Up On the Mountain

Readings for Sunday, March 1 — Second Sunday of Lent

Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Ps 116 10, 15-19; Romans 8:31b-34; Mark 9:2-10

Suggested Reflection Questions:

  • The first reading today is one of the most difficult in Scripture; we wonder how God could have asked Abraham to sacrifice his son in such a cruel, even barbaric way. How do you respond when you feel a disconnection with something you hear at Mass or read in Scripture?

  • In the second reading, we hear: “If God is with us, who can be against us?” Have you ever adopted this way of thinking in your life? What did you feel like was against you? How did you come to anchor your faith in God?

  • The Gospel tells the story of the Transfiguration. When have you experienced a “mountain top moment” or a spiritual high point?

  • Peter, James, and John’s experience on the mountain was only the beginning. They needed to come down from the mountain, inwardly process what they had seen, and then live it out in the world. What challenges have you faced in translating your spiritual high points into your everyday life?