{"id":3198,"date":"2016-02-21T12:38:17","date_gmt":"2016-02-21T20:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/?p=3198"},"modified":"2016-10-06T17:06:08","modified_gmt":"2016-10-07T00:06:08","slug":"henry-v-and-the-transfiguration-homily-for-the-2nd-sunday-of-lent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/henry-v-and-the-transfiguration-homily-for-the-2nd-sunday-of-lent","title":{"rendered":"Henry V and the Transfiguration: Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-3199\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/maxresdefault-1-500x281.jpg\" alt=\"Henry V Kenneth Branagh\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/maxresdefault-1-500x281.jpg 500w, http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/maxresdefault-1-300x169.jpg 300w, http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/maxresdefault-1-768x432.jpg 768w, http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/maxresdefault-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of the greatest speeches in all of literature<br \/>\nis the St. Crispin\u2019s Day Speech by William Shakespeare<br \/>\nfrom his play, <em>Henry V<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s October 25, in the year 1415,<br \/>\nand King Henry of England and his men are about to fight the French<br \/>\nin what will come to be known as the Battle of Agincourt.<\/p>\n<p>Henry\u2019s men are exhausted and sick.<br \/>\nThey&#8217;ve been fighting for months,<br \/>\nand they\u2019ve just finished a long and grueling siege of Harfleur castle.<br \/>\nAs they move across the French countryside<br \/>\ntrying to find a place to rest<br \/>\nthe French army discovers them.<\/p>\n<p>The English are outnumbered five to one,<br \/>\nand the French send a herald to receive their surrender.<br \/>\nBut rather than surrender to the superior forces,<br \/>\nHenry chooses to fight.<\/p>\n<p>When Henry\u2019s cousin Westmoreland wishes they had<br \/>\nten thousand more soldiers with them,<br \/>\nHenry begins his famous speech.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d he says, \u201cif we are to die, we are enough.<br \/>\nBut if we are to live, the fewer the men the greater share of honor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He calls the men his \u201cband of brothers,\u201d<br \/>\nand says years from now survivors in their old age<br \/>\nwill gladly bare their scars<br \/>\nto show that they were there on St. Crispin\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a rousing, stirring speech,<br \/>\nespecially when delivered by Kenneth Branagh,<br \/>\nin the 1989 movie version of <em>Henry V<\/em>.<br \/>\nOn YouTube the speech has well over a million views:<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-container\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Henry V - Speech - Eve of Saint Crispin&#039;s Day - HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A-yZNMWFqvM?feature=oembed&#038;wmode=opaque\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>And that\u2019s what we have in today\u2019s readings.<br \/>\nThey are meant to inspire us, to motivate us<br \/>\nin this season of Lent.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re a week and a half into Lent,<br \/>\nand we\u2019re trying to overcome not physical enemies like the French,<br \/>\nbut the ancient enemies sloth, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, anger, and pride,<br \/>\nthose deadly sins that enslave us.<\/p>\n<p>During these forty days we intensify our efforts to overcome sin in our lives,<br \/>\nto reconnect with God and with each other.<br \/>\nAnd we may feel exhausted, we may feel outnumbered,<br \/>\nwe may feel intimidated by the prospect of trying to change our lives,<br \/>\nor we may just not want to be bothered.<br \/>\nWe may just want to be left alone.<\/p>\n<p>Like Henry V, we are faced with a choice.<br \/>\nDo we surrender to those hostile forces that we struggle with?<br \/>\nDo we give in to our vices?<\/p>\n<p>The readings of today\u2019s liturgy encourage us to stand firm<br \/>\nin our Lenten commitments.