Saturday, February 27, 2021

The Second Sunday in Lent - Sunday 28 February 2021

 

Dear Friends, 

This is my Beloved Son; listen to Him. '
(after Mark 9,2.7)

Consideration for this Sunday gospel

Life goes on, Jesus pulls us through it

You can experience Lent as a pilgrimage that you go with Jesus.After all, He is the 'door' to, and He leads you to His and our Father, with Him you draw into the desert (last week), and this time you go up Mount Tabor with Him. Jesus is with Peter,and the brothers James and John went up to Mount Tabor (nearly 600 m. high), and there
they have a heavenly experience. Jesus changes form and talks to two Great leaders from the Old Testament, viz. Moses and Elijah the prophet, who put it themselves in their lives too struggling, they encourage Jesus and are a light to Him for His mission.Then they are surrounded by a cloud, from which sounds God's voice saying; This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to Him. ' The three students who came along were so moved by that,that Peter proposes setting up three tents so that they can stay there, for it is so blessed time..But Jesus was a person who could let go, also this blissful moment on the mountain with the luminous  figures from the past, He could let go of it a lot of trouble was in store. However, He was not deterred by that, He continued to believe in his ideal of the kingdom of heaven. And for that it is necessary that you do not take care of yourself alone, but that you reach out to the people around you. Jesus started again to fulfill his mission, He wanted to be a light to the people, especially to the sick and handicapped but also tax collectors and sinners.The three apostles are not allowed to lean back yet, because they also have to work themselves, they go with Jesus down the mountain and try to be a light for the people themselves. And that is also the assignment for us as followers of Jesus Christ, it is also our calling not to get stuck on our own 'hill' like it we are doing well, have our way and life is smiling. We too can go and visit people who sitting in a valley, in the pit or in the dark and going through difficult days. You can then be light yourself, heat and compassion for others, and then you also experience light within yourself. Likewise today there may be some for which this world now looks like hell, yet a piece of heaven become reality. The apostles who are so involved with Jesus the clouds were on Mount Tabor, are the same three who also saw Jesus in his deepest vulnerability in the Garden of Olives, Jesus had told them not to speak to anyone about this until He would rise from the dead. We also experience highlights in our lives, for example falling in love, a wish for a child that is fulfilled, parties,anniversaries, promotion or good results etc. And now that vaccinations can be done around the corona event, that is also another bright spot in the almost hopeless tunnel.

But just as certainly there will also be lows or dark sides for your life. Just look at the riots and aggression by the rules surrounding the pandemic

Trying to keep it under control, that in turn is the shadow side of the 'light in the tunnel. Light and darkness, joy and sorrow,a smile and a tear, in Biblical language: In everyone's  life are 'mountain' and 'valley' experiences, you can't live on just peak moments, but you also know that there are heavy ones trials always remain a ray of light and hope that there is a way out, however laborious at times.
Highs and lows belong together, illness, suffering and death inevitably belong to our lives, just like joy of birth, healing, holidays, love and friendship. There is Good Friday and Easter, they can not without each other, that is the reality because of my faith there remains hope. No Easter without Good Friday!
You cannot hold on to anything in your life, everything is temporary, life goes on, do not stand still, but carry on in God's confidence. 


Father Ed Bakker 




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