2024/02/25 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Second Sunday of Lent
- Nicole Zenner, Chief of Staff & Strategy
A blinding light. An unthinkable sacrifice. Hearing the voice of God.
Any one of those things would render us speechless, afraid, and helpless. Today’s readings are a roller coaster of emotions for us simple humans. No disrespect to the brilliant minds and servant hearts of our parish family, but compared to God, we are simple. Like Peter’s well-intentioned, but oh-you-missed-the-point, response to build three tents after seeing Jesus converse with Elijah and Moses; we don’t always respond in the correct way.
As these readings remind us during this season of Lent, we need to pause and pray. We need to open our hearts and our ears to listen to God. We need to ask for the Holy Spirit to help us discern what we hear and the wisdom to respond in the correct way. One thought that came to me during my reflection of the first reading is that God knows every single thing about us. He doesn’t put us through any tests or sacrifices to understand how strong our faith is in Him. He already knows! We go through tests and sacrifices to know more about the depths of ourselves, to grow into our simple humanity, to understand how much we depend on God, and how infinite God’s love is for us.
There are those of us in our parish family who have faced an unthinkable sacrifice, similar to what Abraham faced. As much as we would pray to never have to face sacrifice and suffering, we grow more as God’s children having gone through the trials and tragedies we have gone through. As Peter Kreeft writes, “If we never suffered, we could have no compassion for those who suffer. If we had no fear, we could have no courage to face fear. If we had no poverty, no unmet needs, we could have no gratitude for gifts that filled our needs and overcame our poverty. And without compassion, without courage, and without gratitude, no one can be wise, or good, or even happy.” In the midst of, or in the aftermath of sacrifice, it’s difficult to even begin to appreciate that quote. But these are the ways that God reveals himself to us in the present age. We are not Peter, James, and John seeing God’s beloved Son in front of us. But in listening to God, especially in the sacrifices we face, He is revealed.
In this season of Lent, we want you to remember that God loves you. He yearns to be a bigger part of your life. Are you ready to say, “Here, I am”?