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2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C, 13 March 2022 Liturgical Colour: Violet. Note: Homilies & Angelus / Regina Caeli of Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I had been compiled for you after the Mass Readings below. Happy Reading!
Readings at Mass: EWTN, USCCB, Universalis. See our extracts with pictures: 1st Reading: Genesis 15:5-12,17-18, Responsorial: Psalm 27:1,7-9,13-14, 2nd Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1 & Gospel Reading: Luke 9:28-36.
Others: Venerable Fulton J. Sheen - First the Spiritual, Then Take Action (video)
Acknowledgment: We thank the Publisher for allowing us to publish the Mass Readings to be used as reference for Homilies & Angelus / Regina Caeli of Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I as a source of God’s encouragements to all of us around the World.
1. Criminal Investigation Department, Singapore Police Force harassed Law-abiding Citizen. 2. See another Police case to frame against the Innocent! Please spread the News to help them who commit no crime. Many Thanks. Till this day, the harassment continues and there is no apology from the Rulers and no compensation paid for damages inflicted. 3. Please pray for this elderly Catholic Lady who has been victimised & harassed by her sister (also a Catholic) & her sister’s husband. Many Thanks. 4. See the Bloggers went MISSING before / after the Singapore General Election on 10 July 2020. Please pray for their safety as we search for them actively. Many Thanks.
How to take good care of your cute elderly at home so that they remain healthy and you won’t get worried or distressed? Latest updates!
Homilies, Angelus / Regina Caeli
1. “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him” (Luke 9:35). On this Second Sunday of Lent, the liturgy invites us to reflect on the striking account of Jesus’ Transfiguration. In the solitude of Mount Tabor, in the presence of Peter, James and John, the only privileged witnesses to this important event, Jesus is clothed even externally in his glory as Son of God. His face becomes shining, his clothes dazzling. Moses and Elijah appear and talk with him about the fulfilment of his earthly mission, destined to end in Jerusalem with his death on the Cross and his Resurrection.
The Transfiguration makes visible for a moment the divine light that will be fully revealed in the paschal mystery. The Evangelist Luke underlines how this extraordinary fact takes place precisely within a context of prayer. “As he was praying”, Jesus’ face changed in appearance (cf. Luke 9:29). Following the example of Christ, the whole Christian community is invited to undertake the Lenten journey in a spirit of prayer and penance, to prepare to welcome the divine light that will shine at Easter.
2. In the second reading, taken from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, an urgent appeal to conversion is addressed to us: “Mark those who so live as you have an example in us” (3:17). With these words the Apostle offers his personal experience to help the faithful of Philippi to overcome a certain attitude of laxity and lack of commitment which was spreading in that community so dear to him.
The tone here becomes particularly strong and touching. St Paul turns to his Christians in Philippi “with tears”, to warn them against those who “live as enemies of the cross of Christ”, because they have their “minds set on earthly things” (ibid., 3:18-19). He compares the difficulties of that community he had founded with the example of his own life, dedicated unreservedly to the cause of Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel.
6. May we be sustained on this apostolic journey by the awareness that God is faithful. In the first reading we listened to the account of God’s covenant with Abraham. To the divine promise of descendants, Abraham replies “hoping against hope” (Romans 4:18); for this reason he becomes the father in faith of all believers. “And he believed the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). The covenant with the patriarch of the chosen people is later renewed in the great Covenant of Sinai. The latter finds its ultimate fulfilment in the New Covenant, made by God with all humanity not in the blood of animals but in that of his own Son made man, who offers his life for the redemption of the world. Pope Saint John Paul II (Homily, 8 March 1998)
1. Today “Woman’s Day” is being celebrated in many countries of the world. It is an important event which invites us to reflect on women’s role in society, and even prior to that, in God’s plan. Recognition of this role has encountered numerous obstacles in history. Even today it cannot be said that all resistance has been overcome.
I gladly take this opportunity to express the hope that woman’s equal dignity will at last be fully recognized and her particular gifts adequately appreciated. Man and woman complement each other not only physically and psychologically at the level of behaviour, but more profoundly at the level of being. Everyone knows Catholic doctrine on this subject, which I have often had occasion to recall, especially in my Apostolic Letter Mulieris dignitatem and the Letter to Women.
