March 01, 2015
2nd Sunday of Lent
God forbid that God would demand child sacrifice! Abraham lived 4,000 years ago. He lived in Ur – in present day Iraq. Archaeological excavations disclose evidence of child sacrifices. God calls Abram to leave his home, his way of life and the gods of his ancestors to venture forth on a journey of faith trusting in God. Our first reading from Genesis has been called the testing of Abraham and the binding of Isaac. It can be called the listening of Abraham. Abraham trusts, listens and hears the messenger of God say: “Do not lay a hand on the boy.†The awful ancient custom of child sacrifice is forbidden and abandoned. Early Christians make a connection between the testing of Abraham (1st Reading) and the transfiguration of Jesus (Gospel). The disciples are having difficulty with Jesus insisting that he will have to suffer and die on the cross. How can God’s beloved Son endure such agony? God is not sadistic or cruel but knows that the powers of darkness and sin will conspire against the mission the Father has entrusted to his beloved Son, Jesus. As St. Paul writes to the Romans (2nd Reading) that God “did not spare his own son but handed him over for the sake of us all.†The loss of a child is one of the most difficult experiences a parent can endure. Just on Friday I met a mother who gave up her faith after her child died. She blamed God. Only after great grief did she come to know that God was with her during this darkest hour of torment as she walked through the valley of death. Lent is a season of testing and listening as we come to a better understanding of God’s will, of what God is asking of us, just like Abraham and Jesus. We pray for the grace to listen and to be transformed.
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