All of the readings for this Second Sunday of Lent envision seeing God. The Old Testament makes clear that no person can see God and live. However, this is our desire - to see God and to know him, even as he knows us.
In the first reading, God made a covenant with Abram. God speaks to him but Abram doesn’t see God. In that day a covenant or treaty was made by the conqueror and conquered walking together through cut up animals on each side. The conqueror gave the terms of their treaty and the conquered agreed to them. The dead animals were a visible threat that this is how you end up if you don’t abide by the conqueror’s terms. In this story, God is not a conqueror and Abram is not the vassal and they don’t walk through the animals together. Only God does that. And he does it as a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch. God promises to bless Abram but that blessing does not include Abram seeing God.
The psalmist also wants to see God. He says, “Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.” Just let me catch a quick glimpse of you, God. That’s all I want. He goes on to say, “Your presence, O LORD, I seek. Hide not your face from me….” Finally, he says, “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living.” The psalmist has hope but he still does not see the face of God.
St. Paul encourages us not to focus on and live for earthly things but to lift up our heads and live for God. He says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.” Right now we have a lowly body, one that has eyes that cannot see the spiritual world in all its glory. But Jesus is going to give us new, glorified bodies which will include eyes to see the face of God.
The Gospel story of the transfiguration of Jesus tells of how God allows the divine nature of Jesus to be glimpsed through his humanity. The disciples see his face and clothes as dazzling white. They still cannot see beyond his humanity but his appearance demonstrates that there is more to him than they can see with their physical eyes. And the voice from the cloud makes it clear: Jesus is the Son of God.
In Jesus, we see God and don’t die. No longer does God hide behind a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch. No longer does our glance seek to see God, to no avail. Now we await from heaven the return of the one we have seen, the God who came in the flesh, who has destroyed death, and promises us that the power of his resurrection will not only empower us to live for him now but will one day make us immortal and give us eyes that truly see.
St. Paul said it best: “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord.”
George Butterfield
I served as the Legal Reference Librarian at the Creighton University Law School Library from August, 2007, until August of 2017. I also taught Legal Research to first year law students and Advanced Legal Research to second and third year law students. In August of 2017 I took the position of Director of Evangelization and Catechesis for the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, and served in that capacity until Covid hit and the church staff was cut in half. Recently I took a position with the St. Gerald Catholic Church in Omaha, Nebraska, and my wife and I moved back to the Omaha suburb of Papillion.
My wife, Deb, and I have been married since 1970. She grew up in Oklahoma City and I migrated south from southwestern Pennsylvania. God has blessed us with three children, four living grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. I spent the first thirty years of our marriage as a minister so our family moved a lot. We have lived in several states, including Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, and California.
I enjoy walking, reading, listening to audio books, playing with my Pekingnese, Max, my Maltese-Schnauzer, Blaise, and seeing my grandkids grow up. I am a Catholic deacon, having been ordained by Archbishop George Lucas on May 5, 2012.
There is nothing to compare with reflecting on scripture. I feel privileged to participate in these daily reflections. Although we don’t know whether or not St. Francis ever said it, one idea associated with him is that we preach the gospel always and, when necessary, use words. May these reflections be gospel words, good news, of our gracious Lord Jesus Christ.
