Reflection: The Second Sunday in Lent 2026

 

        Touch that Fear Away:

The Second Sunday in Lent 2026 

March 1, 2026

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Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9

 

We hear the Transfiguration account early in Lent even though it was one of the final episodes in the life of Jesus before he turned his attention to Jerusalem. The disciples had been progressively learning about his mission and they were brought into the inner circle of revelation on that mountain. For years, the disciples recognized Jesus as an interpreter and amender of God’s law and he spoke prophetic words in difficult situations. On this mountain, Jesus appears before Moses, the lawgiver, and Eliah, the great prophet, and God’s glory shines on the three of them. Then Moses and Elijah disappear, leaving only Jesus, who is elevated to be higher than the other two. Without any doubt, Peter, James, and John would rightly have been scared to death.  

 

The disciples fall in fear, and here is an amazing detail, “Jesus touches them.” It shows us that the glorified Christ is not distant or otherworldly. He remains involved. He remains interested in their lives. He remains connected to their humanity. He never ceases to be a human with great emotions and feelings. He calls them to something greater. He says, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” His consoling touch reassures them that they matter to him and he wants them to walk with him as be endures his Passion. 

 

The touch is also combined with the words of God, the Creator, who says, “This is my special one. Listen to him.” It tells us that we are to hear his words and then comply with his invitations and requests. We often do not like the words “to obey,” so maybe we can update them to observe, conform, abide by, defer to, or follow. Notice that Jesus never tells us to worship him. We do not feel simply inspired by him or to admire him. We conform our lives to his own. He never says, “Adore me.” He asks us to listen to his words and rightly act upon them. That is obedience. 

 

So what are the words we are to hear from him today? Do not be afraid. He knows that fear is not faith. Fear keeps us bound to ourselves and wrapped up in our own interpretations of suffering. Fear keeps us looking at our uncertainty or lack of control or power. Fear shrinks when trust grows. The disciples have to walk back down that mountain where they will enter further misunderstanding and suffering and they will eventually have to face the cross. They glimpsed the glory of Jesus, which will help them confront the brutality of the cross. They were asked to rise and go forward. 

We are to follow the example of the disciples as we rise in the face of fear and go onward. We can realize that we are not alone in our trials and tribulations. In the age of the Resurrection, the glorified Christ remains close and wants to touch our pain and suffering and to share our joys and laughter. The glory of Christ is there for our benefit and encouragement. It is the hope to go on for another day knowing that the voice from heaven, the touch of Jesus is one of loving concern. Likewise, we may not be able to see what others see about us. We may not see that our lives testify to the Transfigured one. We may not see that our lives are ones of fidelity when we accept the invitations of God. We may not be able to see what others see – that we are radiant - shining like the sun. 

 

 

For a non-violent heart . . .

 

Litany of Non--Violence   Provident God, aware of my own brokenness, I ask the gift of courage to identify how and where I am In need of conversion in order to live in solidarity with all Earth's people.   Deliver me from the violence of superiority and disdain. Grant me the desire, and the humility, to listen with special care to those whose experiences and attitudes are different from my own.   Deliver me from the violence of greed and privilege. Grant me the desire, and the will, to live simply so others may have their just share of Earth's resources.   Deliver me from the silence that gives consent to abuse, war and evil. Grant me the desire, and the courage, to risk speaking and acting for the common good.   Deliver me from the violence of irreverence, exploitation and control. Grant me the desire, and the strength, to act responsibly within the cycle of creation.   God of love, mercy and justice. Acknowledging my complicity in those attitudes, actions and words which perpetuate violence, I beg the grace of a non--violent heart.  Amen   (This is a prayer currently prayed throughout the congregation of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.  Author unknown.)

God of our present and future . . .

 

Photo by: AB

Litany of God's Names

by Joseph Sobb, S.J.

O God of silence and quietness, you call us to be still and know you -
O God of steadfast love, your Spirit is poured into our hearts –
O God of compassion, your Word is our light and hope –
O God of faithfulness, you fill our hearts with joy –
O God of life and truth, from you we receive every gift –

O God of healing and peace, you open us to divine grace –
O God of all creation, our beginning and our end –
O God of salvation, you reconcile all things in Jesus, -
O God of Jesus, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit –
O God of Jesus, who invites us, “Come and see” –
O God of Jesus, who was tempted as we all are –

O God of Jesus, who is your pledge of saving love –
O God of Sarah and Abraham, from whom came  Jesus -
O God of Anna and Simeon, who recognized Jesus, your Son,
 as Messiah –
O God of Mary, who bore Jesus, -  

