2nd Sunday of Lent Homily

Hope is a virtue that we are all in need of.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church hope is “the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Hope is found in the balance that exists between the cross and the resurrection. Some Christians live the life of the Resurrection which means that they have nothing to fall back on if they have any hardship. Other Christians only know the cross and have nothing to look towards. As people of faith we have both and through their meeting we have hope. Thus when life is difficult we have the hope of that life which is to come.

On this 2nd Sunday of Lent we are given this glimpse into hope through the transfiguration of the Lord. Very soon the apostles would be touched by the grasp of the cross. The cross without the resurrection would be a very depressing event. In this glimpse the Lord is transfigured before their sight which is to say that they were given a glimpse into His Resurrection as well as His Divinity.

It is not just coincidence that we are given this reading during Lent. This has been placed in this season in order to encourage us to continue to move forward by keeping our ultimate goal within our sight. So often in the midst of Lent, even at it’s start, we can grow tired with changing our ways in order that they may be more like Christ. Scripture tells us to not look back, but to move forward. This glimpse into Heavenly glory assists us in moving forward day by day towards the Lord.

This relates to all that we undertake in our daily life. We are constantly being thrust about in this spiritual battle. We are constantly being reminded of the limitations of our body especially as it begins to age. We are constantly being plagued by some type of hardship. None of these things are an end in themself. Instead we must look unto the Lord upon the cross and from it see a glimpse of His Heavenly glory for it is here that we encounter hope.

May this Lenten season be a time of hope for each of you. Continue to open your heart unto the Lord and be receptive of the gift of God’s grace. No matter the cross of this life hope always remains. Embrace the cross and from it’s grasp come to place your trust in the Lord. As you go about your practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving keep this ultimate goal firmly in your sight. Dare not to leave your old life behind and follow after the Lord our God. 

In all things come to have hope for hope in Christ is all that we need. As we are told from the Prophet Isaiah, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”