February 24, 2013

USCCB »  Bible »  Daily Readings

 « February 23  |  February 25 »

Second Sunday of Lent 
Lectionary: 27

Reading 1GN 15:5-12, 17-18

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.” 

God appeared to Abram (aka Abraham) and promised him that he would the the Father of nations, if he obeyed God's commands.

“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

Abram asked for a sign to show that this would come true.

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.

God told him to bring several animals and Abram seemed to know what to do with them.  According to Dr. Scott Hahn, this seemed to be a common procedure for establishing a covenant.

So, Abram brought the animals and cut most of them in half except the birds.  After, he went into a trance.

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.”

Then Abram saw a sign, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch which passed between the pieces of the animals.  And then God again promised to give Abram's descendants the land from the Wadi river of Egypt to the Euphrates.

Responsorial PsalmPS 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14

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.

God is my rescuer, whom should I fear?  God is my keeper, of whom should I be afraid?

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.

Hear my prayer Lord and have mercy on me.  My spirit yearns for you Lord.  My eyes seek you.

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 yearn for you Lord, do not turn me away.  Do not turn me away.

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.

I have faith that I will receive the promises of God while I live.  Hope in God with your heart.  Be strong and put your hope in God.

Reading 2PHIL 3:17—4:1

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.

St. Paul told the Philippians to imitate his behavior and that of the Apostles.

For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Because many Christians conduct themselves like enemies 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.

They will destroy themselves.  They worship their bodies and glory in their lust.  They are occupied with the things of the world.  But we walk amongst the Saints of God and hope in the salvation of our Lord Jesus.

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.

Jesus  will glorify our bodies by  the same power that makes Him King of all Creation.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.

Therefore, stay the course and receive the promises of God by obeying the Word of Our Lord Jesus.


The alternate is just a portion of the second reading.  I'll simply post it without comment.

OrPHIL 3:20—4:1

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.

GospelLK 9:28B-36

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.

Jesus took Sts. Peter, John and James up to the mountain to pray.  There, He was transfigured before them.

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.

Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared there having a conversation with Jesus.

Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

Peter and the other two apostles saw Jesus radiance and the two Old Testament Prophets speaking to 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.”

As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter suggested that they should make three tents.  One for Jesus and one for Moses and one for Elijah.

But he did not know what he was saying.

But he didn't 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.

Then a cloud came over them and from the cloud, the voice of God saying, "This is my beloved Son, obey His Words."  And then they were alone with Jesus again.  And the Apostles did not speak about this to anyone.