20-second Summary
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – or at least that’s what we say. And we say it a lot in this week’s Mass readings!
But do we think about what that means? And do we ever stop to realize how much that concept is truly expressed in the Old Testament, prefiguring and foreshadowing Our Lord?
St. Paul and the Psalmist conspire with the reading from Genesis to set us up for the Transfiguration as shared by Luke this week.
It is a powerful calling for us to see the Great Light and be imitators. But to do so, the Light must first shine in us!
Some helpful questions for discussion around the dinner table or at donuts after Mass, followed by an activity that you already know – or at least you’ll remember!
Catechesis At Home – Second Sunday of Lent – Year C
2nd Week of Lent – The Lord Is My Light
First Reading
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Second Reading
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.
or:
Brothers and sisters:
Our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, beloved.
Gospel Reading
Verse Before the Gospel
From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.
Gospel
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
The Lord is My Light
REFLECTION – The Lord is My Light and My Salvation
The Psalm response this week is “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” It sums up the readings this week quite nicely. Our first reading recounts the covenant God made with Abram giving him the Promised Land for his inheritance and for all generations. In this covenant-making ceremony, God appears as a flaming torch. He literally lights the darkness. The second reading is Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians that promises we will be glorified through Christ’s glory. His salvation accomplished through his Passion, death and Resurrection is the fulfillment of the promises God made in all of the previous covenants with His people. Glory to God, the Lord is my light and my salvation!
The Gospel is Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of our Lord. Jesus appears in glory before Peter, James and John along with Moses and Elijah. God speaks, saying, “This is my chosen Son. Listen to him.” Jesus’ appearance is radiant, expressing the psalm response in physical form – the Lord is my light and my salvation!
When we listen to all of these readings together and look closely at the imagery and symbolism present, we can see the foreshadowing of the Old Testament that is fulfilled in the New Testament. The glimpse of light in darkness; the glory of God revealed; the promise of a land of plenty and peace; salvation for all mankind. These themes all come together in the singular line of Scripture – our psalm response, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
DISCUSSION – The Lord is my light, isn’t He?
Discuss this week with your family and friends, how the Lord lights the way. Is the Lord my light? Or have I allowed other shiny things to distract me from His pure and holy light? How can I let the Lord be my light again? Do I need a wake-up call like Peter, James and John? Do I need a vision like Abram? Can I pray the psalm this week, proclaiming that the Lord is my Light and my Salvation?
Who shines the Lord’s light on us in this life? Is there somewhere that I can bathe in Christ’s light, or someone who can help me do that?
ACTIVITY – The Lord is my Light – Shine on Me!
The Lord is my Light – Shine on Me!
Below are the lyrics for the Gospel Song, Shine, Jesus, Shine. Read the lyrics closely, recognize in them these themes from the readings this week: light in darkness, land of promise, glory, shining radiance, grace and mercy, mission. Listen to the song or pray it together with your family. Let Jesus’ light shine on you through the words and music. Lord, you are my light and my salvation!
Shine, Jesus, Shine by Graham Kendrick, 1987
Lord, the light of your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father’s glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light
Lord, I come to your awesome presence
From the shadows into your radiance
By the blood I may enter your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me
As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me
DIG DEEPER – Other The Lord is My Light resources from Holy Owned and Operated:
Links open in a new tab or window according to your settings so that you can compare and continue in this lesson’s theme.
Page: Lent Resources
Podcast: What is Lent? – Episode 81
Podcast: Glory – Episode 78
Podcast: The Transfiguration – Episode 86
TWMWU – The Transfiguration of our Lord
TWMWU – This Great Gift
Complete resources on HolyOwnedAndOperated.com for these topics: The Lord | My Light
How is The Lord your Light this Lent?
by Beth & Kristofer Cowles
HOO™ Co-Founders
Other Help on HOO
Lust And Love – Episode 133
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:04 — 24.0MB)
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What is the difference between lust and love?
During this “season of Valentines” Beth and Kristofer cover this (often unknowingly) confusing and vitally important topic before we dive headlong into the pink and roses and hearts and whatnot.
Beth and Kristofer share how to tell the difference between lust and love, and how to teach that to impressionable minds and hearts.
And they do this in the context of Mortal Sin and Theological Virtue: Lust and Love, respectively.
They also, right out of the gate, point to Nick’s seven-part series about Love as a great resource on our web site for this discussion, which is linked to in the show notes.
Living in this world, but not of it, is difficult, and Beth and Kristofer offer us some pointers on how to do that, particularly in this day and age.
And, no, there is no inappropriate or “parental discretion advised” content in this episode.
But they do get attacked by a tree!
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