Quote of the day, 1 March: Silvio José Båez, ocd
On this second Sunday of Lent, we continue our journey of freedom and light, of prayer and conversion, towards the Lordâs Passover.
If last Sundayâs Gospel showed us Jesus up on a high mountainâsubject to the temptation to abandon the ways of God, reducing his Messianic character to material satisfaction, the manipulation of God, and the quest for power and fameâthis Sunday we contemplate him on another mountain, but one filled with light and glory. We see him as the beloved Son of the Father, the one whose voice we must listen and follow.
This Sundayâs Gospel, which was written according to the model of the theophanies (i.e., the divine revelations of the Old Testament), says that Jesus went up with Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray.
Mount Tabor seen from Peace Park | Image credit: Steve Conger / Flickr (Some rights reserved) The mountain is terrain that rises up vertically; it is closest to heaven, the resting place of Godâs feet. As the prophet, Amos says: He âtreads on the heights of the earthâ (Amos 4:13). The mountains are pointing towards the mystery and depth of the cosmos, towards the infinite; they are the land that penetrates heaven. And Jesus climbs a mountain to pray.
Prayer is like climbing a mountainânot physically, but by entering into the depths of our being where we find Godâs heart filled with light.
Climbing the mountain means entering within ourselves, beyond feelings and reasons, beyond all the ups and downs of daily life, carrying in our hearts the great problems of the world.
Prayer is about entering within ourselves with our hands full of faces and experiences. When we pray we allow ourselves to be enlightened and transfigured by the loving and peaceful light of God who dwells within our heart, âin its deepest centerâ (Cf. Saint John of the Cross, The Living Flame Of Love)
Indeed, while Jesus was praying, his face changed appearance. Prayer is transforming: it transforms you into what you contemplate, what you hear, and what you loveâand you become like the One to whom you pray. Psalm 34 says: âLook to him, and be radiant!â (Ps 34:5).
Silvio José Båez, o.c.d.
Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily, Second Sunday of Lent, 17 March 2019 (excerpt)
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Managua
Bishop BĂĄez visits a parish on the First Sunday of Lent,
14 February 2016 | Image credit:
@sj.baez / Facebook (Used by permission)
Translation from the Spanish text is the bloggerâs own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: Detail from Icon: The Transfiguration, tempera on panel, first quarter 16th century, Novgorod. From the Feasts Tier collection. Image credit: State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (Public domain).
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