Second Sunday of Lent

Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-18
Taking Abram outside the Lord said, “Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will be your descendants,” he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.
“I am the Lord”, he said to him, “who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to make you heir to this land.” “My Lord, the Lord,” Abram replied, “how am I to know that I shall inherit it?” He said to him, “Get me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these, cut them in half and put half on one side and half facing it on the other; but the birds he did not cut in half. Birds of prey came down on the carcases but Abram drove them away.
Now as the sun was setting Abram fell into a deep sleep, and terror seized him. When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, there appeared a smoking furnace and a firebrand that went between the halves. That day the Lord made a Covenant with Abram in these terms: “To your descendants I give this land, from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River.”

Psalm 26: 1, 7-9, 13-14
The Lórd is my líght and my hélp;
whóm shall I féar?
The Lórd is the strónghold of my lífe;
before whóm shall I shrínk?

O Lórd, hear my vóice when I cáll;
have mércy and ánswer.
Of yóu my héart has spóken:
“Séek his fáce.”

It is your fáce, O Lórd, that I séek;
híde not your fáce.
Dismíss not your sérvant in ánger;
yóu have been my hélp.

I am súre I shall sée the Lord's góodness
in the lánd of the líving.
Hope in hím, hold fírm and take héart.
Hópe in the Lórd!

Philippians 3: 17- 4:1
My brothers, be united in following my rule of life. Take as your models everybody who is already doing this and study them as you used to study us. I have told you often, and I repeat it today with tears, there are many who are behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ. They are destined to be lost. They make foods into their god and they are proudest of something they ought to think shameful; the things they think important are earthly things. For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe.
So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful to the Lord. I miss you very much, dear friends; you are my joy and my crown.

Luke 9: 28-36
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” - He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.” And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

In the first reading, God has just promised Abram a great reward. Abram asks what this could be and points out that since he has no children any gift would be inherited by his head servant. God promises Abram a vast number of descendants; still Abram would quite like some sort of proof.

Unlike nowadays when we sign contracts to make agreements legally binding, in ancient times the practice was to cut a dead animal in half and for both people to walk between the two halves. The idea was that should one break the agreement they end up like the animal. Here Abram is told to cut three really good animals in half. God then walks between the two halves in the form of a burning stick. Unlike normal contracts, God is the only one in this one who has any obligation.

• Can you think of any contracts?
  • parents and children
  • teachers and pupils
  • ...
    
• What kind of relationship do you think Abram had with God?
• What do you think this tells us about the relationship God wants with us?

In the gospel Jesus has already started to tell his disciples about his impending suffering and death. Here Moses and Elijah appear and talk with him and he is transfigured.

• Why do you think Jesus became so bright?
• What do you think the fact that Moses and Elijah were there means?
• Why would Peter not have known what he was saying?
• Why do you think the disciples kept quiet?