Gn 15:5-12, 17-18 | Phil 3:17—4:1 | Lk 9:28b-36
In Myanmar, it is difficult for people to count on a steady income, land, even food or education. When their families, clan or communities cannot meet their basic needs, they rely on their faith in God and their deeply ingrained religious rituals (some involving animal sacrifice) that come from the Buddhist and Christian traditions that surround them. One thing that is true is that faith is essential for the people’s sanity and survival.
God’s promise to the people through Abraham about 16 centuries before the birth of Christ was clear. Abraham would have many descendants and inherit land. But with this promise came God’s covenant — as humans we must follow God’s way. But how do we know God’s way in our confusing world filled with situations of poverty, violence, war, greed?
On this second Sunday of Lent, Psalm 27 reminds us: “the Lord is my light and my salvation.” And Saint Paul’s message from prison reminds the new Christians of the first century that we must “stand firm in the Lord in this way. …” And that way involves following Christ, whose “way” led to his crucifixion.
Having lived among us, Jesus knows that we humans need reassurances at times, and James and John are encouraged and enthusiastic when they witness the vision of Jesus in full radiance with Moses and Elijah. As the gospel of Saint Luke unfolds, however, James and John awake to the fact that to really live the life of Jesus in our culture and world will surely bring suffering — as it did for Jesus. If we try to live “as Jesus did” we discover God’s Spirit in our everyday lives in many ways.
In Myanmar, I was part of a group that started a small support program in a parish for people living with HIV and AIDS. Ten people came by special invitation and were very wary when they met each other. Some had known each other in their parish, but didn’t know they were HIV positive. The group struggled to accept each other and themselves, and they learned to be more open with each other. They learned about each other’s experiences with HIV and AIDS, their feelings about being rejected and ostracized, and struggles of not being able to support themselves, get medicines or even basic food. In the meantime they also had the opportunity to learn more about HIV and AIDS and meet other organized groups. At Christmas time, this group (who named themselves “Guiding Star”) visited our house to sing Christmas carols for us.
The group grew to about 30 people, young and old, men and women; they openly displayed their red AIDS ribbons and became strong in their resolve to educate others and to support one another. They were so alive — with obvious new life. Yes, each of them had suffered and continued to suffer. But they had discovered a meaning for their lives and were learning to help each other. Their faith traditions included Catholic, Baptist, Buddhist, Muslim and animist. Among them were Burmese and other various ethnic groups. They achieved a unity that the rest of the country still works toward. They all bonded over their painful experiences facilitated by compassion and friendship which opened them to new life.
Jesus is transfigured among all of us in many ways. Day by day as we try to live for others as Jesus did, we understand a bit more fully the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Maryknoll Sister Mary Grenough (1933-2021), a native of of Louisville, Kentucky who entered the congregation in 1956, was a Maryknoll sister for 64 years. A nurse, she worked in health ministry in the Philippines for 40 years and then served in Myanmar and Cambodia. One of her many ministries was establishing HIV and AIDS support groups.
The 2025 Lenten Reflection Guide from the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns contains contributions from missioners around the world.
Featured image: Children play together in the outskirts of Katha, Myanmar. (Axel Drainville/Flickr/Myanmar)
Questions for Reflection
Can you think of a time when taking a risk, overcoming fear, or doing something uncomfortable led to a positive transformation in your life? Where do you feel fear and trepidation about addressing a human need or social injustice today, and how might you overcome it?
Prayer
A Prayer for Living Fratelli Tutti
When our lofty words of love have been emptied of their
meaning,
When our borders and computer screens have erected
impenetrable walls,
When our minds are so quick to conflate “other” with
“enemy,”
How will we find our common humanity?
It’s never too late to make an earnest and tender start.
May we remove from our pockets the stones we intended to
throw
And cement them together to build a home that welcomes all.
May we repent of our indifference and move into genuine
encounter.
Instead of drawing battle lines,
May we draw our chairs up to a communal table,
Where we can feast in the knowledge of our shared dignity.
May God grant us the holy vision
To see every human being a sacred mystery,
And may we love each mystery not abstractly, but concretely.
Just as Thomas touched the wounds of Jesus,
May we be unafraid to touch the wounds of our suffering
neighbor.
May we lay down our arms and offer our outstretched hands,
Until there is no “them,” but only “us,”
– Cameron Bellm
