A New Presentation for Sunday's Liturgy

Transfiguration
February 20, 2005
2nd Sunday of Lent
Click here to download: (English - 1.89MB)
Flash presentation

This presentation is originally prepared in Spanish by
Fr. Cristo Rey García Paredes, cmf.
The original version,along with other very useful materials for pastoral agents and Christians in general can be found at: http://ciudadredonda.org

February 20, 2005 - Second Sunday of Lent (A)

A. The Mountain Experience
B. A Face Transformed

Readings:
Gen 12:1-4; Ps 33:4-5,18-19,20,22;
2 Tim 1:8-10; Mt 17:1 -9

Commentaries / Gospel Reflections from:
Daily Gospel • Preaching the Word • A Certain Jesus • Sundays Into Silence

Greeting (see Second Reading)

When our Savior Christ Jesus appeared,
he abolished death
and proclaimed the Good News
of life and immortality.
May his grace and light be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. The Mountain Experience

There are moments in everyone's life when we see difficulties ahead of us, especially when facing important decisions. Jesus saw ahead of him a growing opposition from the religious leaders of the people: they would kill him if he proceeded with his mission. Yet he would carry out that task, and so he went up the mountain to pray that the Father would give him courage. In the vision of the transfiguration he saw how he would rise from the dead and succeed. We pray with our Risen Lord among us that we too may see his light, and by his strength make the right decisions.

B. A Face Transformed

Lent is for us the privileged season of change, of transformation, transfiguration. Our complacent and guilty faces have to be changed into faces of joy and love and service. The face of our world is to be changed from injustice into integrity, from hatred into kindness and friendship. We are afraid of change, especially at the cost of ourselves. Today Jesus shows us the way. He saw suffering and death waiting for him and so his face and heart were sad. But then the Father made Jesus' face radiant for he would find life and resurrection and his face became radiant with joy and glory. If we follow Jesus and let him transform us our face will become radiant too.

Penitential Act

A. The Mountain Experience

We have at times lacked the courage
to carry out our task as Christians
and we now beg the Lord to forgive us.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, radiant with the Father's glory,
let your light shine on us:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, Beloved Son of the Father,
confirm us too in the Father's love:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, the Father's favor rests on you;
it is wonderful for us to be with you:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us our weaknesses and sins.
Unite us more deeply with you
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

B. A Face Transformed

As sinners, let us ask the Lord
to let the face of his forgiveness shine on us.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, on our sad faces,
on our faces without love,
on our indifferent and hard faces,
let the light of your face shine:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus Christ, on our tired faces,
on our faces of fear,
on our discouraged faces,
Let the light of your face shine:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus,
let the light of your face shine on ours
and we will reflect your love
on suffering faces, on lonely faces,
on despairing faces:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us our emptiness and cowardice.
Change us by your grace
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray
that the light of Christ may shine on us
(PAUSE)
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
it is wonderful for us to be here
in the presence of your beloved Son.
Let his radiant face give us light and peace.
Do not allow sin to disfigure us further
nor divide our communities.
May the light of his transfigured face
shine on all of us and give us courage,
that we too may become lights to one another,
until we may enter your everlasting light.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction: Leave Your Security!
      God demands a radical change from Abraham. He is called, when still a pagan, to leave his security on a pilgrimage of faith and hope to a promised land that will be given not to him but to the new people to be born from him.

First Reading: Genesis 12:1-4

Yahweh said to Abram, "Leave your country, your family and your father's house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse, and in you all peoples of the earth will be blessed."

So Abram went as Yahweh had told him, and Lot went with him.

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

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

Second Reading Introduction: God Calls Us to the Life of the Gospel
       God calls us to accept and spread the gospel of Jesus and to suffer for it. If we suffer with Jesus, we shall live with him.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:8-10

Dear brothers and sisters, do your share in laboring for the Gospel with the strength of God. He saved us and called us-a calling which proceeds from his holiness. This did not depend on our merits, but on his generosity and his own initiative. This calling given to us from all time in Christ Jesus has just been manifested with the glorious appearance of Christ Jesus, our Lord, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light in his Gospel.

