1 March 2026 (Sunday) / Second Sunday of Lent

1 March 2026 (Sunday)

Second Sunday of Lent.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: Genesis 12: 1-4a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 33: 4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Second Reading: Second Timothy 1: 8b-10
Verse Before the Gospel: Matthew 17: 5
Gospel: Matthew 17: 1-9

First Reading: Genesis 12: 1-4a

1 And the Lord said to Abram: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and out of thy father’s house, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed.
3 I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and IN THEE shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed:
4a So Abram went out as the Lord had commanded him.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 33: 4-5, 18-19, 20, 22

R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
4 For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done with faithfulness.
5 He loveth mercy and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
18 Behold the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear him: and on them that hope in his mercy.
19 To deliver their souls from death; and feed them in famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: for he is our helper and protector.
22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in thee.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Second Reading: Second Timothy 1: 8b-10

8b Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but labour with the gospel, according to the power of God,
9 Who hath delivered us and called us by his holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the times of the world.
10 But is now made manifest by the illumination of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath destroyed death, and hath brought to light life and incorruption by the gospel.

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.

Gospel: Matthew 17: 1-9

1 And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart:
2 And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow.
3 And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.
6 And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not.
8 And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.

For our reflection today:

The Gospel of this second Sunday of Lent presents to us the account of Jesus’ Transfiguration (cf. Matthew 17:1-9). Jesus took aside three of the Apostles, Peter, James and John, and led them up a high mountain, where this singular phenomenon happened: Jesus’ face “shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light” (v. 2). The Lord thus made that divine glory shine in His person, which could be received with faith in His preaching and in His miraculous gestures. The Transfiguration on the mountain was accompanied by the apparition of Moses and Elijah, “talking with Him” (v. 3).

The “luminosity” that characterised this extraordinary event symbolised its purpose: to enlighten the minds and hearts of the disciples, so that they were able to understand clearly who their Master was. It was a sudden flash of light on the mystery of Jesus, illuminating His whole person and His whole story. By now decisively on the way to Jerusalem, where he will be condemned to death by crucifixion, Jesus wishes to prepare His followers for this scandal – the scandal of the Cross – for this scandal that is too strong for their faith and, at the same time, to announce in advance His resurrection, manifesting Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. And Jesus prepares them for that sad moment of great pain.

Indeed, Jesus is showing them a Messiah Who differs from their expectations, from what they imagined of the Messiah, of how the Messiah would be: not a powerful and glorious king, but a humble and disarmed; not a lord of great wealth, a sign of blessing, but a poor man with nowhere to rest His head; not a patriarch with many descendants but an unmarried man with neither house nor home. It is truly a revelation of God turned upside down, and the most disconcerting sign of this scandalous reversal is the cross. But it is precisely through the cross that Jesus will attain His glorious resurrection which will be definitive, unlike this transfiguration that lasted a moment, an instant. Jesus transfigured on Mount Tabor wished to show His glory to His disciples not to avoid their passing through the cross, but to show where the cross leads.

He who dies with Christ, will rise again with Christ. And the cross is the door of the Resurrection. Those who fight with Him will triumph with Him. This is the message of hope contained in Christ’s cross, urging fortitude in our existence. The Christian Cross is not an ornament for the home or to wear; the Christian cross is an appeal to the love with which Jesus sacrificed Himself to save humanity from evil and from sin. In this Lenten Season, we contemplate with devotion the image of Jesus crucified on the cross: it is the symbol of the Christian faith; it is the emblem of Jesus, dead and risen for us. Let us therefore regard the Cross as marking the stages of our Lenten journey, to understand increasingly the gravity of sin and the value of the sacrifice with which the Redeemer saved us all. The Holy Virgin was able to contemplate Jesus’ glory hidden in His humanity. May she help us to be with Him in silent prayer, and may we let ourselves by enlightened by His presence, to keep in our heart, through the darkest nights, a reflection of His glory.
(The Pope Francis's words at the Angelus prayer)

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Pelayan Atasan Tertinggi / Most High Servant,
Yesus, Maria, Yusuf Pelayanan Kasih / Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love 
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)

My vocation is Blessed and Saints.

"I am the most humble of all the Saints in Heaven" Mary, Mother of God.

"I am the handmaid of the Lord, said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me."

Mother Mary is the most humble Saint in Heaven and she is also the Mother of God for us all
(Luke 1:38)