In the context of many and varied events that surround us – some tragic, some hopeful - it is best to focus on the Word of God, and let that Word guide us through this Sunday’s homily.

The first reading, from the Book of Genesis, describes the way that God made a covenant with Abram; notice here, that Abraham is still known as Abram. God had not yet changed his name to Abraham, it is as if he is still before the
transformation that sees him becoming the father of many nations. Yet, though he is still his “old” self, despite the fact that he has not yet been fully transformed by God’s favour, Abram is capable of doing good. Let’s not forget people’s capacity for goodness, justice and virtue. The Lord promises him land – and Abram believes. The act of belief, the act of trust was the beginning of the journey of transformation, the journey of change. How pitiful is the situation of the man, of the woman, who does not believe or trust anyone, or anything. Our Lenten pilgrimage too should bring into greater focus the question: whom do I believe, whom do I trust, whom do I choose to exercise influence over me?

We should also focus on the ritual that took place between Abram and God. This ritual involved animals, most of which Abram cuts in half. Now Abram does not take these animals in order to put food on the table for his family, neither does he take them because he needs to stock up the freezer before a long and hard winter. Abram takes these animals for cultic reasons, for reasons that have to do with religiosity: they are to be sacrificed in order to seal the covenant – this covenant takes place between Abram and his descendants, and the Lord. The animals are cut in half in order to make clear the message that should anyone break the covenant, blood will flow. Let’s keep that concept in mind as we move toward the Gospel.

The reading from the Gospel of Luke tells us of Jesus’ Transfiguration. In front of a select few apostles – Peter, John and James – Jesus shows not only his glory, his divinity, but also the way that he will freely accomplish the mission for which he was sent. This mission involves Passion and a death on the Cross. The glory of his divine nature, the glory of his resurrection, will forever be tied to the Cross. Here, we should remember that in the first reading, the cutting in two of
animals signified the fact that there exists a Covenant, a Covenant between God, Abraham, and his descendants. Should any party break the Covenant, blood will flow. And who do you think broke the Covenant, time and again? Our
ancestors, we ourselves, our descendants. However, the Father, instead of holding us to account, drawing the consequences in our regard, chose instead to shift the blame onto his Son – and the Son freely accepted this mission.

The Son takes unto himself, freely accepts, the consequences of sin: the consequences of terrorism, wars, lies, lusts, blasphemies against God, corruptions, pride, and a multitude of other sins – all sin. Jesus takes upon himself every evil deed that ever was done, is being done, or will be done. By you, by me, by the people who went before us, and the people who will follow us. As Thomas Aquinas puts it: “[I]t is certain that Christ came into the world not only to take away that sin which is handed on originally to posterity [original sin], but also in order to take away all sins subsequently added to it…the more grievous the sin, the more particularly did Christ come to blot it out” (ST, p. III, q.1, art.4).

For us as Christians, the Cross is not a symbol of shame or needless suffering; it is not a sign of God’s cruelty; it is a sign, the sign of salvation – and as St. Paul reminds us in the second reading, let us not live as enemies of the Cross. It is through the Cross and Resurrection that Jesus will transform our mortal bodies to be like his own in glory – at the end of the age, we can expect our own “transfiguration”.

So how can we unite ourselves to the saving power of the Cross? First of all, by participating faithfully, attentively, and worthily in the Eucharist. The Constitution Lumen Gentium speaks of the people of God in this way: “Taking part in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life, they offer the Divine Victim to God, and offer themselves along with It” (LG 11). The Eucharist is a sacrifice: this is where the bloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary, which is a consequence of our breaking of the covenant with God, is re-presented – made present – in a bloodless way. In the Eucharist, the great events of our salvation “become in a certain way present and real” (Catechism, 1363).

As we recall our own choice to trust, to believe; as we remember the covenant, broken time and again by men and women; as we look to the events, great and small that surround us; let’s also keep our eyes fixed firmly on the Cross, because on it, Jesus Christ freely took away the guilt of our sinfulness; let us also not forget that if we remain faithful, our own mortal body will to one day be transformed into a body of glory.

(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, March 17, 2019)