Sunday, March 20, 2011

Questions for the Second Week of Lent

The Transfiguration window
on the south side of the nave,
 St. Alphonsus Church
1.

What does the Transfiguration say about Christ—who and what he is?  How do you personally first approach Christ? (e.g. a Lord, as God, as brother, etc.)  The Church believes that Christ is perfect God (God from God, eternal, almighty, etc.) and perfect man.  Which is easier to accept?  Why?  Which do you think is more difficult for the rest of the world to accept?  Why?

2.

The Catechism (§ 556) makes a comparison between the baptism of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry and the Transfiguration, which occurs just before Christ’s passion.  In both cases there is a revelation of the Trinity.  In the baptism, the voice of the Father is heard and the Holy Spirit is seen descending as a dove.  In the Transfiguration, the voice of the Father is heard and the “bright cloud” is generally taken to be the Holy Spirit.  What do you make of this comparison?

3.

Why do you think Jesus selects only Peter, James, and John to see his Transfiguration?

4.

What do you make of the appearance of Moses, the giver of the law, and Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, at the Transfiguration?

5.

The Transfiguration is often taken to be a revelation of Christ’s divinity and a sort of pre-view of the glory of the resurrection.  Many believe that this was given to Peter, James, and John to help them get through Christ’s passion and death.  If so, what does the behavior of Peter after the Transfiguration and during Christ’s passion (when he abandoned Jesus and even lied about his association with him) say about our pattern of faithfulness to Christ?

6.

Why do you think Christ would want the disciples to remain silent about what they saw and heard until after the resurrection?

7.

Has your own understanding of who Jesus is changed over the years, and if so how?

Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1
Genesis 12:1-4a

The LORD said to Abram: 
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.
“I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.”
Abram went as the LORD directed him.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33:4-5,18-19, 20, 22

R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

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

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.

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

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you. 

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

Reading 2
2 Timothy 1:8b-10

Beloved:
Bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
He saved us and called us to a holy life,
not according to our works
but according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,
but now made manifest 
through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus,
who destroyed death and brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.

Gospel
Matthew 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, 
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them; 
his face shone like the sun 
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here, 
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, 
then from the cloud came a voice that said, 
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes, 
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone 
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Questions for the First Week of Lent

1.

In the First Reading from the Book of Genesis we witness the temptation of Eve by the serpent. 

What is the essence of Eve’s temptation? 

Why would God allow Eve to be tempted (i.e. allow the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to exist at all, allow Eve to desire it, allow the serpent to tempt her)? 

Is there any spiritual benefit to be had from being allowed to be tempted to do evil?  

Consider how we develop in the virtues of faith and trust in God.

2.

St. Paul in the Second Reading connects death with sin.  How do you think sin could lead to death?

3.

Jesus is both perfect God and perfect man.  He did not, and, in fact, could not sin; nor did he experience the inclination to sin that we who are fallen have (called "concupiscence").  Why, then, does he consent to be tempted?  What was the point of it?  What are we and the disciples supposed to learn from his experience?

4.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (§ 2847) points out that every temptation is a lie.  It is a presentation of something that is harmful to us/to others as something that is good.  How do you think God helps us unmask the lie of temptation?

5.

Consider all three readings: the first temptation of Eve and Adam, the connection between Adam and Christ in St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, and Christ’s temptation.  How could Christ’s temptation overcome that first temptation of Eve and Adam?

6.

What do you make of the three temptations that Satan suggests to Christ?  Is there any connection between them?  What is the significance of Christ’s response in each case?  What do his responses teach us about the way to combat temptation?

The readings for the First Sunday of Lent

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7

The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.


Responsorial Psalm

R. (cf. 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading 2
Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19

Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.
But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one, the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned.
For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation;
but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and of the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act,
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one,
the many will be made righteous.


At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”
Then the devil took him to the holy city,
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.