MARK 9:7 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Mark 9:2-10)

Jakarta, 28 February 2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

GOD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME COMPASSION HE HAD FOR JESUS

GOD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE THE SAME COMPASSION HE HAD FOR JESUS

(A biblical reflection on THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT [YEAR B], 28 February 2021)

Gospel Reading: Mark 9:2-10

First Reading: Genesis 22:1-2,9-10,13,15-18; Psalms: Psalm 116:10,15-19; Second Reading: Romans 8:31-34

The Scripture Text

And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them, and His garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.” And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only.

And as they were coming down the mountain, He charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.(Mark 9:2-10 RSV)

What was the motivation of Jesus to climb the mountain of transfiguration? Why would He take Peter, James, and John away for this brief interlude of prayer when He was so busy in His ministry? Jesus wanted to seek His Father’s face. Jesus had just revealed the mystery of His death to His apostles and was about to begin His final journey to Jerusalem, where He would be mocked, beaten, and crucified (See Mark 8:31; 10:32-34). Jesus was at a point in His ministry where He needed assurance from His Father in heaven.

God responded to Jesus’ prayer in the transfiguration. Yes, Jesus must die. But He would be raised up in glory, and all creation would be renewed in Him. He would shine with the Father’s glory, and His love would be poured out to all the world. Moses, the lawgiver, saw the law that would be written upon the hearts of the people. Elijah, the prophet of God, saw the one who would speak God’s still, small voice into human hearts. Seeing Jesus glorified, these servants of the Lord rejoiced that the fulfillment of God’s promises was at hand.

God wants us to experience the same compassion He had for Jesus. Everything is in His hands, and can trust Him completely. Consider Abraham’s anguish as he ascended the mountain to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, for whom he had prayed so long. How would Sarah ever understand? Still, Abraham went forward, trusting – and discovering – that a greater glory would come (see Genesis 22:1-18).

Abraham’s story and the transfiguration show that glory always comes when we accept God’s provision for us. God allows many things to occur that we may have a hard time understanding – a hard day, a difficult relationship, or even a sudden death in the family. In these times, we can cry out to God, trusting Paul’s words: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him” (Romans 8:32). God wants us to cooperate with His plan for us and so experience victory in Him.

Prayer: Holy and Almighty God, in Your fatherly love, work in our lives. Prepare us for the glory that will be ours when Your Son returns. During this Lenten Season, help us to surrender any ways that oppose Your perfect plan. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Jakarta, 27 February 2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

MATTHEW 5:48 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:43-48)

Jakarta, 27 February 2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

MATTHEW 5:23-24 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:20-26)

Jakarta, 26 February 2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

MATTHEW 7:12 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Matthew 7:7-12)

Jakarta, 25 Februarty 2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

LUKE 11:32 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Luke 11:29-32)

Jakarta, 24 February 2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

MATTHEW 6:14-15 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:7-15)

Jakarta, 23 February 2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

MATTHEW 16:19 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Matthew 16:13-19)

Jakarta, 22 February2021

A Christian Pilgrim

 

MARK 1:14-15 (Today’s Gospel Reading: Mark 1:12-15)

Jakarta, 21 February 2021 [1st SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR B]

A Christian Pilgrim

 

ALL JESUS ASKS IS THAT WE TRUST HIM

ALL JESUS ASKS IS THAT WE TRUST HIM

(A biblical reflection on THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT [YEAR B], 21 February 2021)

Gospel Reading: Mark 1:12-15 

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-15; Psalms: Psalm 25:4-9; Second Reading: 1Peter 3:18-22

The Scripture Text

The Spirit immediately drove Him out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:12-15 RSV)

Before the world began, God knew us, loved us, and called us to know and to love Him. The Old Testament describes a number of covenants God made with His people to prepare them to receive His life more fully. Time and again, however, God’s people failed to uphold His covenants, and as a consequence they separated themselves from His love and protection.

Yet God loved the world so much that in the fullness of time He sent His only begotten Son to teach, to heal, and ultimately to die, establishing a new, unending covenant in His blood. This is the new covenant that God promised through the prophet Ezekiel: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

We enter into this new covenant at baptism, and by lives of faith we allow the Spirit to unite us with Jesus more fully each day. We become a new creation in Christ. Having died with Him, it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us (see Galatians 2:20).

This miracle of baptism into a new covenant is prefigured in many ways in the Old Testament, but there is none more colorful than the story of Noah (Genesis 6-9). From its earliest days, the Church has seen in the flood a type of the water of baptism, which washes away the sins of the flesh and gives humanity a new beginning.

Our new beginning in baptism is a participation in Jesus’ life. Just as He was tested in the wilderness for forty days, we too will experience times of testing and growth. God gives us these seasons to teach us to surrender ourselves to Him more fully and to show us how utterly faithful He is to His promises. He loves us so much that He will never abandon us. All He asks is that we trust Him – just as Noah and his family did – to see us through the storms.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, during this season of Lent, speak Your words of covenant love to us. By Your Spirit, help us to trust more fully in You so that, like Your Son Jesus, we would be heralds of Your Kingdom on earth. Amen.

Jakarta, 20 February 2021  

A Christian Pilgrim