March 8 - Second Sunday in Lent : Transfiguration

 

First Reading Genesis 12:1-4a
God promises Abram a great blessing.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 33:4-5,18-20,22
God's mercy is upon those who trust in God.

Second Reading   2 Timothy 1:8b-10
Through God's grace we are called to holiness.

Gospel Reading
Matthew 17:1-9

The transfiguration of Jesus offers the disciples an ever fuller glimpse of who Jesus is and what he will do. The shadow of the Cross and the imminent suffering and death were always before the eyes of Jesus. The disciples too must become sharers in His Cross. The transfiguration experience provided them an extraordinary strength to face the future. The disciple who witnessed the heavenly glory must also witness his earthly agony at Gethsemane. That is the same for us: suffering and glory are both a call and a gift.