2. We are unfortunately heirs to a history of enormous conditioning that has hindered the progress of women: their dignity is sometimes ignored, their special qualities misrepresented and they themselves are frequently marginalized. This has prevented them from being truly themselves and has deprived the whole human race of authentic spiritual riches.
How many women have been and are still valued more for their physical appearance than for their personal qualities, professional competence, intellectual work, the richness of their sensitivity and, finally, for the very dignity of their being!
And what can be said then of the obstacles that in so many parts of the world still prevent women from being fully involved in social, political and economic life? In this regard, while recalling that the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being celebrated this year, I wish to make an appeal on behalf of women whose basic rights are still denied today by the political regimes of their countries: women who are segregated, forbidden to study or to exercise a profession, or even to express their thoughts in public. May international solidarity hasten the due recognition of their rights.
3. May Mary, the model of a fulfilled woman, help everyone, especially all women, to understand the “feminine genius”, not only to carry out God’s precise plan, but also to make more room for woman in the various areas of social life.
May Mary present to the Lord the expectations and prayers, the commitment and sufferings of all the women of the world, and may she show her motherly concern to every man and woman on the path of life. Pope Saint John Paul II (Angelus, 8 March 1998)
1. "The Lord Jesus Christ will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3: 21). These words of St Paul, which we heard in the second reading of today's liturgy, remind us that our true homeland is in heaven and that Jesus will transfigure our mortal body into a glorious body like his own. The Apostle comments in this way on the mystery of the Transfiguration of the Lord which the Church proclaims on this Second Sunday of Lent. Jesus, in fact, wanted to offer a sign and a prophecy of his glorious Resurrection, in which we are also called to share. What was accomplished in Jesus, our Head, must also be fulfilled in us who form his Body.
This is a great mystery for the life of the Church, since we should not think that the transfiguration will happen only later after death. The saints' lives and the martyrs' witness teach us that if the transfiguration of the body will occur at the end of time with the resurrection of the flesh, that of the heart takes place now on this earth with the help of grace.
We can ask ourselves: What are "transfigured" men and women like? The answer is very beautiful: they are people who follow Christ in living and dying; who are inspired by him and let themselves be imbued with the grace that he gives us; whose food is to do the Father's will; who let themselves be led by the Spirit; who prefer nothing to Christ's kingdom; who love others to the point of shedding their blood for them; who are ready to give him their all without expecting anything in return; who - in a word - live loving and die forgiving.
4. Dear brothers and sisters, on various occasions I have recalled the need to preserve the memory of the martyrs. Their witness must not be forgotten. They are the most eloquent proof of the truth of the faith, which can give a human face even to the most violent death and show its beauty even in the midst of atrocious sufferings. The particular Churches must do everything possible not to forget those who suffered martyrdom.
At the beginning of the third millennium the pilgrim Church in Spain is called to live a new springtime of Christianity, since she has been watered and fertilized by the blood of so many martyrs. Sanguis martyrum, semen christianorum! The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians (Tertullian, Apol., 50, 13: CCL 1, 171)! Today these words, coined during the persecutions of the first centuries, must instil hope in your apostolic initiatives and pastoral efforts in the often difficult task of the new evangelization. For this you can rely on the incomparable help of your martyrs. Remember their valour: "Consider the outcome of their life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever" (Hebrews 13: 7-8).
5. I would like to entrust an intention deeply rooted in your hearts to the intercession of the new blesseds: the end of terrorism in Spain. For several decades you have been put to the test by a horrible sequence of violence and killing. At the root of these deeply regrettable incidents is a perverse logic which must be denounced. Terrorism is born of hate and in turn feeds it; it is radically unjust and increases the situations of injustice, since it seriously offends God and the dignity and rights of individuals. With terror, man is always the loser! No motive, cause or ideology can justify it. Only peace builds peoples. Terror is the enemy of humanity.
