Lent 2020 Catholic Volunteer Network and Catholic Apostolate Center Lenten Guide 2020 | Page 5

By Heidi Cerneka, Maryknoll Lay Missioners
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to
him.” (Matthew 17:1-9)
Today’s Gospel calls us to recognize the presence of God among us, hear the voice of God commanding us to
listen to Jesus’ message, and walk the road with Him. Similarly, the Transfiguration was not just a moment in the
spotlight for Jesus, but a confirmation of God’s vibrant presence throughout the yet unfinished line of our history,
from Moses and Elijah to the present. Jesus invited the disciples to climb the mountain with Him, but at the end of
the day, they had to go back down the mountain and journey towards the passion and crucifixion. Talk about highs
and lows!
The line of salvation history is long and unfinished. These are “Calvary” times. I work as an immigration attorney at
the U.S. border and witness lives being shattered as migrants are denied a fair chance to ask for asylum as
promised by national and international laws. Every day, Jesus, the Son of God, reveals Himself through people like
Miriam, Jennifer, Juan, and Ali. St. Oscar Romero urges us, the people of God, to “come down from Tabor to
Calvary” walking with Jesus, transfigured, bloodied, crucified and resurrected. God speaks to me “from the cloud” -
if I pay attention. How do I hold firmly the belief that God is here right now in this Calvary moment in history and
that the resurrection is not a hope, but a promise?
Loving God, in the Transfiguration, you are present and incarnate. Too often, we get
sidetracked, wanting to “build booths on the mountain” and show others what we have
experienced. Keep our sights on You. Help us to listen to You and to Your Beloved Son as you
speak to us through our world and in unexpected ways.
In these difficult times of violence, greed, individualism and separation, help us to be Your
presence, to walk together as community, knowing the resurrection is the end of the story and
we are called to bring it to reality right here, right now.
Jesus called Peter, James and John to stay focused. “Do not be afraid,” he said, but he also said not to go erecting
booths or blogging about what they saw. This is not about who we tell, but about how we KNOW God, how we
listen to Jesus incarnate and alive. We are not called to “stay on the mountain.” God constantly reveals Godself to
us, and then we must come down from the mountain and live “God among us.” It will lead us to Calvary at times,
but it will also lead us to the resurrection and life.
Jesus Christ is present among us. We are the Body of Christ. This week, seek someone who you find difficult in
your life. Try to find Christ present in her or him, and in some way, try also to show Christ's presence to that
person. Too often we close our minds and our hearts and lock onto what we “know” as the only answer. Engage
in a conversation by listening first. God exhorts us to “listen” to Jesus. Do the same with someone you don’t
know, or don’t know well enough.
Second Sunday of Lent | 2020