Sunday Sermon - 3.16.25
LATIN MASS: SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
EPISTLE: 1 Thessalonians 4:1 For the rest therefore, brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. 2 For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication; 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour: 5 Not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God: 6 And that no man overreach, nor circumvent his brother in business: because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before, and have testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification.
God did not free you from the filthy pig sty of sin, just to permit you to go back to the sins which were going to damn you. You were freed from those sins, and washed pure in your soul, so that you can return back to damnation. You were made for eternal glory and Our Lord is eager to grant it to anyone. You just have to give up your sins and embrace Him. It is simple to understand, but hard to do. The reason it is hard is because of the temptation we feel from sin. But frequent prayer and reception of the sacraments can weaken and destroy the pull of that temptation. So go to Confession this Lent at least once. Be purified so that you may celebrate Easter with a holy and pure soul with Him.
GOSPEL: Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh unto Him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: 2 And He was transfigured before them. And His face did shine as the sun: and His garments became white as snow. 3 And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with Him. 4 And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him. 6 And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. 8 And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man be risen from the dead.
Moses the great law-giver, with Elijah the great prophet, speak to Our Lord at the Transfiguration. Here the Word of God and Prophet of God shows that He is the true Messiah and King that both Moses and Elijah were prefigures for. He is the embodiment, literally, of the foreshadowing and prophecies that God had been giving to mankind since the very beginning of our existence. He is the eternal and infinite fulfillment of all the promises that God had made to man since the Garden of Eden. Here we have the New Adam, the New Moses, the New Elijah, as He is preparing Himself for His Passion and sacrifice on the Cross.
NOVUS ORDO: SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 15:5 The Lord God brought Abram outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7 Then He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring Me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 He brought Him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; 14 but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates
This strange ritual was a very solemn vow that both parties were making with each other. Both parties were promising to fulfill their part of the covenant they were making, and if they did not fulfill those promises, they invoked the same treatment on themselves as happened to the animal sacrifices. It was extreme and that shows how seriously that God took this promise He made to Abram. Abram as well was invoking this curse upon himself if he did not fulfill his promise in this covenant. Thankfully Abram did fulfill his part and obey God. He went down to Egypt as commanded, even though he was already old and he had many servants, possessions and animals. He was already living in a good land, but God promised Abram so much better. Abram became Abraham and he became our father in faith.
NEW TESTAMENT: Philippians 3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in Heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the Body of His glory, by the power that also enables Him to make all things subject to Himself.
4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Never forget that this is not our home. Our home and destination is in eternity with Our Lord. So to achieve that end, we need to turn away from the false god of carnal pleasures and turn towards the true God. We must be conformed to His Body rather than conform ourselves to the current society. Those who refuse to be sanctified by Our Lord, will be destroyed. They will face their final judgment and be given hell for eternity as their reward. Life is not a joke. It is infinitely serious, so treat it as such. Sin is not something to joke about or be cavalier with. We must shun all sin and turn towards Him.
GOSPEL: Luke 9:28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with Him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to Him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Just as they were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is My Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
What Peter is referencing here is that the Transfiguration happened during the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles. This was the annual feast where the Israelites were to sleep outside in dwellings, booths or tabernacles, so they would never forget the forty years in the desert. It was also to remind them that life was fleeting and to rely upon Our Lord for all their needs. With this in mind, that is why Peter asks about setting up tents for all three of them.
