We are in the Second Sunday of
the holy season of Lent. In the first reading we hear about the call of
Abraham. God calls Abraham to come out of his own country by leaving his father’s
house and family members behind (Gen 12:1). Till this moment Abraham does not know
anything about this God who calls him to come out of his country. When this unknown
God calls, Abraham leaves his known family, land and relatives. Abraham makes a
conscious choice. We often get stuck to people whom we know and with whom we
feel comfortable. But Abraham forsakes his known family members and clan to
follow the unknown. This unknown God promises abundant blessings to him in the
form of land and progeny. Above all this unknown God makes Abraham himself a
blessing (Gen 12:2). God says, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who
curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless
themselves.” (Gen 12:3). Abraham could not have realized the effect of this
blessing but today we certainly do. The greatest blessing for Abraham is not
that he has become a father of chosen people, rather an attribution of his very
name (Abraham) to know the name of God – God
of Abraham. God revealed to Moses His name as YHWH but before that the Hebrew
people adorned Him as God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob. What a wonder? – a mere name of man to become of Gods’ name.
In the Gospel we witness the
transfiguration of our Lord. Pope Francis in his message to the season of Lent
2023 has reflected upon this transfiguration event. He points out the journey
of three disciples (Peter, James and John) with Jesus to the mount Tabor as
tiresome journey. The disciples’ perseverance in coping with all the
difficulties of claiming the mountain is a great source of encouragement for all
us, who go through difficulties in life. The disciples’ perseverance won a
reward of seeing the reality of Jesus as God – to see His Face as HE IS. Our Christian
life is a journey toward seeing God face to face in the next life. In this life
we are claiming the mountain with prayer, fasting and penances which sustains
our Christian living. Let us not give up in-between. We have to finish the race
we have started. In this season of Lent we speak lot about ‘conversion’ but we
focus little on ‘perseverance’. Conversion is needed for sinners but for the
righteous, perseverance is the most needed. In Ezekiel 18:21-28, God speaks
about these two kinds of people. We are not called for the renewal of sins and
thus after every fall renew the relationship with God through the sacrament of
reconciliation. We are called for conversion and sustain in that conversion
till the end.
After the transfiguration
event the disciples come down from the mountain. They are not alone in coming
down. Jesus was travelling along with them. He was answering all their
questions. After encountering God on the mountain, the disciples learn to lead
the life of accompaniment. They always seek the help of their master Jesus to
live the life of renewal. After the conversion, we also need to remain in that
grace. We need accompaniment of Jesus. Where do we find His accompaniment? In the
sacraments, in the practices of piety, in living a normal Christian life. As we
make all the efforts possible to climb the mountain of the Lord in this season
of Lent, let us not forget that we need to remain in that grace. At the same
time let us known that we are not alone in withholding the grace – we have a
guide.
Jesus is calling us to come
out of this sinful life. To set out on a journey to a place where we do not
know. In this pursuit, we may have to sacrifice some of our likings and wants as
Abraham did. The journey will be tiresome and filled with burden but always
remember that we are not alone – Jesus is with us, accompanying us. At the end
of the journey we will get transformed to lead a life of renewal. Let us move
from our well known places (sinful settings) to an unknown and invisible world
of grace.
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