Today's Mass Readings - Sunday, March 1, 2015 with Reflection

1^ST READING - Genesis 22:1-2, 9, 10-13, 15-18

1 God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” he replied. 2 Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.” 9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. 10 Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the Lord’s messenger called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 12 “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. “Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” 13As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. 15Again the Lord’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven 16 and said: “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, 17 I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, 18 and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing — all this because you obeyed my command.”    

P S A L M - Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19

R: I will walk before the Lord, in the Land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” 15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. (R) 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. 17To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. (R) 18My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people, 19in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. (R)

2^ND READING - Romans 8:31-34

31 Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us.34 Who will condemn? Christ Jesus who died — or rather, was raised — who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, listen to him.

Mark 9:2-10

2 Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

SABBATH

OUR TRANSFIGURATION MOMENTS Every Second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel episode is about the Transfiguration of Jesus. For sure, everyone of us have our own  “transfiguration moments.”        These are the “peak” experiences that bring us extraordinary inspiration, events in our lives that remain forever etched in our memories — those that we will always come back to as milestones, especially during difficult moments later in life. It can be our wedding or ordination day, depending on our state of life. It can be an inspiring event that we took part in, or even just a beautiful movie or concert we watched.        In the case of Jesus’ transfiguration, something in this Gospel narration invites curiosity. He warns Peter, James and John, as implied in the passage: “As they were coming down the mountain, he strictly enjoined them not to tell anyone what they had seen before the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”        This makes us wonder why Jesus would make such a warning. Referring to the vision, it may be worth asking ourselves first, “What is my own vision of God in my life? How do I see Him in my life?”        Without a personal vision of God in one’s life, without a relationship with Him, everything else is useless. If we can’t quite answer this affirmatively and definitively, let’s not despair — it’s never too late to form our vision of God.        A second question for reflection is this: “Have I told anyone of my vision of God? Or have I kept it mostly to myself?”        We forget that there are so many others out there who are waiting to hear our story, who long to hear about our relationship with God.        Jesus’ injunction may have been for Peter, James and John back then. But now, for us, it no longer holds. We must not hesitate to spread the Good News of God to others. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What is your vision of God? Have you shared this vision with someone? Lord, thank You for Your presence in my life. May I have the courage to tell others how Your love for me became the greatest truth I’ve ever known.

St. David of Wales, bishop, pray for us.

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