Gospel Introduction: Stand Up, Do Not Be Afraid
       The brief glimpse of his future glory strengthens Jesus on his road through suffering and death to resurrection. At the same time Jesus strengthens the faith and hope of his disciples and of us on the road of our own transformation in Christ.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 17:1-9

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. Jesus' appearance was changed before them: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became bright as light. Just then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

Peter spoke and said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here. If you so wish, I will make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
Peter was still speaking when a bright cloud covered them in its shadow, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, my Chosen One. Listen to him."

On hearing the voice, the disciples fell to the ground, full of fear. But Jesus came, touched them and said, "Stand up, do not be afraid." When they raised their eyes, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus. And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen, until the Son of Man be raised from the dead.

Commentary

ABRAM obeys God, leaves everything: his country, his family, father's house, land and is made the nation that belongs to God. He is made a blessing and made covenant with God. We are summoned as a people to remember we belong to no country, land, family or household but we first and foremost belong to God-that is our blessing and our covenant that we are the beloved children in the universal family of the New Covenant Blessing in Jesus the Lord. Jesus calls his disciples to the cross and resurrection and they resist and so he calls them up the mountain to pray with him and see the Glory of God in his own Body so that they will come with him as followers of the Son of Man, leaving all, even their lives to belong to him and know resurrection life. We are brought to pray with Jesus, to be told to listen only to his Word, to see only Jesus and to believe in his glory, in spite of the suffering, violence and death all around us. Father, let us be true believers, leaving all to follow you through suffering and death into glory, knowing you are with us and that you are here to transfigure our lives and all of history with justice and peace. Amen.

Read also Sundays Into Silence:
The Extraordinary Ordinary

General Intercessions

Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ that his light may shine on all God's people and on the whole world. Let us say: R/ Let your light shine on us.

- Lord, light up the Church with your radiant presence in its love and acceptance of all peoples and cultures, of the poor and the rich, of the strong and the weak, we pray you, Lord: R/ Let your light shine on us.

- Lord, inspire with your radiant light the leaders of nations, economists and politicians, that they may bring justice and peace to their people, we pray: R/ Let your light shine on us.

- Lord, let you radiant face shine on all sinners, on all those who suffer, on those who cannot love, to give them hope and courage, we pray: R/ Let your light shine on us.

- Lord, let your face radiate joy on those who are dying and on all the dead who were dear to us. Welcome them into the happiness of your home, we pray: R/ Let your light shine on us.

- Lord, light up with your presence our faces here in this community, that we may keep growing in your life and love and reflect your light on all who meet us, we pray: R/ Let your light shine on us.

Lord Jesus, it is good that you are here with us. Stay with us always, now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord God, our Father,
your apostles discovered that Jesus,
so much like them,
was your own beloved Son.
May we too see beyond this bread
and recognize your Son here in our midst.
As this bread and wine are changed
to become Jesus, our food and drink of life,
let us become to those around us
bread of strength and a drink of joy
and reveal to them a bit of the face of Christ,
our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

In our gratitude to the Father, let us ask him also that the grace of this eucharist may shine on us in the days to come and help us to accept the change of conversion.

Invitation to the Lord's Prayer

In the name of Jesus the Lord
we pray to our Father in heaven
to give to us and to everyone
the food and the courage they need : R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Open our eyes to our shortcomings
and wake us up from our self-complacency,
that we may follow your Son without fear
on the way to you and to all in need.
May we thus hasten the coming in glory
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus,
the beloved Son of the Father in heaven,
who had to suffer and die
before he could rise in glory.
Happy are we to be invited
to listen to him
and to eat his bread of life and strength. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father
you have brightened our lives
with a glimpse of the light of Christ,
but we cannot cling to this vision.
In our darkness and trials,
may he give us the courage
to listen to his voice
and to carry out your plans.
Keep us firm in the hope
that everything has meaning
and that no pain is suffered in vain
when we become like Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever . R/ Amen.

Blessing

The transfiguration of Jesus
is to us a model and a sign of hope.
The man Jesus was really the Lord Jesus.
His true and deepest self showed for a brief moment.
What we are meant to be in our deepest selves
will become apparent
if we let Jesus change us and become with him
people who live for others.
May God give you this courage and bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Let us go in peace
and become new in Christ. R/ Thanks be to God.

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Additional Resource Material for this Sunday

Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today"s gospel.

At the Summit of Mount Tabor
(Mt 17:1-9)

(taken from the book A Certain Jesus, Vol. 2)
Click here for other Readings --> Index of A Certain Jesus