Homiletic Outline

Second Sunday of Lent (Year A)

Prepared by Ric Anthony Reyes, OSA

READINGS

First Reading (Genesis 12:1-4a)

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I
will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be
a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of
the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33)

Response: Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

For the word of the LORD is upright,

and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the LORD;

he is our help and shield.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

Second Reading (2Tim 1:8-10)

Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for
the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works
but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it
has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel.

Gospel (Mat 17:1-9)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by
themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling
white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is
good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is
my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the
ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And
when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of
Man has been raised from the dead.”
THE OUTLINE

Introduction

 Central Idea of the Gospel | Transfiguration of the Lord “And he was transfigured before them, and his face
shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” (Matt. 17:2)

 Homiletic Form | Kerygmatic form of homily

 Catechesis | The transfiguration event of Jesus is a moment of Jesus’ glorious manifestation of himself; that
he is truly the Son of God. This is to assure Peter and company that he is indeed the Messiah, preparing
them from the scandal of his passion and death (cf. Teodoro Bacani, Jesus Goes Public, p. 228). But, this
gospel being read this Sunday has a baptismal value. As Lent is also a preparatory season for our
catechumens (cf. Bernhard Raas, Liturgical Year Vol. 2, p.24) the gospel read today is a step towards
catechizing those neophytes for baptism. The while cloth in that sacrament is indicative of the dazzling
white clothing of Jesus (see CCC 1243). In that sense, Jesus’ transfiguration is the model of new life as he
permitted his three apostles to behold this event that is in order to give them that his passion and death
will lead to the eventual glorification. Secondly, the gospel highlights the voice of the Father, the voice of
election. In this election comes another indicative assurance that the baptized is indeed elected son or
daughter of the Father, his beloved.

Homiletic Body

Three-pointer | May I propose with you three points for meditation on this Gospel that you may understand the
Good News in a sense it prepares us too as assurance of the glory of our Savior.

1. Renewal of Life. Transfiguration is a reminder to us that we must renew our lives daily for conversion is a
continual activity. We must always prepare ourselves be dazzling white for the sake of others and for God.
The disciples witnessed the event in a clear vision in order for them to see firsthand how Jesus truly is the
Messiah. They trembled and in fact Peter does not know what he is talking about. Conversion as our own
transfiguration must also bring trembling and fear to us for this is God’s action of grace in our lives; in short
we must respect it for God is doing something in our life as Christian.
2. Encouragement to holiness. The three disciples Peter, James and John who witnessed this event were
prepared for the upcoming scandal of the cross. But for us, this is to prepare and encourage us, consistent
to the first point, for the call to holiness. Jesus encourages us to be holy. The transfiguration event must be
our source of encouragement to holiness and not a source of fear (Philip McBrien, The Word of the Lord, p.
33). Let the spectacle of a great miracle not stop us to see the message!
3. Continually pray also for those who prepare to Behold Christ. As this season is springtime of salvation, those
enrolled in catechumenate want to behold our Lord glorious in the way of conversion and maturity to faith
(CCC 1247). Our job is to pray for them that like us they may too see that they are elected by God to the holy
or blessed life. The white garment they will be receiving in the sacrament connects them to the
transfiguration event because white garment indicates his or her putting on of Christ who has risen (CCC
1243). In our prayers, may they always be reminded by this white cloth of their new life in Christ; their
transfiguration with Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Our Life as Baptized Must be the Transfigured Christ in His Resurrection | May I propose with you with
challenge. As the three apostles beheld in a once-in-a-life-time moment of the glorious vision of Jesus, we who were
given many opportunities of transfigurations of Jesus from our sacraments to the simplest act of charity to our
neighbor, did our lives change for better? Did our fear and trembling bring us to the holiness of God and our
partaking of it? Our life changes only when we behold our Lord as indicative of the glorious promise of our future
resurrection, too. How far did we cooperate in this grace of Christ’s continual manifestation of his glory? Let us
take leave of our old selves now this Lent! And braze the new life in Christ!