Second Sunday of Lent 2025

-


 Despite my fear of heights I was able to take this picture from the summit of the Mount of Transfiguration where this weekend's gospel reading takes place in 2016.

I have a confession to make: I’m afraid of heights. 

I don’t like climbing ladders. I don’t like looking over high ledges. And I certainly don’t enjoy standing on observation decks at the top of skyscrapers. 

Just the thought of looking down from that high up makes my knees weak!

Why? 

Because when you’re that high, you feel vulnerable. You realize just how small you are. And that fear can be paralyzing. 

The logical part of my brain knows I’m probably safe, but something inside me still panics and wants to back away.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. 

Maybe they were a little winded from the climb, but nothing could prepare them for what happened next. 

Jesus is transfigured before them—His face changes, His clothes become dazzling white, and Moses and Elijah appear with Him.

Peter, overwhelmed, blurts out: “Master, it is good that we are here! Let us build three tents...” 

He wants to capture the moment, to hold onto the experience. 

But Luke tells us that Peter “did not know what he was saying.” 

Because in that moment, fear begins to creep in. A cloud overshadows them, and suddenly, they are terrified. They fall silent.

Peter, James, and John experienced a fear like my fear of heights—being confronted with something so overwhelming that it shakes them to the core. 

They saw Jesus in a way they had never seen Him before, and it left them trembling.

That same fear would return on Good Friday.

  • On the mountain, they saw Jesus in glory. But soon, they would see Him in agony.

  • On the mountain, Jesus stood between Moses and Elijah, radiant. But on Good Friday, He would stand between two criminals, bloodied and beaten.

  • On the mountain, the voice of the Father declared, “This is my chosen Son; listen to Him.” But on Good Friday, the crowd would shout, “Crucify Him!”

And just like fear of heights can make you want to turn back, the apostles’ fear on Good Friday caused them to run away. 

Peter, who had seen Christ in glory, denied Him three times. The others fled. The fear was too much.

Fear makes us hesitate, whether it's standing at the edge of a high place or facing an uncertain future. But Jesus does not abandon us in our fear.

The Transfiguration was meant to prepare the apostles—not just for the journey ahead, but for the cross. Jesus showed them His glory so they could remember it when everything seemed lost.

And that’s what we must do, too. In times of fear, when faith feels shaky, we must remember the mountaintop. 

We must hold on to those moments when we have encountered God’s presence—because those memories strengthen us when life gets difficult.

Maybe it was a retreat or a powerful moment in prayer when you felt God’s love so clearly. 

Maybe it was a time when you faced hardship, but looking back, you now see how God carried you through. 

Maybe it was receiving the Eucharist in a moment of deep need and feeling Christ’s presence like never before.

Lent is like climbing a mountain. It’s not always easy. Sometimes, like Peter, we don’t fully understand what God is doing. 

Sometimes, like the apostles on Good Friday, we want to turn back.

But Jesus calls us to keep climbing. To keep trusting. To listen to Him, even when we are afraid. Because if we do, we will see what the apostles eventually saw—that beyond the suffering of the cross, beyond the fear of Good Friday, is the victory of Easter morning.

So as we continue our Lenten journey, let’s ask ourselves:

  • Where is fear holding me back in my faith?

  • When I face struggles, do I turn away, or do I keep climbing?

  • Do I trust that beyond the fear, beyond the cross, God’s glory is waiting for me?

I may never get over my fear of heights. But I do know this: The greatest view always comes after the climb. And if we keep following Jesus, we will see the glory of God—not just on the mountaintop, but in the promise of eternal life.


Comments

  1. Pam turner BallantineMarch 15, 2025 at 7:10 AM

    Thank you for sharing. Heights don't bother me, I use to scale the the high brick wall (don't ask me to spell the correct name for it) at church to decorate. My fear is getting lost while traveling. I only travel when absolutely necessary. You are right, I may never get over it, but when I do make a trip the blessings are awesome! Have a great weekend,

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024

-
Image
  St. Augustine's Church in Peru, NY.  I would love to fill these pews with divorced Catholics who are looking for a spiritual home! We’ve all seen how difficult relationships can be, haven’t we?  Whether it’s in our own families or with close friends, we’ve experienced the pain and heartache that come when a marriage falls apart.  I’ve seen it in my own family too—my two brothers have gone through divorces, and it wasn’t easy for anyone involved.  It’s tough on the husband, the wife, the kids, and even friends who don’t know what to say or do. And I know many of you have similar stories. Today’s readings bring up the topic of marriage, and maybe when you hear them, they touch a sensitive spot. It’s not an easy subject to talk about, but it’s important because, whether we like it or not, divorce is part of our reality.  It affects so many of us, and sometimes we’re left wondering what the Church really thinks about it. When Jesus talks about marriage today,...
Read more

21st Sunday in Ordinary time 2024

-
Image
  A man was praying, and he said, 'Lord, why do you have to make everything so complicated?' Suddenly, he heard a voice from heaven reply, 'If it were easy, you wouldn't need me!' And isn’t that the truth? Sometimes we wish everything in life and faith were simple. But as we see in today’s readings, not everything is easy to accept or understand. And maybe that’s exactly the point: faith, especially when it's challenging, invites us to rely on God even more. In today’s readings, we encounter some very challenging words—words that, even 2,000 years after they were written, still cause discomfort.  St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, speaks about subordination, specifically saying, “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands.”  And then, in the Gospel, many of Jesus’ own disciples, after hearing His teaching, declare, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” These two passages highlight a theme we can all relate to—dealing with teachings that challenge u...
Read more

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024

-
Image
  I want to start today by talking about someone many of you might be familiar with: Rick Steves, the travel show host on PBS. If you’ve ever watched his show or read his travel guides, you know that Rick has a wealth of practical advice for travelers. One tip that stands out is his recommendation to pack light—ideally, to use just one carry-on bag and pack for only about a week or ten days. Rick advises this because you’re far less likely to lose carry-on luggage, and it’s always better to travel light. You can do laundry when you run out of clothes and find whatever else you need along the way. This travel advice resonates with today’s Gospel from Mark, where Jesus sends out the Twelve. Jesus gives them some very specific packing instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.” Essentially, Jesus is telling them to travel light. But why would Jesus instruct His disciples this way? Let’s unpa...
Read more