A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 6, n. 12)
Second Sunday of Lent, Year A – February 17, 2008
“A Vocation to Grace and Glory”
BIBLE READINGS
Gen 12:1-4a // II Tim 1:8b-10 // Mt 17:1-9
N.B. Series 6 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 3.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
The Old Testament readings of the Sundays of Lent highlight important moments in the formation of Israel as a nation. The Old Testament passage read last Sunday from the book of Genesis about the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve in the primeval garden (Gen 2:7-9; 3:1-7) created the necessary backdrop for the appearance of heroic figures in salvation history – those who would promote the saving plan of the merciful, loving and gracious God. Today and in the coming Sundays, we shall listen to episodes in the lives of our forefathers Abraham, Moses and David, which are significant for our life as Church - the new Israel - the covenant nation formed by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ.
This Sunday we hear God calling Abraham to be the father of nations and the patriarch’s marvelous, obedient response to the divine call. Through Abraham’s faith and trust in Yahweh’s benevolent initiative, humanity’s compulsive path to destruction was radically changed. The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “The first eleven chapters of Genesis showed how the tragedy of sin had wrecked its havoc on mankind. Murder, vengeance, flood, drunkenness, worldwide dispersion of peoples – all were recorded in these chapters. The direction that humankind was taking was all downhill and could only end in annihilation. Then came the call … This is what makes the call of Abraham so dramatic. The situation will be changed; the direction of human history will be reversed. Instead of damnation there will be salvation. In the Bible, salvation always means that God takes the initiative in bringing about a wholeness of being in his creatures. This does not mean that no human response is required. God’s grace is a gift, but it must be used. The divine initiative is abundantly clear in God’s blessing of Abraham.”
In calling Abraham, God offered him both a challenge and a promise of blessing. The call summoned him away from his former life and challenged him to an ineffable relationship based entirely on faith and trust in God. Harold Buetow remarks: “Today we see the seventy-five-year-old Abram, to whom God appeared in his hometown of Haran in Mesopotamia to tell him to travel to Canaan to fulfill the destiny God had in mind for him there. Although the possessions of this nomad were not many, it is not difficult for us to imagine Abram’s hardships in having to leave his home, his family, and all the things that made up his world, to face the perils and uncertainty of the unknown. But Abram loved God and lived his life searching for God’s voice and, being a good man, when he heard it he took the risk of letting go of all that was secure and familiar, to journey by faith into the completely unknown. Striking as it is that he obeyed, even more striking is his swiftness. There is no sense of self-protection of the kind that too often characterizes our world.”
The vocation of Abraham was a vocation to grace and glory. It was replete with divine favor and blessing. God promised him: “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessings in you” (Gen 12:2-3). Responding to God’s command to leave his homeland to an unfamiliar land that God would show him, Abraham “went” with his wife Sarah. His “going” into the direction of the divine will was necessary for receiving the fullness of God’s gifts. By leaving behind his country, relatives and homeland, Abraham would become the father of a posterity that would end in the “new people of God”. In obedient faith, Abraham traveled to his true destiny of grace and glory
The remarkable response of Abraham to Yahweh prefigures the unconditional response of Jesus Christ to the divine saving plan and his absolute commitment to God’s gracious will to bestow abundant blessings upon all nations. In the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain were the pledge of grace and the vision of future Easter glory. Like Abraham, Jesus embarked on a journey of faith and took the stance of a humble servant. As the beloved Son-Servant of Yahweh, Jesus surrendered to the loving mysterious plan of God and became the wellspring of blessings for the Church, the new people of Israel.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 2, explicate: “The Lenten liturgy proposes the mystery of Jesus’ transfiguration to the contemplation of the faithful, who are slowly moving toward the feast of Easter … In the liturgy, the Gospel of the transfiguration is proclaimed to reveal the meaning of the Lenten ascent toward Easter, which the Church, following the Lord, accomplishes to renew the faith and hope of the ecclesial community, to stimulate its zeal. Matthew’s Gospel presents a vision of Christ in glory … The Gospel of the transfiguration illuminates the Lenten pilgrimage of the Church. The tragedy of the cross is not thereby lessened, but it is placed in the perspective of the Easter radiance.”
The call of Abraham, the father of God’s people, and the transfiguration of Jesus, Abraham’s sterling progeny, inspire the Church to take greater cognizance of our own vocation to grace and glory. Our fascinating destiny is to be with God and be replete with his merciful and bounteous blessings of light, joy and peace through intimate participation in the paschal mystery of Jesus, the beloved and obedient Servant-Son of Yahweh.
The following story illustrates how Sandra Lee opened herself to future possibilities and painstakingly pursued her true destiny (cf. Sandra Lee, “Recipe for Success” in FAMILY CIRCLE, November 1, 2007, p. 83-88). Known for her best-selling SEMI-HOMEMADE cookbooks and food network show, Sandra had a tragic past, but succeeded in turning her tragedy into triumph. Like Abraham and Jesus, she trod the difficult path and responded to her vocation to grace and glory.
