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Second Sunday of Lent, Year B, March 12, 2006

First reading, Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Our Liturgical Setting: The Catholic custom on the second Sunday of lent is to consider the transfiguration of Jesus, with the voice from heaven declaring, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." (Protestant churches generally use this gospel story and related readings on the Sunday before lent begins, the last Sunday of the Epiphany season.) This year, we all read that episode from Mark 9:2-10. After reading Sunday's gospel passage (as usual, the best way to start preparing for your own service as lector), you'll see how the images in the reading about Abraham and Isaac echo the images in the gospel.

The Historical Situation: For brevity, the editors of the Lectionary have left out of this selection several verses. You'll do well to read the whole chapter, Genesis 22, to yourself. This story is all the more poignant because Abraham and Sarah had been childless so long and so unhappily until the birth of Isaac.

The Theological Background: In itself, the story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac carries great significance. Various scholars have pointed out these themes in it:

Proclaiming the Passage: Read it slowly, telling the story in a matter-of-fact way, until the last paragraph. Make this last declaration most solemn. It's the great promise upon which the People of the Promise, our ancestors in the faith, were founded. "All the nations of the earth shall find blessing" in the people constituted here. We believe that blessing is the spread of the good news about Jesus, the descendant of this faithful Abraham.

Second Reading, Romans 8:31b-34

This passage has in common with today's gospel the theme of Jesus' Sonship, and shares with the first reading the image of a father's willingness to give up a son.

The Historical Situation: The context of this passage within the letter to the Romans is quite complex and difficult to describe. I hope it is not irreverent to say that Saint Paul has worked up a great sweat by a complex theological and historical argument about how we are really saved. Now he's very relieved to have finished that, and to have proven that God graciously saves us in Christ, and we need only have that faith.

So this passage is a kind of cheer for the victory that God has wrought by saving us. It's also meant to give heart to people worried about being unworthy of God's love.

One Literary Consideration: What of the metaphors of someone being "against us," bringing a charge, condemning or acquiting? The unspoken context is the image of a court of law, where God is judge and a prosecutorial angel would have God find us guilty (which is what Satan tried in the book of Job). But this case is already decided in our favor, as evidenced by these factors: God gave us his Son, so it's unthinkable that God would not also give us everything else; and no matter who prosecutes, their authority is outweighed by God who acquits us and by Jesus, raised up and interceding for us. Case closed.

Proclaiming the Passage: The revised New American Bible translation, the one most commonly used in U.S. Catholic congregations, while a little better than its predecessor, still fails to make clear that Paul is asking and answering rhetorical questions here. Think of it this way:

While reading the Lectionary selection aloud to the congregation, recite the text as printed there, but use your inflection and timing to convey the meaning as clarified here.

Several other commentaries on these passages. All are thoughtful, all quite readable, from the scholarly to the popular.
Links may be incomplete more than a few weeks before the "due date."
Dan Nelson's page covering Mark 9:2-9 (plus two readings not in the Lectionary today)

Dianne Bergant's column on the first reading, from America magazine, 2003.

Columns about these readings from Father Roger Karban:

from 2003

earlier, perhaps from 2000. This one contains a great homily starter.

another, perhaps written in 1997

The Text This Week; links to homilies, art works, movies and other resources on the week's scripture themes Saint Louis University's excellent Sunday liturgy site.

The Lectionary selections in the frame at the left, if any, are there for your convenience. The publishers of the page in that frame have no connection, except for membership in the one Body of Christ, with the publisher of this page. Likewise the publishers of the pages on the links above.

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Last modified: Sat Feb 25 11:31:43 CST 2006