SEGUNDO DOMINGO DE CUAREMA 2025.

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, el domingo pasado fuimos con Jesús al desierto para aprender de Él a vencer las tentaciones con la fuerza del Espíritu Santo y de las Sagradas Escrituras. Este domingo se trata de ir con Jesús a la cima de la montaña para contemplar su divinidad, para ser testigos de su transfiguración.

Comparto con ustedes estas preguntas para la reflexión ¿Has subido alguna vez a una montaña? ¿Crees que todo se ve más completo desde la cima de la montaña? ¿Tienes un lugar personal donde encuentras de paz, calma, alegría y gozo? ¿Crees que la oración puede cambiar tu vida? ¿Has sido testigo alguna vez de la transformación o conversión de una persona?

La primera lectura nos presenta un dialogo entre Dios y a Abraham, que termina en una alianza, entre ellos. Dios invita a Abraham a salir y mirar las estrellas y contarlas y le promote que así será su descendencia, también le promete darle una tierra grande y abundante. Abraham creyó en Dios y a su vez Dios confió en Abraham, quien en un momento de duda le pidió al Señor una señal. Dios le pide que traiga unos animales y hace caer fuego sobre ellos sellando así su compromiso. Lo que Dios le promete a Abraham es infinito comparado con lo que Abraham pudo darle a Dios. Desde el bautismo Dios ha hecho una alianza con nosotros, se ha comprometido a amarnos, a salvarnos y a llevarnos a la vida eterna, que bueno sería hoy preguntarnos a su vez cual es nuestro compromiso con Dios, que es lo que yo le ofrezco diariamente a él.

En la carta a los filipenses Pablo invita a sus oyentes a imitarlo a él como buen ejemplo de Cristo. Pablo reconoce que hay personas en la comunidad que viven de espaldas a Cristo, estas personas sólo piensan en su propio beneficio, están ocupadas en satisfacer su estómago y en las cosas del mundo y no dan testimonio de Dios en sus vidas, a esos no hay que imitarlos sino a aquellos que viven según Cristo y que desean configurar su vida de acuerdo a su cuerpo glorificado y dan testimonio de Dios en todo lo que hacen.

El evangelio nos habla de la transfiguración de Jesús. Jesús se lleva consigo a sus tres amigos a lo alto de una montaña y allí ellos pueden contemplar en un momento de oración y profundo recogimiento la figura de Dios en ese ser humano que era Jesús. Pudieron ver su divinidad en su humanidad, el cielo en la tierra. Fue tan profundo y tan grande este momento que Pedro no sabía que decir y le propuso a Jesús hacer tres chozas para quedarse allí. El centro del relato se encuentra en la voz que sale del cielo y dice “este es mi hijo, el escogido, escúchenlo” . Esta voz hace la presentación de Jesús como el hijo de Dios y por lo tanto como aquel a quien hay que escuchar y seguir.

Jesús no se quedó con sus discípulos en la montaña, los invitó a bajar, a continuar la vida cotidiana, pero con una nueva mirada, fortalecidos en la fe y dispuestos a ser ellos imagen de Dios y llevar a otros a la fe. Esa debe ser nuestra tarea. El templo es nuestra montaña, es el lugar de la ransfiguración del Señor, donde el pan y el vino son transformados en el Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor. Jesús nos invita a salir de esta “montaña”, que es para nosotros el templo, transfigurados y llenos de su amor, para así llevar a la vida cotidiana su presencia y su amor. Pidamos al Señor para que nos ayude cada día a irnos transformando de acuerdo a su imagen y ser siempre sus testigos en este mundo.

P. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT 2025

Dear brothers and sisters, last Sunday we went with Jesus into the desert to learn from Him how to overcome temptations with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures. This Sunday is about going with Jesus to the mountaintop to contemplate His divinity, to witness His transfiguration.

I share these questions for reflection: Have you ever climbed a mountain? Do you think everything looks more complete from the top? Do you have a personal place where you find peace, calm, joy, and happiness? Do you believe prayer can change your life? Have you ever witnessed the transformation or conversion of a person?

