The celebration of the mass is divided into two main parts, the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist.
The Liturgy of the Word is a key part of the Mass where the Scriptures are proclaimed and reflected upon. The Gospel, is of course, the high point of the Liturgy of the Word, containing the words and teachings of Our Blessed Lord. As a sign of respect and attentiveness during the Gospel reading, we stand for the Gospel.
But the first reading, psalm, and second reading, are also very important. And the first reading, usually taken from the Old Testament is selected to complement and provide context for the Gospel. And it helps us to understand the history, prophecies, and wisdom in those centuries and millennia leading up to Christ.
St. Augustine has a famous saying, that “The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.” In other words, St. Augustine, and so many of the early church fathers, were highly attuned to the ways that the Old and New Testaments interrelated with each other, and believed that key to understanding the New Testament in its fullest sense, we need to be attentive to the Old. So if we want to understand our Gospel readings each week, it is important to pay attention to the first reading.
Our First reading of the sacrifice of Isaac and the Gospel of the transfiguration this weekend for the 2nd Sunday of Lent have numerous parallels.
Both events take place on a mountain. The sacrifice of Isaac occurs on Mount Moriah, and the transfiguration takes place on a high mountain, traditionally believed to be Mount Tabor.
In both stories, there is a direct manifestation of the divine. In the sacrifice of Isaac, God intervenes to provide a ram as a substitute for Isaac, and in the transfiguration, a voice from heaven declares Jesus as the beloved Son of God.
Abraham's willingness to obey God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac is mirrored in Jesus' submission to the Father's will. Both stories highlight the importance of obedience to God, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Isaac was the promised son of Abraham—remember God had promised a son to Abraham from whom his descendants would become as numerous as the stars. And Jesus is the promised Son of the Father, promised through so many of the prophets—and the members of the Church are numerous to say the least.
The sacrifice of Isaac is a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The willingness of Abraham to offer his son in sacrifice, prefigures the heavenly Father’s willingness to offer his son in sacrifice for all of humanity. In a similar vein, in the sacrifice of Isaac, God provided a ram as a substitute for Isaac, sparing his life. And in the case of Jesus, Our Lord took upon himself all of the punishments of sin of all mankind, the ultimate victim for humanity’s sins, sparing us the eternal punishments that we deserved.
Now there are many great lessons in both stories for us to ponder—our faith and obedience and trust need to mirror abraham’s and Jesus’. Abraham's willingness to obey God, to sacrifice something he loved deeply to achieve a greater good, serves as a model for us to trust in God's guidance and follow God’s will. The transfiguration completes the story—that when we trust and obey God as Jesus did—even going to the cross and undertaking unspeakable suffering—the cross leads to the glory of the resurrection. And the Christian life is one of gratitude to Jesus for taking our sins to the cross.
During Lent, we do well to keep these scriptures in mind. As we engage in our Lenten sacrifices, self-discipline, self-denial, and acts of charity which involve sacrifice on our behalf, we do so, with the willingness of Abraham, and the willingness of Jesus, trusting that through them God brings about a great good—our spiritual flourishing and our a strengthening in our ability to unite our sacrifices with Jesus for our sanctification and the sanctification of the world. We willingly undergo and undertake our Lenten sacrifices—our prayers and fasting and self-giving— trusting that they bring about good in us and good in the church.
Very important lessons as we consider the connection of this week’s first reading and Gospel. But now, here is bit more food for thought. Just as the first reading of the liturgy of the word foreshadows, and gives context, and helps us to appreciate and understand the Gospel, so too the liturgy of the word as a whole prepares us for what comes next in the mass, the liturgy of the Eucharist.
The Liturgy of the Word proclaims what God has done in the past, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist enables us to recognize and encounter God in the present. The Scriptures of the Liturgy of the Word serve as spiritual nourishment and instruction, to an extent, but in the Liturgy of the Eucharist we are able to encounter and receive the Bread of Life—He who IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Scriptures and the Homily, the Creed, and the General Intercessions of the Liturgy of the Word prepare us—they cultivate spiritual readiness to not only encounter and receive Jesus—but they foster a spiritual readiness for all that receiving Jesus in the Eucharist means.
Consider how our scripture readings this weekend prepare us to celebrate and receive the Eucharist. We are to celebrate and receive the Eucharist with the willingness of Abraham to obey the will of God and all dimensions of our life. We are to receive the Eucharist with the exuberant jubilation of Peter in the Gospel who says, “it is good that we are here”. We are to receive the Eucharist with the openness commanded by the Father in the Gospel, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him”. And we are to leave Mass, like the disciples descending from the Mountain, pondering the mystery of what they just experienced. The Christian life involves a pondering throughout the week…how does the Eucharist I celebrate each Sunday effect the rest of my life? How does the encounter with Jesus, the reception of Jesus in Holy Communion effect the way I am to treat people, the way I am to pray throughout the week, the way I am to give of myself in humble service.
We go out into the world—and we face tests like Abraham—trusting God is hard—and the Eucharist strengthens us to trust God when our trials are most difficult and our crosses are heaviest.
May we draw great strength, and increase in faith, hope, and love every time we celebrate Mass—because it is here that God speaks, and feeds, and enlivens us, like nowhere else, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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