20210228 A PASCHAL FAITH ENABLES US TO WALK THROUGH THE ENIGMA OF LIFE
28 February, 2021, 2nd Sunday of Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
First reading |
Genesis 22:1-2,9-13,15-18 © |
The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith
God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I am’ he replied. ‘Take your son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.’
When they arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there, and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he said. ‘I am here’ he replied. ‘Do not raise your hand against the boy’ the angel said. ‘Do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son, your only son.’ Then looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt-offering in place of his son.
The angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. ‘I swear by my own self – it is the Lord who speaks – because you have done this, because you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, as a reward for your obedience.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 115(116):10,15-19 © |
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
I trusted, even when I said:
‘I am sorely afflicted,’
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord’s name.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Second reading | Romans 8:31-34 © |
God did not spare his own Son
With God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No! He not only died for us – he rose from the dead, and there at God’s right hand he stands and pleads for us.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt17:5 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard:
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel | Mark 9:2-10 © |
This is my Son, the Beloved
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.
A PASCHAL FAITH ENABLES US TO WALK THROUGH THE ENIGMA OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GN 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18; ROM 8:31-34; MK 9:2-10]
This life is a mystery. It is full of ambiguities and paradoxes. On one hand, we are blessed with many gifts, successes and happiness. On the other hand, we know we have so many problems yet unresolved. We live in sin and yet we know that we are not that bad to be classified as a condemned sinner. Yes, we are not perfect. In our frustration and anxiety to put things straight, we cannot but become impatient and dissatisfied. How are we to learn to accept such bi-polarities in life without feeling discouraged or complacent? We are invited today to walk by faith, not by sight; to see life dimly as though through a glass.
How are we to live our life in the face of so many dilemmas? The answer that pervades right through all the readings is faith. We are called to share the faith of Abraham, the faith of Paul and that of Jesus. But what kind of faith is a saving faith? It is the faith of the paschal mystery. It is the faith that goes through sufferings, so as to come to the resurrection. Only a paschal faith can help us to walk through the paradoxes of life. This faith proclaims that as we walk through the journey of life, we will catch a glimpse of the resurrection. Indeed, if the disciples were told not to tell anyone what they saw until after the resurrection, it was simply because the power of the resurrection could not be known or experienced without the prior need of carrying our cross and embracing the sufferings of life.
A paschal faith therefore requires us to take the path of suffering. The gospel of Mark is against an epiphany Christology. In other words, St Mark is weary of a Christian that focuses too much on the glory and miracles of Jesus culminating in the Transfiguration. Noticeably, St Mark, unlike Luke and Matthew, did not mention the transformed face of Jesus but only emphasized the whiteness of Jesus’ garments. So in Mark’s understanding, the divine manifestation of Jesus can only be found at the end of that journey. This explains why the disciples were bewildered when Jesus predicted His death and they were instructed to keep silent about the incident until after the resurrection.
To disclose the transfiguration before the death and resurrection of Jesus would be a wrong expression of Christology involving glory without the cross. The truth is simply this: No cross, no crown! The full and final disclosure of the glory of Jesus could come only after His death and resurrection. Hence, there is a kind of spirituality that we must avoid, a spirituality that only speaks of miracles, healings and blessings. It is a spirituality that promotes an easy life, a life of comfort without sufferings. This is a false spirituality. For the passion and death of Jesus reminds us that no one can escape the path of suffering and death if he or she truly wants to find the fullness of life.
How then can we cultivate this paschal faith so that we can go through life bearing our cross and sufferings cheerfully and with a certain hope that we will be victorious in the final outcome?
Firstly, the faith that is required from us is a discerning faith. Abraham thought in his naivety that God wanted the life of his son. However, God is not a sadistic God. Of course, the intuitive faith of Abraham, even if he perceived wrongly, was still exercised in good faith. God does not judge our actions but more on our intentions. Of course, today, faith requires us to discern properly the Lord’s call. The story of God rejecting Abraham’s sacrifice his son was an implicit disapproval of a primitive practice of human sacrifice.
Secondly, a paschal faith must be a trusting and obedient faith. This is the faith of Abraham. One would think that Abraham’s faith was fully matured already because he was willing to leave his homeland to a far distant country. Nay, to sacrifice Isaac, his only son whom he loved so dearly, which ironically was to be the reward of his faith and obedience, is certainly the extreme test of faith. Hence, Abraham is praised not so much because he wanted to sacrifice his only son but because of his total trust and obedience to God. Abraham trusted God totally, regardless whether he understood his plan for him or not.
It is this trust that gave Abraham the courage to submit in obedience to his word. Without trust, there can be no real obedience. That is why obedience is not simply a blind obedience or irrational decision, but an obedience of the heart because one believes from the depth of one’s being. Disobedience is always due to the lack of trust. So it is Abraham’s deep intuitive trust in God’s providence and love that gave him the confidence to submit in obedience to His divine plan.
Thirdly, the paschal faith entails a Christocentric faith. This is the faith of St Paul. In the face of persecutions and trials, St Paul was certain of the hope that lies before him. He did not succumb to despair because of his past sins, or his sufferings in his ministry. For he knew that in spite of his sinfulness and weaknesses, he has been reconciled to God in Christ, liberated from sin and death, empowered by the Spirit and is destined for glory. The basis for this assurance of salvation and victory in Christ is founded on the gift from God of His only Son. Stating his case, he said, “with God on our side who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give.”
Indeed, so great is the love of God for us that he sacrificed His only Son to save us, unlike Abraham who did not have to sacrifice his only son. This clearly means that God cannot be outdone in love and generosity. When we think that we have given a lot to God or have suffered so much in this world, then stop again to think that God has suffered even much more than any of us. When we become aware of this truth, we can be sure of a triumphant end to our sufferings in this life.
To arrive at a paschal faith, which is a discerning, trusting, obedient and Christocentric faith, we need to follow Jesus in acquiring anaffective and contemplative faith. If Jesus could go through His mission, it was because of His absolute trust in His Father; a confidence that came from His intimacy with Him. It was the experience of the Father’s unconditional love that empowered Jesus to go through His the passion and death. So too for us as well.
This is why, the Father invites us to listen to His beloved Son. Listening is the first step in creating trust and obedience. We need to listen anew to what God is saying about the gift of Jesus His only Son to us. But we cannot listen unless we go to the mountain where God is present in our aloneness. To listen is a necessary stage to prayer and contemplation. Only in prayer can we, like Jesus, bask in the presence of God and His love and be enlightened. When we listen and contemplate, we will be empowered, like Jesus who went resolutely to Jerusalem, the place of His passion and glory, when He came down from the mountain.
Empowerment comes from a deep encounter with God, an encounter that assures us personally that God loves us and is with us. Only such an encounter can enable us to give ourselves to God and His will in total trust and confidence because we have had a glimpse of the end, so to speak, of the resurrection because we have experienced the overwhelming love of Jesus in our hearts and the enlightenment He has given to us to in our lives. It is through prayer and contemplation that, like the disciples, we will behold the glory of God, not in its glory now, but in the face of the crucified Christ.
Only because we have faced the cross with Jesus, can we proclaim to the world that Jesus is the epiphany of the glory of God. This we do by courageously enduring the struggles in our own lives without losing faith in time of sufferings. When others see us as people of faith, not because we are successful but because we remain faithful and confident in our trials, they will see the glory of God in our goodness and perseverance. They will see God’s strength in us in our weaknesses; and that when sin increases, grace abounds all the more. Yes, God manifests Himself in human weakness and imperfections. By perceiving His glory in our state of human frailty, we are encouraged to live our lives with great fidelity, strength and hope.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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