Sunday 16 March 2025 / 2nd Sunday of Lent / Second Sunday of Lent.

Sunday 16 March 2025

2nd Sunday of Lent.

Second Sunday of Lent.

First Reading: Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-18 Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 27: 1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14 

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

Verse Before the Gospel: Matthew 17: 5 

Gospel: Luke 9: 28b-36

First Reading : Genesis 15:5‐12,17‐18

Taking Abram outside, the Lord said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can.’ ‘Such will be your descendants,’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified. ‘I am the Lord’ he said to him ‘who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to make you heir to this land.’ ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘how am I to know that I shall inherit it?’ He said to him, ‘Get me a three‐year‐old heifer, a three‐year‐old goat, a three‐year‐old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these, cut them in half and put half on one side and half facing it on the other; but the birds he did not cut in half. Birds of prey came down on the carcases but Abram drove them off. Now as the sun was setting Abram fell into a deep sleep, and terror seized him. When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, there appeared a smoking furnace and a firebrand that went between the halves. That day the Lord made a Covenant with Abram in these terms: ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River.’

Responsive Psalm : Psalm 26(27):1,7‐9,13‐14

The Lord is my light and my help.

The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?

The Lord is my light and my help.

O Lord, hear my voice when I call; have mercy and answer. Of you my heart has spoken: ‘Seek his face.’

The Lord is my light and my help.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face. Dismiss not your servant in anger; you have been my help.

The Lord is my light and my help.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help.

Second Reading : Philippians 3:17‐4:1

My brothers, be united in following my rule of life. Take as your models everybody who is already doing this and study them as you used to study us. I have told you often, and I repeat it today with tears, there are many who are behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ. They are destined to be lost. They make foods into their god and they are proudest of something they ought to think shameful; the things they think important are earthly things. For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe. So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful in the Lord. I miss you very much, dear friends; you are my joy and my crown.

Verse Before the Gospel: Matthew 17: 5

5  From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard: This is my beloved Son, hear him.

(5. He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and suddenly from the cloud there came a voice which said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.')

Gospel : Luke 9:28‐36

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

Words of the Holy Father:

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 prevailed, until sleep prevailed. (…) 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 reawakened 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. (Angelus, 13 March 2022)

Santo Heribertus, Uskup.

Santo Heribertus dilahirkan di Worms. Dia adalah anak kepada Hugo, berpendidikan di sekolah Katedral Worms dan di Biara Benediktin Gorze di Lorraine, Prancis. Pada tahun 994 dia telah ditahbiskan sebagai paderi.

Pada tahun yang sama Otto III menunjuknya sebagai kanselir untuk Italia dan empat tahun kemudian juga untuk Jerman, sebuah posisi yang dia pegang sampai kematian Otto tanggal 23 Januari 1002. Santo Heribertus diangkat menjadi Uskup Agung Cologne pada tahun 998. Semasa itu, ia juga  melayani Kaisar St. Henry. Santo Heribert membangun biara di Deutz, di Rhine dan melakukan mukjizat, termasuk mengakhiri kekeringan. Dia memiliki kemampuan untuk mendatangkan hujan. Pada tanggal 16 Maret 1021, Santo Heribertus meninggal dan dia dimakamkan di Deutz.

Dia telah dihormati sebagai orang kudus selama hidupnya dan dikanonisasi oleh Paus Santo Gregorius VII sekitar 1074.

HARI MINGGU

PRAPASKAH II

Kej. 15:5-12,17-18; Mzm. 27:1,7-8,9abc,13-14; Flp. 3:17-4:1; Luk. 9:28b-36

Warna Liturgi Ungu

Kej 15:5 Lalu TUHAN membawa Abram ke luar serta berfirman: "Coba lihat ke langit, hitunglah bintang-bintang, jika engkau dapat menghitungnya." Maka firman-Nya kepadanya: "Demikianlah banyaknya nanti keturunanmu."

Kej 15:6 Lalu percayalah Abram kepada TUHAN, maka TUHAN memperhitungkan hal itu kepadanya sebagai kebenaran.

Kej 15:7 Lagi firman TUHAN kepadanya: "Akulah TUHAN, yang membawa engkau keluar dari Ur-Kasdim untuk memberikan negeri ini kepadamu menjadi milikmu."

Kej 15:8 Kata Abram: "Ya Tuhan ALLAH, dari manakah aku tahu, bahwa aku akan memilikinya?"

Kej 15:9 Firman TUHAN kepadanya: "Ambillah bagi-Ku seekor lembu betina berumur tiga tahun, seekor kambing betina berumur tiga tahun, seekor domba jantan berumur tiga tahun, seekor burung tekukur dan seekor anak burung merpati."

Kej 15:10 Diambilnyalah semuanya itu bagi TUHAN, dipotong dua, lalu diletakkannya bagian-bagian itu yang satu di samping yang lain, tetapi burung-burung itu tidak dipotong dua.

