Sunday Week 2 of Lent A

Body, bridge and blessing—that’s what we reckoned earlier was how to read these scriptures in the context of this weekend. Body. Bridge. Blessing.
What Jesus did for us he did in the body. His joy, his labour, his love, his passion—all in his body. His transfiguration—in his body.
And what we do for him—we always do in the body. Our joy, our labour, our love, our passions—all in our bodies. Our transfiguration too—in the body, of the body, for the body—the body we each are, the body of humanity we all form, the body of the earth we share.
But between the body of God in Jesus and our own bodies there is a breach, a space, a separation—something to be bridged. How do we bridge the gap of time and space and desire? … We build the bridge with our bodies. We let him do in our bodies what he wills. And we do through our bodies what he desires. We do as he did.
But, doing as he did, we often miss the obvious. Here’s the obvious. ‘Jesus came up and touched them. “Stand up”, he said, “do not be afraid”.’ …
See?! Let us be literal … Stand up … Stand up and do not be afraid. Can you feel that in your body—what it is like to stand tall and free from fear? Can you feel him touch you with power, with life, with blessing? Can you feel him bless you?
Here is the bridge. Can we be blessed? Can we then bless? Can we use our bodies to receive and to give?
Let me read again the first reading so we can hear once more the call of our ancestors. (music starts)

I invite you now to receive the blessing you have just witnessed and to give it, in the same way, to your neighbour. Let it be our sign of peace …