6. Dear friends in the Lord, the Father's voice also said to us in today's Gospel: "This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him" (Luke 9: 35). Listening to Jesus means following and imitating him. The cross has a very special place on this journey. There is a direct connection between the cross and our transfiguration. Imitating Christ in death is the way that leads to the resurrection of the dead, that is, to our transformation in him (Philippians 3: 10-11). Now, in the celebration of the Eucharist Jesus gives his Body and his Blood so that, in a certain way, we can have a foretaste here on earth of our final state, when our mortal bodies will be transfigured in the likeness of Christ's glorious body.
May Mary, Queen of Martyrs, help us to listen to and imitate her Son. Let us ask her, who accompanied her divine Son in his earthly life and remained faithful to him at the foot of the Cross, to teach us to be faithful to Christ at every moment without losing heart in the face of difficulties; may she grant us the same strength with which the martyrs confessed their faith. In calling upon her as our Mother, I implore the gifts of peace, happiness and steadfast hope for everyone present here today and for your families. Pope Saint John Paul II (Homily, 11 March 2001)
1. Before ending this solemn celebration, I would like to extend my cordial greetings and thanks to all of you, dear brothers and sisters, who by your presence show a deep devotion to these new blesseds.
With them let us now turn our gaze to Mary Most Holy, whom we contemplate in faith as Queen of the Saints of every era and nation. In particular, she is the Mother and Queen of Martyrs, standing beside them in their hour of trial, just as she remained at the foot of the Cross, close to her Son, Jesus.
These new blesseds trusted in her, the faithful Virgin, during the dramatic moments of their persecution. When they were prevented from expressing their faith freely, or later in prison, they found constant support in the Holy Rosary, recited alone or in small groups, for facing the supreme moment. How effective is this traditional Marian prayer in its simplicity and depth! The Rosary gives powerful help to countless believers in every age.
2. May it be so for us as well! Let us ask this of Our Lady in the Angelus prayer. Let us pray, in particular, for the Christian communities that are suffering persecution for the faith, so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, they may bear witness to the love of Christ, who, "when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2: 23).
May Mary, Mother of Hope, obtain for us a close union with Christ at the time of trial, so that we can experience the shining glory of his Resurrection.
I would like to extend a cordial greeting to all the pilgrims who have come to Rome to take part in this joyful occasion, especially the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops accompanying them, as well as the authorities who have come as representatives of a people who have given so many examples of holiness in all social classes and in every corner of their land.
May the new blesseds, models of consistency of life, constancy in faith and the spirit of reconciliation, intercede in heaven for their compatriots today and spur them to maintain the vigour of the Christian wisdom that makes their country's history fruitful and nourishes their efforts to reach ever higher peaks of harmony, solidarity and the spirit of Christian brotherhood. Pope Saint John Paul II (Angelus, 11 March 2001)
1. "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" (Luke 9: 35). Today's Gospel reading makes us protagonists of the moving scene of Jesus' Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. Christ reveals his glory as the Son of God to Peter, James and John.
Luke the Evangelist highlights this extraordinary fact, enabling us to contemplate the face of the Lord that changed in appearance while he was praying (cf. Luke 9: 29). In him, shining with glory, we recognize the Chosen One, the Messiah, "the light of the world" (John 8: 12), who gives meaning to our life. The mysterious voice from on high also invites us to follow him with docility: "This is my Son... listen to him!".
3. The district of Palmarola, relatively less spread out than other sectors of the Diocese, is made up of three parishes. It is my cordial hope that, also thanks to this gathering, the desire for communion will be strengthened in all the parishioners so that the proclamation of the Gospel to those who live in the district will be more effective. Unfortunately, in the area where you live the modern phenomenon of "sects" is also widespread. They seek to attract especially those who are in a difficult situation or who are lonely. In this setting, it is necessary to set forth on a strong, new and courageous work of evangelization. Jesus, centre of the universe and of history, must meet every man and woman, since in the mystery of the Redemption, "the question of man is inscribed with a special vigour of truth and love" (Redemptor Hominis, n. 18).
To proclaim Christ is to give everyone, especially those who suffer spiritual and material poverty, the possibility to experience divine tenderness and mercy.
