2nd Sunday of Lent

For most Christian cultures, the liturgical season leading up to Easter goes by the name the Forty Days, simply referring to the season's length. In the Germanic languages, its name translates to Long Days and references the fasting and penances of the season.

Our English title for the season is something entirely different. Our English word Lent comes from the Old English title for Spring. Referring to this period by such a name is a good choice because, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the time of year when new life begins. As the environment slowly begins to warm and recover from dormancy, new life begins to sprout. Spring is the time to plant new seeds and cut away any part of a plant that has died in the winter cold.

Lent is the time for new spiritual life too. During this time, Christians are encouraged to evaluate their faith life. We need to clear away the accumulated debris, cut out the deadwood, and plant new seeds of faith. This six-week period of preparation for Easter is a time for new spiritual life. It is a period to experiment with new prayer forms, re-evaluate our religious practices and freshen up our relationship with God so it can bear new fruit.

That is the mindset I intend to encourage by my Lenten homilies. Last week I told you my theme for Lent would be Attitude Adjustment, and I want to encourage everyone to make Lent 2022 a season when we plan to renovate our spiritual lives. We do that by reflecting on our prayer life, dedicating ourselves to being here at Mass every weekend, and planning to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I want everyone to make an objective effort to deepen their relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit between now and Easter.

Last week I told you our Attitude Adjustment this Lent should center around one particular virtue. A virtue is a habit of a high standard of behavior, and the one I'm discussing is central to living the Christian life. It is the virtue that lies at the root of many other virtues, and it is a virtue once we believe we possess, we need even more of it. It is humility.

We often misunderstand humility. Sometimes it is seen as weakness or low self-esteem, and some consider humility an effort to minimize or downplay our accomplishments. That isn't humility. That is insecurity, and that isn't a virtue. Humility's Latin root is "humiliras," which means of the earth. So, humility is groundedness. It is being able to recognize who we are as a person. It is having a clear understanding of ourselves and being comfortable with ourselves.

Today's gospel passage from Luke gives us a lesson in humility. While Jesus was close to all his twelve apostles, there was an even closer inner circle composed of Peter, James, and John, who have unique experiences with Jesus. One of which was the Transfiguration we heard about in today's gospel.

We are told that Jesus and the three apostles went up a mountain to pray. Mountains are significant in the scriptures because people often encounter God there. Abraham took Isaac to a mountain where Abraham planned to sacrifice Isaac at God's request. It was on a mountain Moses received the Ten Commandments. God instructed Elijah to hide in a mountain cave when Queen Jezabel sought to kill him. Mountains are places of majesty and grandeur where it is easier to feel God's presence.

The Transfiguration teaches us about prayer. Prayer needs to be intentional or planned, and we need to set time aside for it. What is your best time for prayer? It needs to be a priority. I'm a morning person, so I do most of my prayer early in the day. Each of us needs to have a designated place for prayer. I come here to church about an hour before daily Mass to spend time praying. Everyone needs to find their own time and place for prayer and be faithful to it.

Prayer doesn't need to be perfect. In today's gospel, the three apostles fell asleep while praying. They got tired and distracted. Yet, they still witnessed Jesus' glory and transformation. They saw Jesus become dazzling white. They experienced him conversing with two men, Moses the giver of the Law and Elijah Israel's premier prophet, about his forthcoming Passion and Death. Even though it wasn't a perfect prayer experience for the three apostles, they still were transformed by it for the rest of their lives. The Transfiguration was a moment of special blessings for them. Prayer doesn't have to be perfect for us to gain lasting benefits from it.

The most crucial prayer lesson we can learn from the Transfiguration comes at its end when the voice from heaven proclaims Jesus is His Son and the apostles were to listen to him. God tells the apostles to listen to Jesus because Jesus is the fulfillment of everything that came before Him. Jesus is the perfect example of obedience to God. In every way, Jesus is faithful to God and fulfills the Commandments of Moses. Also, Jesus is the fulfillment of all prophecies. Jesus is the holy one of God anticipated by the preaching of all the prophets. Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom and the perfect model for all of us.

Listening isn't always easy. Listening is hearing with attention and the intention of putting instruction into action. To listen to another means we are open to the possibility of a change of attitude in our lives. It acknowledges we don't have all the answers and are looking for insight from another person's experience. To listen means, we are ready to heed and obey someone else's instruction. When we listen to another's opinions and insights, we show we want to engage with them and enter into a meaningful relationship with them. It shows we feel they can share wisdom with us. To listen is to grow in humility.

When we don't want to listen, we show we are afraid to change. It displays a lack of trust and no desire to develop as a person. A refusal to hear others is a sign we fear admitting we could be wrong or have misconceptions of reality. A refusal to listen is a failure to acknowledge we can and still need to learn from others.

It is frustrating when we encounter people who refuse to listen. Such a person is unattractive because of their resistance to dialogue. They are like a brick wall that refuses to move, and they shut themselves off and show they have no desire for a relationship with others.

Listening has many benefits. It facilitates reconciliation and healing, friendships can blossom, and profitable encounters that lead to progress occur when we are willing to listen. When we take the time to have the humility to listen to others, the world becomes a richer and more loving place. Listening with humility means we put aside self-importance and self-absorption, and we concentrate on others and become receptive to learning and being taught. Listening causes us to slow down to hear and be guided by others. 

Prayer is more about listening than talking. Jesus warned his disciple to resist the urge to make prayer more about words than listening. He warned them not to babble on with words in their prayer but to go to an inner room, a place of quiet where they could listen to God. Yet, our prayer time more often seems to be instruction sessions for God, and we ramble on telling God our needs and desires. God knows our concerns and wants better than we do. Before we can even formulate our prayers of petition, God has set about tending to our needs.

Prayer is a two-way conversation between a lover and a beloved. There is a story about an old French laboring man who visited a church every noon at lunchtime, sitting with his eyes on the tabernacle. He didn't say a rosary nor read from a prayer book. For the few minutes he was there, he sat quietly focused on the Blessed Sacrament. The priest saw him and thought he might be a vagrant coming out of the cold. The priest challenged him and asked what he was doing. The humble man said he was praying. The priest objected that he had no prayerbook or Rosary beads. How are you supposed to be praying? He asked. The man responded, I look at Him, and He looks at me. Listening was the man's prayer. He was ready to respond to God whenever God spoke. We need to follow God's instruction at the Transfiguration, always preparing to respond to the wisdom Jesus is giving us.

As we get deeper into this, Lent works to give your prayer new life. Pick a place and time that is best for your prayer. It doesn't need to be a long time. You can start with just a few minutes but try to add a few minutes as you become more comfortable with prayer. Consider reading a gospel to help you hear what Jesus wants to say to you. Your reading a gospel will possibly give you insight into Jesus' wisdom, and it will bring your relationship with God to a new level.

This week consider to whom else you need to listen. Are there people at home, at your work, school, or in the community who are asking you to listen? If you took the time to hear them, would you grow and become a better person. Would your relationships become more satisfying if you opened yourself to listening to what others want to share with you?

This Lent can be a new spiritual Spring if we use it to grow in humility. Our relationship with others, especially with God, will become more rewarding if we take the time to hear the voices of wisdom and love spoken to us this Lent. When we reach Easter, a transformation will occur, and our life will be renewed.  

Text...