Chi Rho Letters - Second Sunday of Lent
Feb 28, 2026 7:31 am
February 28, 2025 - Volume II, Issue 1
"The soul is in God and God is in the soul. God is closer to us than water is to a fish."
St. Catherine of Siena - Bio
Editor’s Note
It's been a bit. I pray you are doing well. Jimi, this one's for you haha...
On the Second Sunday of Lent, the Church leads us up a mountain.
In the Gospel (Matthew 17:1–9), Jesus takes Peter, James, and John apart from the others and is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun. His garments become dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appear beside Him. A bright cloud overshadows them, and the Father’s voice declares: “This is my beloved Son… listen to him.”
There are so many layers to this scene, so let’s dig into it!
This moment deliberately echoes Mount Sinai. Just as Moses ascended the mountain, entered the cloud, and encountered the glory of God, so now Jesus ascends, shines with divine glory, and stands within the overshadowing cloud of God’s presence. But here the glory is not reflected, but radiates from Christ Himself. The Law was once given on stone tablets; now the Lawgiver stands before them in the flesh.
Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, bringing with them the entire Old Covenant as witnesses. Everything Israel awaited converges in this moment. The mountain becomes a hinge between covenants. The Old prepares the way; the New is unveiled in light.
Peter, overwhelmed, suggests building three booths, recalling the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. This feast anticipated the joy of heaven and God dwelling with His people. Peter senses this and wants to remain in the presence of Christ’s glory.
But the cloud interrupts him.
Throughout Scripture, the glory-cloud signals God’s presence. We see this at Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, over the Ark of the Covenant. Here again, the cloud overshadows them and the disciples fall on their faces in holy fear.
And then the Father speaks: “Listen to him.”
That command hits differently in Lent because immediately before this passage, Jesus foretells His Passion. And immediately after, He speaks again of suffering and death. The Transfiguration is a sign of what is to come after the Cross. Christ reveals His glory to strengthen the disciples for the scandal of Calvary.
Lent works the same way.
In our Contemplative Corner, I found a guide about Lenten preparation published by the USCCB. The bishops remind us that this season is about conversion—the kind that deepens our relationship with Christ. But relationship with Christ includes both mountain and valley, glory and surrender.
The mountain shows us who He is.
The Cross shows us how He loves.
In our own lives, we often want that same permanence, clarity, and consolation Peter experienced and wanted to hold onto by building booths, allowing the shining moment to last. I remember vividly an experience I had at Adoration while on a retreat at Philmont Scout Ranch with the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. We were five days into a twelve-day trek in the middle of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in northern New Mexico. Filled with the spirit and the joy that comes from that type of experience, I wanted to bottle the moment. Yet, I couldn’t stay there forever. Christ, too, does not allow Peter to stay on the mountain. We had to descend and continue our journeys through the hardships and trials of the days to come. The grace of God reframes our ongoing trials and provides a source of respite, if we're open to it.
This is the grace offered this Sunday calls us to experience:
- To see our sacrifices and hardships as a participation in God’s larger glory, not as losses.
- To understand that prayer is an intimate encounter and call to closer relationship with God, even if we don’t experience an emotional uplift.
- To recognize that fear gives way to courage when Christ touches us and says, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”
At the end of the vision, the disciples see “Jesus alone.” Moses and Elijah disappear. The cloud lifts, the radiance softens, and what remains is Christ. Experienced through a crucifix or Adoration, what remains is enough. Christ is enough.
That is Lent distilled.
Our call during Lent?
- Strip away distraction.
- Strip away false security.
- Strip away lesser voices.
And see Christ alone.
May this holy season transfigure our vision of Christ, so that, strengthened by glimpses of His glory, we may follow Him faithfully down the mountain and all the way to Easter.
Sunday Readings
Second Sunday of Lent - Link
Reading 1: Genesis 12:1-4a
Psalm: Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Reading 2: 2 Timothy 1:8b-10
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9
Collect:
O God, who have commanded us
to listen to your beloved Son,
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Headlines
A few headlines that caught my eye this week:
The Pillar Podcast: “It is schism”
San Diego Chaldean bishop accused
SSPX rejects Vatican dialogue proposal
9 things Lent is not (and 3 things it kind of is)
“Peace cannot be postponed”: Pope Leo on 4 years of Ukraine war
Leo XIV has a history of governing with a firm hand
Does a bishop’s coat of arms need a Latin motto?
Meet the priest serving Czech athletes at the Milan Winter Olympics
St. Peter’s marks 400 years with newly opened areas and digital access
Cardinal Parolin: the Vatican will not participate in Trump’s “board of peace”
Cardinals Müller, Sarah urge SSPX to submit to papal authority
How young Latino Catholics are renewing the Church this Lent
Pope Leo XIV to embark on 10-day Africa tour; trips to Spain, Monaco
12 new resources to encounter Christ this Lent (2026)
Empty school desks signify children lost to gun violence
Why abstain from meat on Fridays?
“Indian Padre Pio” proclaimed Venerable by Pope Leo XIV
5 insights from the pope’s Lenten retreat
The Relic Project wants to catalog all relics in the world
Contemplative Corner
10 Things to Remember During Lent
Do you have a gameplan for your Lent? It’s never too late to start (or restart)! As we enter these 40 sacred days, Bishop David Ricken reminds us that Lent is not a checklist but an invitation to a deeper encounter with Christ. In his reflection for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he highlights the essential practices of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving and calls us to love like Jesus through simplicity, repentance, and compassion. These reminders challenge us to approach Lent not as routine, but as a season of real spiritual transformation.
Read: 10 Things to Remember During Lent (PDF)
Apostolate Spotlight
Lay Dominicans
Lay Dominicans are lay men and women who live out the Dominican charism while fully engaged in the world. They may be single, married, or widowed. Rooted in prayer, study, community, and mission, they seek to proclaim the truth of Christ in everyday life. Through regular formation, fraternity gatherings, the Rosary, and the Liturgy of the Hours, they grow spiritually and support one another. In union with the Dominican Order, Lay Dominicans preach through their daily lives at home, at work, and in public. Learn more at laydominicans.org.
The Liturgical Week Ahead
Coloring indicates Liturgical Color, links provided to USCCB site.
March 2, 2026 | Monday | Monday of the Second Week of Lent
Daniel 9:4b–10 | Luke 6:36–38
March 3, 2026 | Tuesday | Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent (Optional Memorial: Saint Katharine Drexel)
Isaiah 1:10, 16–20 | Matthew 23:1–12
March 4, 2026 | Wednesday | Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent (Optional Memorial: Saint Casimir)
Jeremiah 18:18–20 | Matthew 20:17–28
March 5, 2026 | Thursday | Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
Jeremiah 17:5–10 | Luke 16:19–31
March 6, 2026 | Friday | Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Genesis 37:3–4, 12–13a, 17b–28a | Matthew 21:33–43, 45–46
March 7, 2026 | Saturday | Saturday of the Second Week of Lent (Optional Memorial: Saints Perpetua and Felicity)
Micah 7:14–15, 18–20 | Luke 15:1–3, 11–32
Community Prayer Intentions
For Strength and Comfort
- Marie Forney
- Krog Family
- Niese Family
- Myers Family
- Demers Family
- Pope Leo XIV
Eternal Rest
- Noel Demers
- Bernice Myers
- Emma Niese
- Pope Benedict XVI
- Pope Francis
Saints in Progress, pray for us!
Thank you!
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Please know of my prayers for you, and please continue to pray for me and my family. I’ll see you next time, but in the meantime, God Bless!
–☧ Rob