O God of Joseph, to whose fatherly care was entrusted Jesus, -
O God of all generations, of all times and seasons and peoples –
O God of our mothers and fathers, of all who have loved us –
O God of our past; O God of our future –
O God of our present, O God in our present -

Reflection of First Sunday of Lent . . .(revised)

 

Let us recall the following theology statement in our Constitutions:
Transitions of every sort mark our lives. We try to recognize in each of them a graced moment in our ongoing formation, one in which we can live out the paschal mystery and build the kingdom of God. (#58)
Some transitions are inevitable in our human experience, some are probable, and others are possible but perhaps not likely.  Birth, adolescence, mid-life, senior life, death… are transitions that are natural to every human experience, given an average life span.  
Transitions always begin with endings that place us in an in-between space – or liminality that is uncomfortable, uncertain, disorienting; there may be a loss of a sense of identity, and oftentimes we can experience a change in our relationship with ourself and perhaps with God as well.

“When we face those times of uncertainty in our life, the scene is often blurry.  Things we were so sure of suddenly make little sense.  The answers we thought were clear now seem lost in a distant fog, and we wander aimlessly, unable to regain the focus we once believed we had. Our confusion is unsettling.  Doubt, like vertigo, distorts our balance as we fearfully wander in a vast and empty inner wilderness.  As we wrestle with the darkness, a rush of panic washes into our hearts, our breath becomes shallow and, with each question, the judgments seem to escalate.” (S. Doris Klein)

Here in our gospel, we find Jesus smack dab in the midst of transition – and “knee deep” in liminal space. This could be considered his novitiate, or sabbatical time, a vision quest, or the Spirit’s idea of boot camp for prophets.

After Jesus heard God call him “My Beloved” at his baptism, we are told that the spirit drove him into the desert to discover what it would mean to be God’s Beloved.

It is here in this wilderness that his spiritual, psychological, and personal inner strength is challenged by the tempter who is the master of delusion, denial, and lies, and who is taunting him to choose the “dark side.”
Jesus’ desert drama is a struggle that will prepare him for all that awaits him in his public ministry and mission as the Anointed One.  He will carry no light saber or magic wand to ward off the stones of critics, opponents, or enemies that find him too much for them.
        
Here in the wilderness, he has fasted for forty days and forty nights.  It is here on the margins of the city that he will wrestle with the demons of hunger, power, prestige, possessions, and fame. In his physical emptiness, he is made vulnerable in his title as Beloved.  He is confronted by the tempter to turn stones into bread – a temptation that entices him to believe that if his hunger would be satisfied with earthly pleasures – it will be enough.    

It is here in the school of the desert that he chooses the emptiness of letting go of all that satisfied him in the past – his relationships of his village, his family, his simple life of carpentry, his privacy, his identity,  For Jesus all of the comfortable, familiar, and secure have ended.  He refuses to give in to the tempter of illusion and is nourished again by the voice and words of God - for his journey will be one of feeding the hungry in spirit, mind, and body with the bread of his words.

His second temptation is to doubt God’s abiding love. Jesus is challenged to test whether or not God is really trustworthy.  Jumping from the pinnacle of the temple would gain Jesus instant acclaim as a wonder worker, winning over the multitudes. But Jesus stands firm.  He refuses to give in to self-destruction and self-hatred and chooses to remain faithful to God, trusting God’s unconditional love.

Finally, the tempter shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and taunts that if he is God’s Beloved, why not be popular, famous, and have a chance to be a rock star?  This is a subtle temptation for domination and power, to become an owner of everything, having control of everyone, in charge of life itself.  The price demanded by the tempter for all the kingdoms of the world was to worship him. Jesus again says that being the Beloved is all that he needs and chooses faithfulness to God.

So what is the Good News for us?  
“To struggle is to begin to see the world differently.   It gives us a new sense of self.  It tests all the faith in the goodness of God that we have ever professed.  It requires an audacity we did not know we had.  It demands a commitment to the truth. It builds forbearance. It tests our purity of heart. 
It brings total metamorphosis of soul. If we are willing to persevere through the depths of struggle we can emerge with conversion, faith, courage, surrender, self-acceptance, endurance, and a kind of personal growth that takes us beyond pain to understanding.  Enduring struggle is the price to be paid for becoming everything we are meant to be in the world.” (S. Joan Chittister)

Let us ponder:
• As individuals, as a community, a church, as people of this shared planet . . . how do we face struggles with the hungers, illusions, and powers of temptation that confront us every day?

• What struggles do we face at this juncture of “in-betweenness” and liminality? Can we accept the challenges: to name them, realize their impact, and consequences?  Then, how will we choose to walk with trust, hope, and audacity into the now and not-yet?