Kej 15:11 Ketika burung-burung buas hinggap pada daging binatang-binatang itu, maka Abram mengusirnya.

Kej 15:12 Menjelang matahari terbenam, tertidurlah Abram dengan nyenyak. Lalu turunlah meliputinya gelap gulita yang mengerikan.

Kej 15:17 Ketika matahari telah terbenam, dan hari menjadi gelap, maka kelihatanlah perapian yang berasap beserta suluh yang berapi lewat di antara potongan-potongan daging itu.

Kej 15:18 Pada hari itulah TUHAN mengadakan perjanjian dengan Abram serta berfirman: "Kepada keturunanmulah Kuberikan negeri ini, mulai dari sungai Mesir sampai ke sungai yang besar itu, sungai Efrat:

Mzm 27:1 Dari Daud. TUHAN adalah terangku dan keselamatanku, kepada siapakah aku harus takut? TUHAN adalah benteng hidupku, terhadap siapakah aku harus gemetar?

Mzm 27:7 Dengarlah, TUHAN, seruan yang kusampaikan, kasihanilah aku dan jawablah aku!

Mzm 27:8 Hatiku mengikuti firman-Mu: "Carilah wajah-Ku"; maka wajah-Mu kucari, ya TUHAN.

Mzm 27:9 Janganlah menyembunyikan wajah-Mu kepadaku, janganlah menolak hamba-Mu ini dengan murka; Engkaulah pertolonganku, janganlah membuang aku dan janganlah meninggalkan aku, ya Allah penyelamatku!

Mzm 27:13 Sesungguhnya, aku percaya akan melihat kebaikan TUHAN di negeri orang-orang yang hidup!

Mzm 27:14 Nantikanlah TUHAN! Kuatkanlah dan teguhkanlah hatimu! Ya, nantikanlah TUHAN!

Flp 3:17 Saudara-saudara, ikutilah teladanku dan perhatikanlah mereka, yang hidup sama seperti kami yang menjadi teladanmu.

Flp 3:18 Karena, seperti yang telah kerap kali kukatakan kepadamu, dan yang kunyatakan pula sekarang sambil menangis, banyak orang yang hidup sebagai seteru salib Kristus.

Flp 3:19 Kesudahan mereka ialah kebinasaan, Tuhan mereka ialah perut mereka, kemuliaan mereka ialah aib mereka, pikiran mereka semata-mata tertuju kepada perkara duniawi.

Flp 3:20 Karena kewargaan kita adalah di dalam sorga, dan dari situ juga kita menantikan Tuhan Yesus Kristus sebagai Juruselamat,

Flp 3:21 yang akan mengubah tubuh kita yang hina ini, sehingga serupa dengan tubuh-Nya yang mulia, menurut kuasa-Nya yang dapat menaklukkan segala sesuatu kepada diri-Nya.

Flp 4:1 Karena itu, saudara-saudara yang kukasihi dan yang kurindukan, sukacitaku dan mahkotaku, berdirilah juga dengan teguh dalam Tuhan, hai saudara-saudaraku yang kekasih!

Luk 9:28 Kira-kira delapan hari sesudah segala pengajaran itu, Yesus membawa Petrus, Yohanes dan Yakobus, lalu naik ke atas gunung untuk berdoa.

Luk 9:29 Ketika Ia sedang berdoa, rupa wajah-Nya berubah dan pakaian-Nya menjadi putih berkilau-kilauan.

Luk 9:30 Dan tampaklah dua orang berbicara dengan Dia, yaitu Musa dan Elia.

Luk 9:31 Keduanya menampakkan diri dalam kemuliaan dan berbicara tentang tujuan kepergian-Nya yang akan digenapi-Nya di Yerusalem.

Luk 9:32 Sementara itu Petrus dan teman-temannya telah tertidur dan ketika mereka terbangun mereka melihat Yesus dalam kemuliaan-Nya: dan kedua orang yang berdiri di dekat-Nya itu.

Luk 9:33 Dan ketika kedua orang itu hendak meninggalkan Yesus, Petrus berkata kepada-Nya: "Guru, betapa bahagianya kami berada di tempat ini. Baiklah kami dirikan sekarang tiga kemah, satu untuk Engkau, satu untuk Musa dan satu untuk Elia." Tetapi Petrus tidak tahu apa yang dikatakannya itu.

Luk 9:34 Sementara ia berkata demikian, datanglah awan menaungi mereka. Dan ketika mereka masuk ke dalam awan itu, takutlah mereka.

Luk 9:35 Maka terdengarlah suara dari dalam awan itu, yang berkata: "Inilah Anak-Ku yang Kupilih, dengarkanlah Dia."

Luk 9:36 Ketika suara itu terdengar, nampaklah Yesus tinggal seorang diri. Dan murid-murid itu merahasiakannya, dan pada masa itu mereka tidak menceriterakan kepada siapapun apa yang telah mereka lihat itu.

Prepared and updated by:

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.