to praise: holy, holy, holy. For Isaiah, the ‘thrice holy’ (trisagion in Greek and in various Eastern Rite Liturgies) is essentially a proclamation of Who God is and thus who Isaiah is not. “Holy,” as used here in the Isaian Text, translates the Hebrew word קָדֹשׁ (qadosh). Early in the history of the word’s usage, qadosh expressed ‘difference.’ It did not speak fundamentally about moral qualities or goodness in general; aspects of the word we now tend to view synonymously with ‘holiness.’ In Hebrew usage, “difference” gradually expressed cultic and covenant realities. Thus in time, qadosh came to refer to ‘anyone or anything set apart for a particular purpose’ and for Israel ‘a particular purpose’ involved living the covenant and one’s God-given mission.
In Isaiah’s experience of being called, he knows (sees) how different he is from God. God is the LORD of hosts (צָבָא tsabaʾ). tsaba’ is part of a vocabulary of Hebrew military words. In Isaiah’s day, not only did tsaba’ refer to a large group fit for military service, tsaba’ expressed the order, obedience and loyalty that all in the group had to the leader. The mighty power of ‘the hosts’ came not strictly from its massive quantity of individuals, although that certainly helped, but rather from the cohesiveness or the oneness the mass of individuals formed. Gradually tsaba’ included not only the uncountable number of angels ready to battle anyone or anything contrary to the Lord’s covenant or mission but also all of the stars of the nighttime sky. For Isaiah and other prophets, even these ‘heavenly bodies’ obeyed the ‘Creator of the stars of night’ and sang His praises.
Qadosh and tsaba’ – courtesy of Isaiah and the Lord’s call to him – provide sound elements to respond to the Creator’s effective Word summoning all to a life of holiness. The Lord first and foremost initiates holiness. That is our only starting point for a life of holiness. No amount of work or effort, no technique, no amount of spiritual reading, no amount of ‘saying prayers,’ etc … will ever effect (cause) one to be holy. The grace of holiness is pure gift that cannot be earned, only received graciously. As a gift graciously received, holiness is being or existing not primarily doing (although there will be some ‘doing’ in its proper sequence and time). Like Isaiah, holiness is seeing (knowing) the otherness of God and knowing (seeing) that I [and others!] have been called into that relationship. It is then from that perspective of being-in-relationship that any ‘doing’ is done. Thus the disciplines of holy living – prayer, fasting, almsgiving – are all done, not to earn, but to respond to the One Who has been seen (known). This response then ‘sets one apart for mission and praise’ since holiness is never a God-and-me affair. Mission and praise can be confidently done knowing (seeing) the ‘army of one’ is at our sides continuously ‘lest you dash your foot against the stone.’

Sunday. Time through the Year, Week 4.

ANTIPHON
O Sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In His presence are majesty and splendor, strength and honor in His holy place. (Psalm 96: 1, 6)

COLLECT
Grant us, Lord our God,
that we may honor you with all our mind,
and love everyone in truth of heart.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (click for full Psalm)
I will sing of your salvation. (Psalm 71: 1).


SCRIPTURE EXCERPT (click for all readings)
“The word of the LORD came to me, saying:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated (קָדַשׁ qadash) you,
a prophet (נָבִיא nabi) to the nations I appointed () you.
(Jeremiah 1:4-5).”


REFLECTION
As the account of Jeremiah’s call is proclaimed this Sunday, it is wise to pose a couple of questions: who is a prophet? What does a prophet do? Popularly, many have an image of a prophet as an otherworldly guru endowed with some magic-seeing power that gives him or her an ability to predict the future as a soothsayer or fortune-teller. Fortunately for us, such is NOT the biblical prophet of Israel and it certainly does not describe the work of Jeremiah.


The biblical prophet lived and worked in a world familiar with prophecy. In the Ancient Near Eastern world practically every king or queen had a guild or a company of prophets. These prophets acted as counselors or advisors on all sorts of matters concerning day-to-day living. At times guilds of prophets contended with each other, jockeying for position and prominence in society. Many times the ‘advice’ proffered was anything but counsel – ‘advice’ amounted to nice-sounding words to secure one’s position with the reigning ruler.
In Israel, like so many other aspects of her life in the Ancient Near Eastern world, prophecy was different. Sure there was a need for counsel and advice, but prophecy had another function vital for living the Covenant. In Israel, the prophet (nabi in Hebrew) was one ‘who spoke on behalf of God.’ The prophet tended to be an individual person, not a guild or a school. Unlike the guild prophets throughout the world of that time, Israel’s nabi were called by God. Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel – to name only a few – did not ‘join’ or sign-up to be a nabi. In fact, many of Israel’s nabi resisted and balked when called by God to speak on His behalf. Israel’s nabi also nurtured an intense, intimate relationship with God and even some of their ‘conversations’ with God sound shocking in their apparent audacity (cf. ‘The Confessions’ of Jeremiah) yet they reveal a profound relationship with God and a willingness to serve Him and the people to whom the prophet is sent.
The nabi in Israel was also a person “dedicated” by God for a particular mission. “Dedicated” translates the Hebrew (קָדַשׁ qadash). Qadash is part of a Hebrew word-group that essentially means “set apart” and eventually “set apart for a particular purpose or usage.” As such, the Hebrew root of qadash is the basis for the English word “holy.” The importance of qadash is that this is not a matter of good, better best. Because a person (or object, place) is set apart that person has a particular task of work to accomplish. It does not necessary make her or him any ‘better’ in an objective moral sense.
To accomplish the task or work that one has been “set apart for,” one requires sufficient material and means. Translated here “appoint,” the Hebrew verb נָתַן (natan) has a wide range of meanings in the Prophetic Texts of the Old Testament. The root and derivatives of natan are part of a Hebrew word-group that means “to give as a gift.” The word is used so extensively throughout the Old Testament that there are myriads of meanings associated with natan. With his ‘appointment’ from God as nabi, Jeremiah is given all that is needed to do the work for which he has been set apart. All that Jeremiah received, most especially the Word of God, was given without earning or merit: all was and remains Gift.
As linked with the Gospel episode of Jesus’ proclaiming the Word of God in Nazareth and the people’s response, it is fair to ponder, not only the gift of prophecy, but all gifts given by the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to build-up the Body of Christ, the Church. Through Baptism, Confirmation and the Most Holy Eucharist, all have been “set apart” and “appointed” for particular missions throughout our lives, beginning with the call ‘to be holy.’ A prayer by Blessed John Henry Newman captures this well:

“God has created me to do Him some definite service.
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another.
I have my mission.
I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.
He has not created me for naught.
I shall do good; I shall do His work.
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.
Therefore, I will trust Him,
whatever I am, I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him,
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him.
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.
He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about.
He may take away my friends.
He may throw me among strangers.
He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink,
hide my future from me.
Still, He knows what He is about.”
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