HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A. (1)

HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A.

THEME: MAKE ROOM FOR GOD.

BY: Rev Fr Stephen ‘Dayo Osinkoya.

Readings:
Genesis 12: 1-4
Psalm 32: 4-5. 18-22
2Timothy 1: 8-10
Matthew 17: 1-9

Twins, a sister and brother were talking to each other in the womb. The little sister said to the little brother, ‘I believe that there is life after birth!’ Her brother protested: ‘No, no, this is all there is. This is a dark and cozy place, and we have nothing else to do but to cling on to the cord that feeds us.’ But the little sister insisted: ‘There must be something more than this dark place, there must be something else where there is light and freedom to move.’ Still she could not convince her twin brother. Then…after some silence, she said hesitantly: ‘I have something else to say, and I am afraid you won’t believe that either, but I think there is a mother!’ Her little brother now became furious: ‘A mother, a mother, what are you talking about? I have never seen a mother and neither have you. Who put that idea in your head? As I told you, this place is all we have so let’s be content.’ The little sister finally said: ‘Don’t you feel this pressure sometimes? It is really unpleasant and sometimes even painful.’ ‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘what’s special about that?’ ‘Well,’ the sister said, ‘I think this pressure is there to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face to face! Don’t you think that’s exciting!

In the first reading, God called and “commanded” Abram thus: “Leave your country… for the land I will show you…” It is important to note that this call has with it a promise: “I will make you a great nation…bless you…curse those who curse you.” But what is the condition for these blessings coming to reality? Simple! Abram has to effectively respond to the clarion call not only “to leave” but to live up to expectation in his mission. In order words, his part of the covenant is obeying the “leave injunction.”

Many times we hear people claiming Abraham’s blessings, most especially in the song “Abraham blessings are mine…” without knowing that the condition necessary for the total release of this blessing is strongly tied to obedience to God’s will and call. Responding to God’s call however, is not without its own hardship. It must make us “leave something” behind no matter how pleasant and precious that thing is to us. It must make us do what ordinarily we would not want to do.

It is a very important passage, because this call of Abraham is a model for any call that we might receive from God. God told Abraham to leave the land of his kinsfolk and to proceed to a land, which He would show him; He would bless him and would make of him a great nation. Abraham believed in what God promised him, even in an impossible circumstance. In this way, he was made righteous through his faith in God.

Very often God calls us to empty ourselves in order that He might fill us with what He has to give us.

There’s a story about a Sufi Master (sufism could be best described as Islamic mysticism or asceticism which through belief and practice helps Muslims attain nearness to Allah by way of direct personal experience of God.) who was approached by a young man who wanted to be his disciple. To impress the Master he went on and on and on about his academic achievements, his experience and about all of his accomplishments in serving and helping people. The Master listened in silence. Then while the young man was running on and on and on about all he had done, the Master began to fill a teacup with tea. When the cup was filled he kept filling it with more tea until it spilled all over. “Stop, Master!” cried the young man, “the cup can’t hold any more tea.” To which the Master replied: “Neither can I teach you anything. You are too full of yourself now. Come back when you’ve created some room within you to hold a new thought.”

RELATED: HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A

Abraham made new room for God. So did Moses. And Jesus totally emptied himself in order to be completely filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Have we created some space for God to fill us with what He has for us? I think NO!

We want the double portion of Abrahamic blessings without being ready to leave anything behind, we want to share in the double portion of Elijah’s anointing without first having to contend with the Jezebels and Ahabs of our time (I Kg 19), we want to  share in the double portion of the prophetic power and might of Moses without undertaking the onerous task of leading the stubborn children of God out of the land of their captivity (Ex 6: 13), and like the sons of Zebedee, James and John, we want to seat at the right hand of Jesus’ throne (Mk 10: 37), when we have not drank of the cup he drank.

The transfiguration of Jesus is a small glimpse of the destination of the Lenten journey, Christ’s risen glory. It reminds us that the ‘Lenten penance’ will give way to the ‘Easter joy.’ It gives hope that we might reach that same destination, the abolition of death and the bringing to light of life and immortality through the Gospel.

For our Lenten journey to be effective and fruitful, we need to have our destination in mind. There is, of course, a danger of losing sight of it, of turning our eyes away. We need Christ to lift us up, to take away our fear. We should have eyes for him only. We try, through our Lenten penances, to be detached from the things of this world and not to fix our faces on the earth, but rather keeping our vision fixed on the Christ who touches our very lives. So, let our eyes of faith be fixed on God, and let our hearts be filled with hope, and let us joyfully look forward to the ultimate glory that awaits us all.

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