Second Sunday of Lent

"Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you."

Abraham got no map. No itinerary. No guarantee except God's word: I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you. And Abram went.

Then Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, and everything changes. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become white as light. Moses and Elijah appear. Peter blurts out: "Lord, it is good that we are here!" He wants to build three tents and stay.

But a cloud overshadows them, and the Father's voice thunders: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." The disciples fall on their faces. Jesus touches them. "Rise, and do not be afraid." They come down the mountain. The vision is over. The road to Jerusalem continues.

For families, this is the shape of faith. You get moments of glory - a baptism, a wedding, a Christmas Mass where everything clicks, a family prayer that actually works. And then you come down the mountain, and Monday shows up with its laundry, its bills, its arguments, and its ordinary demands.

The Transfiguration is not the destination. It's fuel for the road. Jesus showed his glory so that when the cross came, the disciples would remember: this is not the end. There is something on the other side.

Your family is on that road. Some weeks feel like the mountain. Most feel like the walk back down. Both are the journey.

As a family, pray together:

• For the Church - that she would trust God's call like Abraham, going forth without a map and believing the promise. Lord, hear our prayer.

• For leaders in government and public life - that they would bear hardship for what is right with the strength that comes from God. Lord, hear our prayer.

• For families in transition - moving, changing, starting over - that they would hear "go forth" not as exile but as invitation. Lord, hear our prayer.

• For the faithful departed - that they who walked the road of faith would now see face to face the glory they glimpsed in this life. Lord, hear our prayer.

At Sunday dinner, ask each family member: when was a time you felt close to God - a "mountaintop moment"? Then ask: what is the ordinary road you're walking right now? Remind each other that both are part of the journey.