The first reading presents a dialogue between God and Abraham, which ends in a covenant between them. God invites Abraham to go out and look at the stars and count them, and promises that this will be his descendants. He also promises to give him a large and abundant land. Abraham believed in God, and in turn, God trusted Abraham, who, in a moment of doubt, asked the Lord for a sign. God asks him to bring some animals and makes them fall on fire, thus sealing his commitment. What God promises Abraham is infinite compared to what Abraham could give to God. Since baptism, God has made a covenant with us; He has committed to love us, to save us, and to lead us to eternal life. How good it would be today to ask ourselves what our commitment to God is, what I offer to Him daily.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul invites his listeners to imitate him as a good example of Christ. Paul recognizes that there are people in the community who live with their backs to Christ. These people think only of their own benefit, are preoccupied with satisfying their stomachs and the things of the world, and do not bear witness to God in their lives. They are not to be imitated, but rather those who live according to Christ and who desire to conform their lives to his glorified body and bear witness to God in all they do.

The Gospel tells of the transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus takes his three friends to the top of a mountain, where they can contemplate, in a moment of prayer and profound contemplation, the figure of God in the human being Jesus was. They were able to see his divinity in his humanity, heaven on earth. This moment was so profound and so great that Peter didn't know what to say and suggested to Jesus that they make three huts to stay there. The center of the story is the voice that comes from heaven and says, "This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him." This voice presents Jesus as the Son of God and, therefore, as the one to be listened to and followed.

Jesus did not stay with his disciples on the mountain; he invited them to come down, to continue their daily lives, but with a new perspective, strengthened in faith and willing to be the image of God and lead others to faith. This must be our task. The temple is our mountain; it is the place of the Lord's transfiguration, where the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord. Jesus invites us to leave this "mountain," which is the temple for us, transfigured and filled with his love, so that we may bring his presence and love into our daily lives. Let us ask the Lord to help us each day to be transformed according to his image and always be his witnesses in this world.

Fr. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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Let the Light of Jesus Awaken Us…

The Gospel of the Liturgy of this second Sunday of Lent narrates the Transfiguration of Jesus (cf. Lk 9: 28-36). While praying on a high mountain, he changes in appearance, his robe becomes bright and radi-ant, and in the light of his glory, Moses and Elijah appear, who speak with him about the Passover that awaits him in Jerusalem, namely, his Passion, Death and Resurrection.

The witnesses to this extraordinary event are the apostles Peter, John and James, who went up the mountain with Jesus. We can imagine them with their eyes wide open before that unique sight. And, certainly, it must have been so. But the evangelist Luke notes that “Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep”, and that “when they wakened” they saw the glory of Jesus (cf. v. 32). The drowsiness of the three disciples appears to be a discordant note. The same apostles then fall asleep in Gethsemane too, during the anguished prayer of Jesus, who had asked them to keep watch (cf. Mk 14:37-41). This sleepiness in such important moments is surprising. However, if we read carefully, we see that Peter, John and James fall asleep precisely before the Transfiguration begins, that is, while Jesus is in prayer. The same would happen in Gethsemane. This is evidently a prayer that continued for some time, in silence and reflection. We may think that, at the beginning, they too were praying, until tiredness pre-vailed, until sleep prevailed.

The powerful time of Lent is an opportunity in this regard. It is a period in which God wants to awaken us from our inner lethargy, from this sleepiness that does not let the Spirit express itself. Because — let us bear this in mind — keeping the heart awake does not depend on us alone: it is a grace and must be requested. The three disciples of the Gospel show us this: they were good, they had followed Jesus onto the mountain, but by their own strength they could not stay awake. This happens to us too. However, they awoke precisely during the Transfiguration. We might think that it was the light of Jesus that rea-wakened them. Like them, we too are in need of God’s light, that makes us see things in a different way: it attracts us, it reawakens us, it reignites our desire and strength to pray, to look within ourselves, and to dedicate time to others. We can overcome the tiredness of the body with the strength of the Spirit of God. And when we are unable to overcome this, we must say to the Holy Spirit: “Help us, come, come, Holy Spirit. Help me: I want to encounter Jesus, I want to be attentive, awake”. Asking the Holy Spirit to bring us out of this slumber that prevents us from praying.

