HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A. (4)
HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A.
THEME: VIOLENCE PREVENTION THROUGH TRANSFIGURATION.
BY: Fr Andrew Ekpenyong,
1. No Joke. In memory of the 6000 who have died this year alone, in just 2 months, due to mass shootings, s
HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A.
THEME: VIOLENCE PREVENTION THROUGH TRANSFIGURATION.
BY: Fr Andrew Ekpenyong,
1. No Joke. In memory of the 6000 who have died this year alone, in just 2 months, due to mass shootings, suicide with gun and other forms of gun violence in this country, in honor of all who have recently lost their lives all over the world, due to violence of any kind: domestic, civic, post-election violence and war, let’s start without a joke. Yet, there is good news in relation to gun violence. It is coming from Omaha. On Feb 22nd and 23rd, many media outlets carried the headline: “How one city cut gun violence in half and may become a model around the country”. Yes, according to data from the Omaha Police Department, “the number of reported shooting victims in Omaha, which only includes people who survived, dropped from 246 in 2009 to 121 in 2022, with the lowest at 90 victims in 2017.” The police and advocates attribute this steady drop over the past 15 years, partly to an initiative called Omaha 360, which was started in 2009. Omaha 360 involves churches, public charities, nonprofits, neighborhood associations, and local law enforcement. It is coordinated by the Empowerment Network. Omaha 360’s strategy is “collaboration, prevention, intervention, enforcement, reentry and support services”. The transfiguration of our Lord in today’s Gospel reading (Mt 17:1-9) encompasses this strategy, goes beyond it, while revealing God’s glory.
2. Transfiguration. Through the transfiguration, our Lord prevented His most “combat-ready” disciples from violent reaction to his passion and death. Using today’s language, Peter, James and John were devoted to keeping both the Ten Commandments and the Second Amendment. Remember what happened during the arrest of Jesus at the foot of the Mt of Olives: “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear.” (Jn 18:10). Our Lord objected: “Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?’” (Jn 18:11). He clearly told Peter to stop and then healed Malchus as St Luke records: “But Jesus said in reply, ‘Stop, no more of this!’ Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him.’ (Lk 22:50-51). What about James and John? Our Lord Himself nicknamed them “sons of thunder” (Mk 3:17). When Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, they tried to pass through a Samaritan village. Jewish-Samaritan acrimony caused the Samaritans to stop them. James and John reacted, asking, “‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?’ Jesus turned and rebuked them and they journeyed through another village” (Lk 9:54-56). Indeed, our Lord took his most combat-inclined disciples to witness the transfiguration.
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3. Violence Prevention. Our Lord’s calculus seemingly was: if you can get Peter, James and John, to stay cool during the passion, the disciples as a whole would likely not take up arms against those who orchestrated the crucifixion. Our Lord made them witnesses of the profound miracle of the transfiguration, partly to convince them that there is indeed life after life, by letting them see Moses and Elijah, hence, killing anybody does not annihilate the person. It worked. After the resurrection, Peter, James and John could face any angry mob, any friend or foe, without conceal-carrying. Peter, James and John, finally understood a profound implication of our Lord’s resurrection and the future resurrection of all. Namely, murder, suicide, homicide of any kind is ultimately futile since everyone will rise from the dead to face eternal happiness or otherwise. Yes, every human being is an everlasting soul. The apparition of Moses and Elijah proved this to Peter, James and John and helped prevent them from descending into the rabbit hole of violence or hopelessness. The transfiguration has the power to do the same for you and me, today and tomorrow. The transfiguration was a transforming experience for Peter, James and John. They witnessed the reality of life after death, of God the Father, of God’s plan of salvation stretching backwards from Jesus to Elijah, to Moses, with whom our Lord conversed during the transfiguration, and even back to Abraham as we heard in today’s 1st reading (Gn 12:1-4a). The transfiguration prepared them to face the shame of the cross, the scandal of crucifixion and the trauma of the grave, without giving in to suicidal thoughts like more than 3000 of the 6000 we mentioned earlier. They were given a glimpse of God’s glory. Dear Sisters and Brothers, you and I are given not just a glimpse but an enduring pledge of heavenly life in the Eucharist, enabling us, in the words of the 2nd reading (2 Tm 1:8b-10), to bear our share of hardship for the gospel. Yes, the Eucharist, the transfiguration and other mysteries that reveal God’s glory are themselves sources of grace to increase our faith, to help us refrain from harming ourselves or harming others, under any stress or distress so we may be ready for what matters most: eternal happiness in Heaven. Amen.
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