I was about two years old when my mother, Vicky, dropped my younger sister Cindy and me off at Grandma Lorraine’s house in Santa Monica, California, one sunny afternoon in 1968, promising to return shortly. We didn’t see her again for four years. Grandma Lorraine was the mother of my birth father, Wayne. Vicky and Wayne were typical high school sweethearts. They filed for divorce about two years after they said, “I do,” somewhere around Cindy’s first birthday. I started calling Grandma Lorraine “Mommy,” and Vicky became a distant memory. Grandma Lorraine loved being in the kitchen. Some of my fondest memories are of baking with her. Grandma’s vanilla cake with butter cream frosting was my favorite. She also knew how to stretch a dollar better than anyone, mostly because she had to. She taught me to save money at an early age, opening my very own savings account when I was four … These were important lessons that would come in very handy a few years later. Grandma Lorraine reminded us what a gift life is and how important it was to embrace the joy in each and every day. She’d talk about all the possibilities that tomorrow could bring. Not long after my sixth birthday, Vicky came back into our lives. She arrived with her new husband, Richard. Vicky and Richard tried to explain that they were our mom and dad, but I wondered why these strangers wanted to take us away. Slowly I adjusted to my new life in Marina del Rey. (…)
Richard was transferred to Washington State for his job as computer programmer, and everything changed. Vicky’s mood was becoming unpredictable and more volatile. Three years later Richard left Vicky, and at age 12 I became mom, sister, caretaker and homemaker of our family. There were six of us in the house – Richie and Johnny were born after we moved to Washington State – but I was the one looking after everyone. Vicky spent her days lying on the coach, taking pills and screaming at us. When the welfare check arrived, I’d bike to the bank to deposit it. Then I paid our bills to ensure our gas and electricity weren’t shut off. Next I’d use the food stamps to stock the kitchen as best I could. I was so glad Grandma had taught me how to cook and be frugal, because there was no other way for us to make it through. (…)
One morning before school, when I was 15, Vicky looked me in the eyes and said, “You are going to be so much more than I am when you grow up.” It was the only compliment I can remember her ever giving me. As usual I said nothing, but I couldn’t help thinking that I was going to be so much more than she in ways she couldn’t possibly imagine. I wanted to be the opposite of Vicky – kind, generous, supportive and nurturing, thoughtful and disciplined. I stared at her in disgust until I could no longer contain myself and said, “You’re right. I am going to be more than you.” The words stunned us both. She flew into an uncontrollable rage and grabbed me. Her punches were landing fast and hard – I could barely catch my breath. I lay there thinking this had to end or I would die. She beat me until she was done. I called my boyfriend, Duanne, and when he arrived at the house, he took one look at me and said, “Go pack. You are not coming back.” I moved in with Duanne’s family until I could decide what to do next. I contacted Grandma Lorraine and she told me that Wayne and his girlfriend Patty were moving to Wisconsin and would love to have me live with them. I left for Wisconsin on June 30, 1982, three days before my sixteenth birthday … I discovered I had a knack for putting together business outlines and marketing plans and decided to pursue a business degree. (…)
I decided to create a total lifestyle company … I wanted to design solution-based products that would make women heroes in their home. I noticed that one group not being served in the marketplace was women who didn’t have enough time to whip up tasty meals from scratch … I decided to refocus my energies by closing down the lifestyle company and writing my first cookbook … I decided to name my cookbook and approach to cooking Semi-Homemade … I sold SEMI-HOMEMADE COOKING primarily through television channels and small book sellers. It was an instant hit. (…)
The only way to move forward is to live an authentic life and be true to who you really are. I was dealt a hand that might have had a different outcome if I ever allowed myself to feel like a victim. Resilience is key. Learning to stand strong in the face of challenge and adversity is my secret to survival. Picking up and moving forward is the only thing we can do. And making your life matter is the most important thing of all.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What is significant in the story of the call of Abraham? How did his positive and total response change the course of human history? Do you recognize the graciousness of the almighty God in initiating an intimate relationship with patriarch Abraham? Why is Abraham a model of true faith?
How is the sterling character of Abraham related to Jesus in his paschal mystery? Why is the episode of the Lord’s transfiguration on the mountain important? How does the Lord’s transfiguration illumine his passion and death and put the tragedy of the cross in perspective.
Do we take time to contemplate the call of Abraham and the episode of the Lord’s transfiguration? Do we try to glean its meaning and implication for our personal life? How do we respond to our vocation to grace and glory?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father, you called Abraham to go forth from the land of his kinsfolk and from his father’s house to lead him to his glorious destiny. In obeying you with faith, he became the father of your people Israel. Abraham’s most illustrious descendant – Jesus of Nazareth – brought to perfection the patriarch’s remarkable faith and experienced the fullness of your blessing. We thank you for the sterling quality of Abraham’s response to you and for the Easter glory of your Son Jesus Christ, prefigured in his transfiguration on the mountain. Strengthen us in our Lenten spiritual journey through the way of the cross towards the joyful radiance of Easter. Our compassionate God, enable us to respond to you. Help us to fulfill our vocation to grace and glory. We love you and adore you, in the faith of patriarch Abraham and in the name of Jesus, now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you.” (Gen 12:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Meditate on the Christian vocation to grace and glory in the light of the call of Abraham and the event of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. By your acts of charity, enable those in extreme difficulty to have a glimpse of their future destiny and respond to their vocation to grace and glory.
ACTION PLAN: To help us experience more meaningfully our Christian vocation to grace and glory, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 4, n. 12): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US