Sunday Readings for February 29-March 1, Second Sunday of Lent
By Lyn Zahorik | For On Mission
The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent remind us that God has always been calling ordinary people into extraordinary holiness. Think of Abraham. When God first spoke to him, he was not yet a patriarch, not yet a father of nations. He was simply “Abram,” a man living his life, tending his household, doing the next right thing. And then God said, “Go… and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gn 12: 1-2).
Abraham steps into the unknown, not with certainty, but with trust. Most of us can relate. Our own journeys of faith require courage, surrender, and a willingness to walk into mystery. Often, we find ourselves squinting at the horizon, hoping we have chosen the right sandals, wishing we had remembered to pack a lunch and quietly praying that God blesses not only our achievements but also our good intentions.
As you hear this Sunday’s Gospel, imagine hiking up a mountain with Jesus. It’s just an ordinary day of following him: dusty sandals, tired feet, and wishing someone had thought to pack lunch. And then, suddenly, Light everywhere. And Jesus… not the familiar Jesus who walked beside them, but Jesus radiant. Peter, James, and John must have felt everything at once: awe that made their knees weak, fear that made their breath catch, and a strange, aching joy that whispered, “This is who he truly is.”
And of course, Peter, God love him, immediately starts planning a construction project — three tents on a mountaintop. His heart was in the right place, even if his timing needed a little work. We can recognize ourselves in him. God brings something to our souls that leaves us in holy awe, and, instead of resting in it, we make ourselves busy because of it.
On that mountaintop, the apostles received a command from Jesus that must have felt impossible: “Tell no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” Imagine carrying that secret. Abraham could at least speak of his call. The disciples, however, had to hold their mountaintop glory in silence. They had to return to the ordinary world — arguments, misunderstandings, dusty roads — carrying a truth too bright to share. They had to watch Jesus suffer and be rejected, all while knowing the radiance they had seen.
The disciples teach us to let God’s work unfold in God’s time. Holiness sometimes requires silence, patience, and the courage to hold onto light, even when the world grows dim. We, too, are called to holiness — not the loud, showy kind, but the quiet, steady kind that grows from trust. We, too, are asked to carry moments of grace that cannot always be explained.
May this Lent help us listen more deeply, trust more boldly, and live in such a way that perhaps one day, our obituary could be summed up in four simple words: “He (or she) was a blessing.”
The readings for Sunday, March 1, can be found at Second Sunday of Lent | USCCB.