CHRIST’S TRANSFIGURATION: TRANSFORMING LIVES BY EASING SUFFERINGS THROUGH OUR LENTEN CAMPAIGN AND CONTRIBUTIONS
2ND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR C, 16TH MARCH, 2025/ LAUNCH OF ARCHDIOCESE OF ABUJA LENTEN CAMPAIGN FOR 2025, AT THE POLICE CHAPLAINCY,LUGBE, ABUJA. HOMILY BY ARCHBISHOP I. A. KAIGAMA.
1ST READING GENESIS 15:5-12:17-18; 2ND READING PHILIPPIANS 3:17-4:1; GOSPEL LUKE 9:28B-36.
THEME: CHRIST’S TRANSFIGURATION: TRANSFORMING LIVES BY EASING SUFFERINGS THROUGH OUR LENTEN CAMPAIGN AND CONTRIBUTIONS.
We just concluded the week-long first plenary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria held in Abuja, and I bring you the blessings and warm regards of all the Catholic bishops of Nigeria. This Sacred season of Lent is meant to give us the desert experience of Jesus where He battled with the devil and overcame him, and we are told in Luke 4: 13 that “And when all the temptation was completed, the devil withdrew from him, until a time”. The devil never gives up, but with fasting, works of mercy, and prayer the devil can be put to flight.
Being the second Sunday of Lent, we transit from the desert experience to the glorious moment of Jesus’ transfiguration. This transition invites us to contemplate not only the challenges we face but also the hope and glory that God promises us.
We see Jesus, fully man, experiencing with us temptations; but in the transfiguration, we contemplate Him as the Son of God who divinizes our humanity. The point is that we can still rise to glory despite all the challenges, some of which include what we mentioned in our communique issued during our recently concluded CBCN conference and when we met the President on Friday, namely, insecurity, poverty, hunger, very high cost of things, etc. Mr. President gave us a firm assurance that they are working really hard and that with the cooperation of all of us, corruption, insecurity, poverty, hunger, etc will be overcome and we can become proud of our country.
Many of us seated here have been through betrayal, abject poverty, unemployment, the darkness of sickness, the anguish of losing loved ones, or the frustration of delayed dreams. Many times we have cried out, “God, where are you? God, why me?” Take a look at the life of Abraham. He did not turn his back on God. He trusted God even when the road ahead was unclear. And just at the moment of the greatest trial, God provided the option of a ram, God showed Abraham, and is showing us today, that He is the God who provides. This is an invitation to renew our trust in God, even in the midst of our trials and struggles. God is asking us to give up something that is so precious to us this Lenten season, not to punish us, but to teach us to trust Him more. God is calling us to surrender our fears, our doubts, and our worries, and to say, like Jesus Christ, “Father, if it is possible, take this cup away from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
Today, the Church invites us to climb a mountain of faith and transformation. In the first reading from Genesis, God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable; to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, the child of the promise, the one through whom God said He would make of Abraham a great nation. Imagine the pain that Abraham would have been passing through as he walked up that mountain with his son. Those of you who are parents know exactly what it would feel like if you had been in Abraham’s shoes. He surely must have had questions running through his mind such as “God, why now? After all these years of waiting, is this how it ends?”
The psalm reinforces the theme of trusting God with the declaration, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
In the Gospel, we encounter the Transfiguration of Jesus, a wonderful moment recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The transfiguration takes place on a mountain, witnessed by Peter, James, and John. They see Jesus transfigured and conversing with Elijah and Moses, two towering figures in the history of Israel. Their presence signifies Jesus’ continuity with the Law and the Prophets.
Upon witnessing this glorious transformation, Peter offers to construct three tents for them, perhaps out of confusion or a desire to prolong this extraordinary moment. A voice from heaven affirms Jesus as God’s Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him, just as during Jesus’ baptism, the heavenly voice pronounced the divine authority of Christ and the necessity of heeding His words.
The Transfiguration serves as an invitation to reflect on our own lives and the areas that require transformation. Just as the disciples were called to listen to Jesus, we too must cultivate the ability to hear God’s voice amid the noise of daily life. This requires setting aside time for prayer, engaging with Scripture, and seeking moments of silence.
This season of Lent encourages us to identify and relinquish habits that hinder our spiritual growth. This might involve giving up distractions, such as excessive internet or social media use or unhealthy relationships, and replacing them with activities that nurture our faith—like volunteering, connecting with family, or participating in work for the common good. We can establish a daily prayer routine, perhaps starting or ending our day with quiet reflection, engaging in communal prayer, such as attending Mass or societal meetings, etc.
Moreover, Lent provides an opportunity to practice more acts of kindness and service, following Jesus’ example of love. Are you visiting the sick? Sharing the little food you have with someone hungry? We, as priests, Rev. Sisters, and Bishops get loads of text messages where people complain bitterly about hunger. I am sure some of you get such messages too. Each small act of kindness therefore to people who ask, contributes to our transformation and reflects the light of Christ in the world.
Our Lenten campaign this year again is aimed at collecting funds to provide a multipurpose center for our youths. The youths now, instead of looking up to the government look up to the Church to provide jobs; yet, the Church does not have the resources. Youth Corps members posted to states become stranded and look up to the Church who provided (family houses), that is, accommodation centers where they stay because the centers are safe, even though limited in space. This happens because the entitlements of the corps members are either not promptly given, or poorly given or delayed such that, many corps members, new in their environment, are forced to go to churches or mosques or fall victim to unscrupulous elements.
Because of our love for our youths, we had hoped to begin the youth project by now, but what we have gathered through Lenten collections is inadequate in the face of the very high costs of building materials. Please note that from the proceeds of each Lenten campaign, we support the poor, the needy, and the marginalized, such as the hungry, the prisoners, flood victims, the internally displaced, and many others who come to the Church individually or in groups. You don’t get to meet such people. Additionally, St. Vincent de Paul, the. Charismatics, the Legion of Mary, Knights, CWO, CMO, CYON, and many others do a lot for the poor and hungry, but the JDPC goes beyond food or relief distribution to teach many how to catch the fish rather than just giving out the fish. All these are done without any media publicity!
Today, as our Archdiocese flags off our Lenten campaign here in Guardian Angels Police Chaplaincy, Lugbe, please resolve to be committed to raising the needed funds for the charity causes of our Archdiocese. Kindly collect your Lenten bag or envelope, make some reasonable savings, and submit the bag to the JDPC at the end of Lent as your personal way of joining the Archdiocese in contributing to the well-being of the poor and the less fortunate in our society.
Following Jesus involves embracing both the glory of His Transfiguration and the challenges of discipleship. It is not enough to be a Christian or to go to church only because you are looking for miracles and prosperity. We should learn to give no matter how small. Even in our valleys of struggles, the desert of uncertainties, or a wilderness of challenges or in whichever situation, we should remain thankful to God and learn to give from the little we have.
Finally, in our noisy world today, the only voice to listen to, the only voice to determine for us where we go or what we do is the voice of Jesus. “O that you listen to His voice, harden not your hearts.”
May we, like Abraham, trust in God’s promises, and like the disciples, be attentive to the reality of Christ in our lives.