4. Each one of your communities, under the generous and enlightened guidance of their respective pastors, becomes a place of welcome and of solidarity. The parishes must be schools of education in authentic faith, aware that they are guardians of a great treasure which they must not waste but must continually increase (cf. ibid., n. 18).
The Eucharist must be at the centre of every pastoral project, building the Church as the authentic community of the People of God and always regenerating it on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ himself (cf. ibid., n. 20). I invite especially you, dear families, to make the Eucharist your reference point. You are called to walk together with your children on the itinerary of preparation for the sacraments of Christian initiation and to accompany them throughout adolescence and beyond, so that as they grow up, they may faithfully fulfil the mission God has in store for them. Pope Saint John Paul II (Homily, 6 March 2004)
See our compilation with pictures in Encouragements-205. 8-)
See our compilation with pictures in Encouragements-205. 8-)
See our compilation with pictures in Encouragements-206. 8-)
See our compilation with pictures in Encouragements-206. 8-)
The second Sunday of Lent presents us the Gospel of Jesus’ Transfiguration.
The apostolic visit that I made to Mexico some days ago was an experience of transfiguration for all of us. How so? Because the Lord has shown us the light of his glory through the body of the Church, of his holy people that live in this land. It is a body so often wounded, a people so often oppressed, scorned, violated in its dignity. Therefore the various encounters we experienced in Mexico were truly full of light: the light of a faith that transfigures faces and illumines our path.
The spiritual “centre of gravity” of my pilgrimage was the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To remain in silence before the image of the Mother was my principal aim. I thank God that he gave me this opportunity. I contemplated and I allowed myself to be gazed upon by she who carries imprinted in her eyes the gaze of all her children, gathering up the sorrows caused by violence, kidnapping, assassinations, the violence against so many poor people, against so many women. Guadalupe is the most visited Marian shrine in the world. From all over the Americas, people go to pray where la Virgen Morenita appeared to the Indian, St Juan Diego, which set in motion the evangelization of the continent and its new civilization, a fruit of the encounter between diverse cultures.
This is precisely the inheritance that the Lord has entrusted to Mexico: to care for the richness of diversity, and at the same time, to manifest the harmony of a common faith, a sincere and robust faith, accompanied by a great force of vitality and humanity. Like my predecessors, I also went to confirm the Mexican people in their faith, and at the same time to be confirmed. My hands are full of this gift so that it goes out as a benefit to the universal Church. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 21 February 2016)
Extracts: ...Therefore, the Transfiguration of Christ shows us the Christian perspective of suffering. Suffering is not sadomasochism: it is a necessary but transitory passage. The point of arrival to which we are called is luminous like the face of Christ Transfigured: in him is salvation, beatitude, light and the boundless love of God. By revealing his glory in this way, Jesus ensures that the cross, the trials, the difficulties with which we struggle, are resolved and overcome in Easter. Thus this Lent, let us also go up the mountain with Jesus! But in what way? With prayer. Let us climb the mountain with prayer: silent prayer, heartfelt prayer, prayer that always seeks the Lord. Let us pause for some time in reflection, a little each day, let us fix our inner gaze on his countenance and let us allow his light to permeate us and shine in our life. Indeed, Luke the Evangelist emphasizes the fact that Jesus was transfigured, “as he was praying” (v. 29). He was immersed in an intimate dialogue with the Father in which the Law and the Prophets — Moses and Elijah — also echoed; and as he adhered with his entire being to the Father’s will of salvation, including the Cross, the glory of God flooded him, even shining on the outside. This is how it is, brothers and sisters: prayer in Christ and in the Holy Spirit transforms the person from the inside and can illuminate others and the surrounding world. How often have we found people who illuminate, who exude light from their eyes, who have that luminous gaze! They pray, and prayer does this: it makes us luminous with the light of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 17 March 2019)
Daily Blessings to You from Emmanuel Goh & Friends
Note: This webpage has many hyperlinks to the Vatican Webpage. The above extracts were compiled for your easy reading. This Publication is aimed to encourage all of Goodwill around the World. It is not for business or profit purposes but it is our way to thank our Creator for His continuous blessings!
Compiled on 10 March 2019 Last updated: 12 March 2022, 21:10 SGT
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