Wednesday

"This is my chosen Son; listen to him."

The gospel reading last Sunday brought us to a ‘desert’ experience. This Second Sunday in Lent, Feb. 24, 2013, Luke brings us to a ‘mountain’ experience: the transfiguration of the Lord (Luke 9:28-36). Here, our Lord gives us another lesson in faith: We must keep faith in him, because he is God’s chosen son, in whom God’s redemptive plan is fulfilled.


Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Second Sunday in Lent, Feb. 24, 2013 (2LentC)
From the
Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University

Sunday Readings
Podcast of the Readings 
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios 
New American Bible
Prayer of the Hours
BQ: How Catholic are you? Take the Quiz

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Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups,
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
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First Reading
Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18

1. In Genesis 15:5 God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. It is to this promise that Abraham clings as he raises the knife to kill his son. Where do you fall on the continuum, with 1 being low and 10 high, when blind trust is required of you?

2. Is Abraham willing to offer the one he loves most because God asked it? Is God the Father willing to let the one he loves most die to show how far he will go for humankind? In the end is Isaac willing to be sacrificed? Is Jesus willing to give his life (in union with the Father’s willingness to give everything, even his son) to show how much God loves humankind?

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 27: 1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14

1. Our psalmist seeks God's face. Does your heart seek a right relationship with the Lord? Speak of how you are drawn to the Lord and how He makes himself accessible to you.

2. The season of Lent can be a time of transformation for us. But we cannot change our hearts by ourselves; we all need the Lord's help, as does our psalmist, 'You are my helper; cast me not off.' Tell of how you are becoming a better person with the help of the Lord.

Second Reading
Philippians 3:17–4:1 or 3:20–4:1

1. The Old Testament describes “Emanuel” as God with us. This reading says God is not only with us, but: “for us. Christ … indeed intercedes for us.” Explain how this statement could be a real anti-depression agent.

2. How does being “for” someone and interceding for him/her relate to “love your neighbor?”

Gospel
Luke 9:28b-36

1. It took a blinding light for Peter, James and John to begin to see or understand who Jesus was. Think of some times that you have seen the divine in the ordinary. Share your experiences with others. Think of some areas in your country, Church or life that need to be reconfigured before you would be able to see much of the divine in them. Explain.

2. Why do you think Elijah and Moses were part of this scene?

Sunday Bible Study Group

Please share your thoughts on these Sunday Readings. And please do use these questions for your own Bible study sessions with family and friends.
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1 comment:

  1. Barry Lamont10:09 AM

    “Come, says my heart, seek God’s face;
    Your face, Lord, do I seek!”

    Our psalmist, David, puts into words
    what we feel in our hearts, which is
    to seek a right relationship with
    the Lord. We are drawn to the Lord;
    we wish to speak to Him face to face,
    to be in His presence, to listen to
    His Word, and to serve Him faithfully.

    We may not have the faith of
    Abraham (1st reading), but we know
    that a right relationship with the Lord
    is key for us, because without that
    face to face relationship, we have
    little chance of salvation. Our psalmist
    knows the critical importance of salvation:
    “Do not forsake me, God, my savior.”

    Few of us will be able to speak directly
    with God, but God makes himself
    accessible through His Son, Jesus,
    as described in St Paul’s letter to the
    Philippians (2nd reading). St Paul promises
    that our own bodies will be changed,
    to conform with Christ’s glorified body.
    This is how our own transfiguration
    takes place.

    What can we do to be sure we share
    in Christ’s glory? St Paul tells the
    brothers in Philippi, “Stand firm in
    the Lord.” And our psalmist agrees:
    “Wait for the Lord, take courage,
    be stouthearted, wait for the Lord.”

    What better way for us to stand firm
    in the Lord than to commune with Him
    in prayer, to worship Him, to be
    transformed by Him, as were those disciples
    that day when Jesus was transfigured
    on the mountain. Having been transformed,
    we, like the disciples, will be emboldened
    in our faith -- 'Of whom should I be afraid?'
    In our day to day battles against evil forces,
    we need not fear any one, for He is our refuge.

    Amen

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