Visitation of Our Lady

We always read the account of the Transfiguration on the Second Sunday of Lent. At first glance this might seem counter intuitive to the spirit of Lent. Penance and fasting come to the fore during Lent, so what does Jesus’ transfiguration have to do with this?

We begin the first full week of Lent this weekend. As everyone is well aware, Lent is a 40 day penitential season. We are reminded of our sinfulness and need for conversion. This season is also the spiritual preparation for Holy Week and the celebration of Our Lord’s Passion in the Sacred Triduum.

Mardi Gras is this week, which also means that Ash Wednesday and the 40 Days of Lent are upon us. I don’t know about you, but often times Lent sneaks up on me. By that I mean that I tend to not know what I am going to give up for Lent before Ash Wednesday. Some years it took me a day or two into Lent to figure that out. Just like with most things, the better we prepare for Lent, the more we enter into this great penitential season, and we experience a better Easter.

In the second reading we hear how St. Paul shows Jesus as the New Adam. What does this mean? Let’s unpack this deep and rich way of viewing Christ.

The first reading from the prophet Jeremiah tells us something interesting regarding the spiritual life. In a nutshell he is telling to us not trust any person, even ourselves. Who we should trust is God alone.