In this Lenten time, after the labors of each day, it will do us good not to switch off the light in the room without placing ourselves in the light of God. To pray a little before sleeping. Let’s give the Lord the chance to surprise us and to reawaken our hearts. We can do this, for instance, by opening the Gospel and letting ourselves be amazed by the Word of God, because the Scripture enlightens our steps and in-flames the heart. Or we can look at the crucified Jesus and wonder at the boundless love of God, who never tires of us and has the power to transfigure our days, to give them a new meaning, a new, unexpected light.

May the Virgin May help us to keep our heart awake, to welcome this time of grace that God offers to us. [Synthesized from, Pope Francis, Angelus 13 III 22]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Fr. Rajesh, M.S.C.

2ND Sunday of Lent 2025 Transfiguration

“Listen to him."  The most important words in today’s Gospel…

My friends, to help us better comprehend the impact of the Transfiguration on Peter, James and John, it's important to know what happened before and after the Transfiguration.

Prior to the Transfiguration (Luke 9:18-21), when Jesus was praying and his disciples were with him: 

• Jesus asked them:  "Who do people say that I am ?"

• They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” 

• Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

• Peter answered, "You are the Messiah – the Son of God."

• Jesus rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

Then in the very next verse, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” 

And, now – the Transfiguration:  The trip up the mountain would give the disciples a taste of the Glory of God.  They saw Jesus, Moses and Elijah in their glorified bodies.

And then the cloud – and the voice of God:  "This is my chosen Son.  Listen to him."  Wow !  Can you imagine ? 

The Transfiguration was an uplifting gift to the disciples. They were shattered when Jesus told his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem and would die there.  Things were happening which not only baffled them – but were breaking their hearts. 

The transfiguration gave them something to hold onto:  They had heard God's voice acknowledging Jesus – as his Son.  The Transfiguration allowed them to see that – in spite of the upcoming suffering and killing of Jesus:

• God was still with Jesus.    God was in control. 

• God would see to it that – in the end – Jesus would triumph over hatred – and death itself. 

What a wonderful experience.  No wonder Peter wanted to stay there.  But as life goes, it was time to come down from the mountain.  In the verses following today’s gospel, after Jesus came down from the mountain, he cured a young boy possessed by a demon.  Jesus had his prayerful and spiritual moment on the mountain and then he came down and ministered to and healed that young boy.

Now, some critics said that Peter, James and John only saw a vision and that Moses and Elijah were not really there talking to Jesus.  Peter addressed these people with his eyewitness testimony in the Second Book of Peter:

"We actually saw with our own eyes the transfigured majesty of Jesus.  We ourselves heard the voice of God come from the cloud - on that holy mountain: 'This is my chosen Son.  Listen to him.' "

When Peter wrote this book, he knew that his death as a martyr was coming soon.  Remembering the Transfiguration gave him strength to endure.

The Transfiguration:  Scripture scholars say that Moses and Elijah were there because Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the Prophets.

Peter, James and John were present as witnesses to the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in the person of Jesus as he appeared in glory.  Jesus is the perfect balance of both the Law and the Prophets.

We've heard Jesus say, "I did not come to abolish the Law.  Rather to fulfill the Law.”

We've also seen Jesus break the Law when he forgave someone's sins on a Sabbath.  Or – when Jesus defended his disciples when they were picking grain on a Sabbath – because they were hungry.

In our own life – we also – are challenged to find the balance between the Law and doing what is right... 

• The Law says that the death penalty is legal.  But does that make it right ?

•  In 1955 – Rosa Parks broke the law and was arrested.  Thank God for Rosa Parks.  That bus ride changed history.

My friends, the words and events of the Gospels are not “way out there” in some abstract place.  They're right here – very relevant in our own life.  In our gospel today, Luke shows us that the Transfiguration and the Cross are connected. 

There's also a deep connection by being a faithful disciple of Jesus and our own cross – whatever our particular cross happens to be. 

A few days ago in the hospital, Pope Francis said that he finds suffering as “an experience of profound solidarity with sick and suffering people, finding a blessing in frailty and learning to trust in the Lord.”

So, my friends, as disciples of Christ Jesus, we journey with him in this hopeful Season of Lent.  We know that being a disciple of Jesus is a challenge at times given what’s going on in our life and in the world.  We also know that it means obeying the command of God our Father:    "This is my chosen Son. Listen to him."

Listen to Jesus, who said many times:  "Love one another.  Love your neighbor.  And remember that your neighbor is everyone."