Second Sunday of Lent, Year C, 2025, The Transfiguration
~Lucy Schultz, Cincinnati, OH
At this point on Jesus’ journey toward his passion, death, and resurrection, the crowds are no longer following him. With only Peter, James, and John, he is praying on Mount Tabor when, of a sudden, his clothing becomes dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear in glory and foretell of the coming events in Jerusalem. And the disciples who had fallen asleep wake up. Still sleepy and confused, they recognize Jesus transfigured before them in bright white. And they hear a voice from heaven telling them they are seeing God’s divinity in Jesus, and they should listen to him.
For the disciples, this is a holy moment, a God moment, even, if you will, a mountain-top moment in the presence of the Divine. Like the disciples, we, too, can experience such a moment. We may not be on a mountain, but wherever we are, we can, in a moment of grace, know the immediate, the palpable presence of God in our lives. Sometime in the1950’s, Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, was out doing errands for his community. As he stood on a street corner in Louisville, surrounded by strangers, he suddenly knew he was one with all of the people he saw. For Merton and for us, when we have a “God moment,” whatever it is, we are experiencing a powerful but unmistakable connection to the Divine. And as part of our listening, we ask: what is God’s invitation to me in this transformative moment; what do I, in this Lenten season, hear God saying to me?
March 23, 2025 Third Sunday of Lent
~ Sr. Carmelyn Gentrup, Appleton, WI
First Reading from Exodus 3:1-8
The burning bush in the first reading today reminds us that God enters into our lives in the ordinariness of our days. God called and talked to Moses as he was on his daily routine to protect Jethro’s sheep.
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This day was a bit different. A bush on fire appeared in the field. As Moses approached the burning bush to check it out, he also heard a voice call him by name, “Moses, Moses”! Did Moses recognize this strange phenomenon as a possibility of God calling him? Moses took the chance and answered the voice, “Here I am.”
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God’s callings come to us hidden in plain sight in the ordinary or remarkable. It could be manifested as being patient in a slow grocery line, meeting an air flight that is late again or patient in a traffic jam.
The word of God is alive and meant for us today. The fire that Moses encountered is the same fire we encounter: it is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The challenge we face? Is there a “burning bush” trying to get our attention? Will this burning bush transform us? Be attentive and take note of the ordinary moments that provide for extraordinary insights. These God moments give us the chance to respond, “Here I am.”