HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Second Sunday of Lent (Year A)

Mar 16, 2014

2145

Listen Read

First Reading

A reading from the Book of Genesis (12:1-4a)

The Lord said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the Earth shall find blessing in you." Abram went as the Lord directed him.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22)

(R) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Upright is the word of the Lord, and all His works are trustworthy. He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the Lord the Earth is full. (R)

See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope for His kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. (R)

Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy (1:8b-10)

Beloved: Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to His own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (17:1-9)

Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, covering with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid." And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

There is a story told about the baptism of an Irish king by Saint Patrick » in the middle of the fifth century. Patrick was an active missionary bishop who went about preaching the gospel throughout Ireland and converting many people including kings, their families and entire kingdoms. He used to carry in his hand a crozier. A crozier is a ceremonial staff carried by a bishop. For those who do not know what a crozier is please note that it is a staff with a hooked end like a shepherd's crook at the top end. It is said that the crozier carried by Patrick had a sharp iron spike at the bottom end, by which he could plant it firmly in the ground beside him while walking and preaching. So sometime during the baptismal rite of the king, Saint Patrick stuck the crozier into the king's foot inadvertently. He didn't know until after the ceremony. The king also had neither moved nor complained of the pain. After the baptism Saint Patrick looked down and saw a few drops of blood on the floor. He realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. He asked the king, "Why did you suffer this pain in silence." The king replied, "Oh! I thought it was part of the ritual."

Friends, we are reminded today that suffering is a necessary component of Christian life. When we identify ourselves with the gospel of Jesus or when we are obedient to God's Word, we will have to face a certain amount of affliction, hardship, trials and tribulations. However, we have the promise that we would be able to bear all the suffering with the help of God.

Last Sunday we reflected on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness in which he revealed his full humanity. We saw how Jesus responded to temptation, both as an example to us as well as to reveal his ability to wrestle with temptations and overcome them. All in all, Jesus' temptation is a reminder for us not only to beware of the worldly things that can distract us from the path that God has set for us but also to use the Word of God to resist temptation. However, once we have made the decision to go against Satan and obey the Word of God instead, we will also suffer "pains" that we would not suffer otherwise. We see, all see this in the life of Jesus. Jesus underwent great suffering in obedience to the Father. He said "no" to Satan and chose God's plan that led him to a torturous and humiliating death on the cross. If he had said "yes" to Satan he might not have been able to work wonders and miracles and save us from our sins. Friends, obedience to God inevitably involves problems, affliction, suffering and hardship. And the temptation to turn back when things get a little too rough is very real. There are many who choose not to suffer. So also in the days of Saint Paul, many Christians turned away from God because they didn't want the sufferings. But Paul accepted suffering freely and willingly.

While he was in prison in Rome waiting to be martyred for the faith, he wrote the second letter to his friend, Timothy, to encourage him in his faith in Jesus Christ. He writes, "Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to His own design and grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

First, Saint Paul tells Timothy that loyalty to the gospel inevitably will bring trouble but he does not have to face it alone. Timothy has to suffer not in his own strength but rather according to the power that God gives him. Any suffering for the gospel is to be borne in the power of God. Secondly, Paul gives two reasons to Timothy why the gospel is worth suffering for. One reason is because God has saved us. God has saved us by offering his only Son Jesus on the cross to free us from our bondage to sin and spiritual darkness. Another reason is because God has called us to be holy. God has not saved us from our sins, only to let us return to our sins or continue in our sins but to be a holy people. God has called us to walk the way of holiness. William Barclay, a great theologian, says, "The man who has known the saving power of the gospel is a changed man, in his business, in his pleasure, in his home, in his character. There should be an essential difference between the Christian and the non-Christian, because the Christian has obeyed the summons to walk the road to holiness." Yes! God wants us to be different from what we were before we knew Him. God wants to be transformed people who think and act more like Jesus.

Friends, what does Paul's instruction to "bear our share of hardship for the gospel" mean to us? Many early Christians were tortured and killed for their faith. A recent research has found that Christians are the world's most persecuted group. Harassment and persecution against Christians are reported in more than hundred countries around the world. In some countries the practice of Christian faith is completely banned. In some places, the government places limits on Christian activities and they cannot celebrate Christmas as freely and openly as we do and they cannot display anything Christian in public places. In some other countries Christians even have difficulty finding jobs. And yet, despite mounting persecution and severe restrictions, the Christian faith continues to grow with the power that comes from God.

Though we may not be suffering for the gospel so much like Paul or others in some parts of the world do for the gospel, I do believe that we need to be ready and willing to suffer anything for the gospel. For instance, there are times we may be ridiculed because we don't believe everything that the world believes in. We may be ridiculed by our friends when we don't engage in their sinful behavior. We may be scorned by our colleagues when we try to be honest and truthful in our work and relationships. We may suffer financial hardship when we offer help for those in need. We may suffer fatigue when we give of our time to help spread the gospel of Christ. These are the things that we are called to endure as followers of Christ.

Friends, whatever hardship or persecution we are facing right now for the gospel let us joyfully and continually give thanks to God and seek the power of God to endure suffering for the gospel. The gospel is the free gift of God to us. The gospel was, is and will be the power to conquer any circumstance in life. The gospel is the power to say "no" to Satan and overcome temptations. Let all our worship and prayers - praise, thanksgiving, confessions, supplications and intercessions - be intentional, deliberate and sincere. Why do we have to be intentional and deliberate?

There is a story about an ancient philosopher who went to a city to save its people from its wrongdoings. The inhabitants of the city at first listened to the philosopher but gradually turned away. One day a child asked the learned man, "Why do you still go on preaching to them even though they are already gone? Don't you see that your mission is hopeless?" The philosopher replies, "Oh! In the beginning, I thought I could change the people. But I couldn't. However, if I continue to talk it is only to prevent them from changing me." Friends, we gather regularly, most of us every week - to publicly and deliberately confess and declare our faith in Jesus and remember his act of love and meditate on his Word so that we can stand against the devil and overcome all temptations and receive the grace of God necessary for peace and salvation.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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