Second Sunday of Lent
“Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14)
The disciples after their climb up the mountain were weary and fell asleep. Upon awakening they experienced what must have seemed to them almost like a dream, the vision of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah speaking together. While the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus appears in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, only in Luke’s account do we get the detail about what was being discussed, namely Jesus’.. “exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” We know the second book of the bible as Exodus. But that is what Greek translation of the bible called this second book. In the Hebrew language this second book of the Old Testament was called Sh’mot which means “names.” In fact, the first line of the book of Exodus was “Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household…” –(Exodus 1:1). To the ancient Hebrew mind, a name was not just a unique or identifying title of a person, (i.e., like Joe, Harry, or Richard) but rather the name spoke of someone’s character or more importantly of someone’s destiny. For example- Moses means “drawn out”. His destiny was to draw Israel out of slavery in Egypt.1 Jesus’s name, as spoken by the angel to Mary, was Yeshua, which means "to deliver; to rescue, to save." And so, with that understanding we see that Moses and Elijah are discussing with Jesus what his destiny is -to rescue not only the Jews but all humanity. Peter is so awed by the scene he encounters of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah that, in a way, he wants to stay on that mountain top and raise shrines to these three. But Jesus cannot remain on that mountain top if he is to fulfill his destiny. For his destiny lies way down at the bottom of the mountain, as does the destiny of those three disciples, Peter, James, and John. Their destiny as does Jesus’s lies on the dusty roads of Galilee among the hordes of peoples who seek Jesus’ attention and healing. Their destiny lies among the poor and the forgotten, the lepers, and the blind, the Jews and the pagans. Jesus’s destiny is to save even those who don’t think of themselves as needing any salvation, the scribes, the pharisees, the rich, and the comfortable. To return to the valley below requires that he and his disciples be courageous and bold in living out their lives and destinies. The disciples have been given a great gift by the Father, not only this beatific vision of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, but also a lasting companionship with his son. And his son, will eventually impart to those first disciples and through them to all of those who call themselves by the name, “Christian,” a role in the destiny Jesus came to fulfill. But we too must leave the pews in which we sit and go out into the world and encounter even the messiness we find there. For it there took that we find Jesus waiting for us. Waiting in the poor, the lonely, the stranger, the forgotten. The other part of Jesus’s name is Christ, (i.e., Christos in Greek). It is a word that means, “the anointed one.” And we through the anointing that we received in our baptism and confirmation share now also in that meaning of being the anointed ones. On Wednesday of this past week, I came across a story of St. Maximilian, not St. Maxamilian Colby who died in the concentration camps during WWII, but a different Maximilian. Perhaps not many people have heard of him, even I was not aware of him. But he seemed to me to be one of those people who certainly fit the theme of my reflection this week- “Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted and wait for the Lord.” This St. Maximilian was a third-century martyr in North Africa, who was killed in 295 CE for refusing to serve in the Roman army. He was 21 yrs. old when he refused to be conscripted into the Roman army. He was brought before the court of the Roman proconsul and charged with a crime. He stated to the proconsul in his own defense “I cannot enlist for I am a Christian. I cannot serve; I cannot do evil.” When told that he must serve or die, Maximilian replied, “I will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ.” Asked who had put such wild ideas in his head, Maximilian answered, “My conscience and He who has called me.” When the proconsul warned that Maximilian would be immediately “ sent to your Christ,” Maximilian said that he could ask for nothing better: “Do it quickly, for there is my glory” he said. In worshiping Christ, Maximilian was charged not only with disobeying his military obligation but with also impiety (i.e., disrespect for the gods of Rome). After hearing that he was to be beheaded, Maximilian cried out: “God liveth.” Then the sentence was carried out immediately.2 Maximilian, it seems, would rather enter into presence of God without a head, trusting that God would return to him, eyes to glimpse eternity; ears to hear the angels praising God; and a mouth by which to glorify God forever. On this second week of Lent, we too are invited to reflect about what our designation (i.e., name) “Christian” means to us and to our world today. Christ or Christos (in Greek) means the anointed one. We as followers of Christ, as Christians, share in that name and that meaning. Anointed means to be made sacred. How are our lives as Christians imagining that sacred quality for our world today? Perhaps then, the opening lines of our responsorial psalm this weekend should give us a clue and be our guide and our prayer as we too reflect of what it means to bear the name of “Christian”.
The Lord is
my light and my salvation; whom should, I fear? The Lord is my life’s
refuge; of whom should I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)
1. 1. Sh'mot: The Meaning of Exodus' Hebrew Name — FIRM
Israel
2. 2.Give Us This Day, March 12,
2025