• What is the grace we desire at this time, at the beginning of Lent, as we prepare to move through the paschal mystery?

• What gifts within our present transitions are we invited to claim?  Are we able to surrender to this time of conversion, allowing angels to minister to us and to nourish us with God’s Word and the faith of one another, and letting go of the needs and desires that separate us from God?

So let us pray:

• Transitions of every sort mark our lives. We try to recognize in each of them a graced moment in our ongoing formation, one in which we can live out the paschal mystery and build the kingdom of God. (#58)

Jesus Ministered to by Angels ~ James Tissot

 

A Lenten Blessing . . .

 May you be blessed by the God who knows you and loves you when you feel separated and excluded from your surroundings and overlooked by those around you. May you honor the truth of your own being and be willing to stand in it…even when you must stand alone. As you search for the "truth within you," may you discover "God within you" and know them to be one and the same and that you are never really alone. May the God of Honor bless you. --Maxine Shonk, OP

What is the invitation for us today?

Artist: Kramskoy - Jesus in the desert

The First Sunday in Lent 2026 

February 22, 2026

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

 

Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

 

Let us spend a moment in the Garden of Eden before we get to the Desert. We imagine Eden to be idyllic, a place of care and plenty, a time in our lives in which we easily allowed God to provide for us. It was beginning of God’s plan for humans on the Earth, a plan that was marked by beauty and communion. Humans came from inanimate dust that was created by God and divine life was breathed into it. We were made humbly and yet we were spiritually exalted. Every human being therefore carries the breath of God, which means we are to respect the dignity of each human person today. We were given boundaries to live by, and yet, we were designed for enlightenment. Could it be that, from the very beginning, we are supposed to expand our consciousness? Was this always part of the plan? After all, all of creation is still evolving. 

 

          Knowing that we are built to strive for greater knowledge, we experience temptation, just as Jesus did. For Jesus, this temptation came from God, and it was to clarify his experience of trust. In his first test, at his point of physical vulnerability, Jesus was tempted to take control of his own needs rather than to trust God’s plan for him. Jesus showed us that trust precedes gratification, and his real hunger was to realize that God abided by him. In the second test, Jesus teaches us that faith does not impel us to prove anything. He learns that spiritual strength lies in not testing God, it is having one’s life testify to God through daily actions. Jesus was called to obey God, not to presume to act on behalf of God. The third test is that hardest one of all. Jesus was tempted to worship success, status, political gains, or approval from others. He reminds us the making idols is easy and a daily practice and can immediately resolve some huge problems, but he remains committed to God as an act of worship. Jesus chose obedience to God rather than assume real power. He shows that he rightly worships God.

 

          In today’s world, we see religion is falsely used as a means to gain or to exert power. This is not faith in God. It is the worship of human power and glory. Many people use religious words and piety and devotional practices to speak for God, and some gain many followers. Politicians, religious leaders, and lobbyists use a “fear-based” spirituality to win people over to their position, and many times, people use sin language to control behavior. Ideologies such as religious fundamentalism, nativism, neo-traditionalism, and religious nationalism, and prosperity theology shape faith and culture today, and there is a tendency to replace power for God. All this stands in contrast to the example of Jesus in the Gospel. All this stands in contrast to the “God is love” spirituality of Jesus and Scripture.

 

          What is the invitation for us today? We can begin by taking increased time for silence and prayer to get to know about this God that Jesus teaches us. We need to make dates with ourselves, spend time with ourselves. We want to experience that type of friendship that Adam and Eve would have had with God – harmonious, trusting, comfortable, thankful for the divine generosity. We want to experience the trust of Jesus in God – knowing that God saw him, knew him, and understood him. We can know that these temporary temptations come from God for our benefit so we can learn how to worship authentically. With out human freedom, we want to continue to evolve and to expand our consciousness so that we grow in wisdom and to know that this is part of obeying God. We want to test those boundaries, search for God’s vital voice, and to discover how to trust in this complex environment. To stay faithful is to keep choosing God when something else feels easier. And when can always be consoled as Jesus did when those temptations ended. Angels came to minister to him. In other words, God will find some way to console you, to remind you of your goodness, to tell you that you are loved, and to thank you for the person you are becoming. 

 

 

 

A Lenten Blessing . . .

 May you be found by God when your path is obscured by the ashes of your life. When the contentment of the present is disturbed and broken by the failures of the past, may the God of beginning again become known to you. When the ashes of what once was threaten to cover you, may the God of New Fire fan into flame the hidden embers that lie within. May this rekindled energy light the way for others who walk with you. May the God of New Fire bless you. --Maxine Shonk, OP