<br \/>\nLike Shakespeare\u2019s St. Crispin\u2019s Day speech,<br \/>\ntoday\u2019s readings ask, \u201cWho\u2019s with me?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWho\u2019s willing to stay faithful to God?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And the first answer to that question is Abraham.<br \/>\nAbraham trusts in the Lord even though he\u2019s old,<br \/>\neven though it seems unbelievable<br \/>\nthat he and Sarah in their old age<br \/>\ncould have descendants as numerous as the stars.<\/p>\n<p>But God promises that, and even more, saying<br \/>\n\u201cI will give you this land.\u201d<br \/>\nAnd when Abraham asks for a sign<br \/>\nGod performs an ancient covenant ceremony<br \/>\nto seal his promise.<br \/>\nAbraham brings the sacrificial animals, splits them in two<br \/>\nand places the halves opposite each other.<\/p>\n<p>Usually at this time in a covenant ceremony,<br \/>\nboth parties would walk between the dead animals<br \/>\nas if to say,<br \/>\n\u201cIf either of us breaks the covenant,<br \/>\nthis is what\u2019s going to happen to us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But in this situation God alone passes between those pieces<br \/>\nas if to say to Abraham,<br \/>\n\u201cYou don\u2019t need to guarantee this, I guarantee it.\u201d<br \/>\nGod is a God of promises, and a God who keeps his promises.<br \/>\nAnd Abraham trusts and the promise is fulfilled.<\/p>\n<p>So as we go through Lent,<br \/>\nwe can be assured<br \/>\nthat God has promised and it will be done.<\/p>\n<p>And what is God\u2019s promise to us?<br \/>\nThe answer to that is made visible in today\u2019s gospel.<\/p>\n<p>We see Jesus,<br \/>\nwho has been teaching, preaching and healing,<br \/>\nvery successfully.<br \/>\nBut the gospel is about to take a turn.<br \/>\nIn the remaining chapters of Luke\u2019s gospel,<br \/>\nJesus sets his face toward Jerusalem,<br \/>\nthe city that kills prophets.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus knows what\u2019s coming,<br \/>\nhe\u2019s told his disciples what\u2019s coming\u2014<br \/>\nhis suffering and death.<br \/>\nHe goes up on the mountain to pray<br \/>\nand when he\u2019s there his disciples get a glimpse of what is to come,<br \/>\na vision that will give them hope when things get bleak.<br \/>\nA promise of eternal life.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus is about to go to Jerusalem<br \/>\nand experience humiliation, suffering, and death<br \/>\nAnd before that happens, the disciples get a view of what comes after.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s like Henry V\u2019s speech,<br \/>\nwhen he tells his soldiers<br \/>\n\u201cIn the future, the survivors will bare their arms and show their scars,<br \/>\nthey will tell the story of St. Crispin\u2019s Day, of the Battle of Agincourt,<br \/>\nto their children and grandchildren.<br \/>\nEveryone will know your names.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Henry is appealing to his men\u2019s sense of honor.<br \/>\nThe whole play is about honor.<\/p>\n<p>But in the Transfiguration it\u2019s not honor but eternal life that\u2019s on display.<br \/>\nWe see eternity, we see our eternal destiny.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s much greater than the honor.<\/p>\n<p>Jesus is not going to Jerusalem to be honored.<br \/>\nHe is going to be humiliated.<br \/>\nHe is going to suffer a shameful death.<\/p>\n<p>But, after that, comes resurrection.<br \/>\nThe disciples can see it in his face.<\/p>\n<p>That is the vision that gives his disciples hope.<br \/>\nThat is the vision that gives us hope.<br \/>\nThat is the vision to keep before our eyes this Lenten season.<\/p>\n<p>When we want to remain where we are,<br \/>\nwhen we would surrender to our vices,<br \/>\nwhen we would rather not go through the difficulty of Lent,<br \/>\nthe glory in Jesus\u2019 face encourages us onward.<\/p>\n<p>That is God\u2019s promise to us:<br \/>\nthe face of Jesus.<br \/>\nEternal life, eternal joy.<\/p>\n<p>This is what Paul means<br \/>\nwhen he says,<br \/>\n\u201c\u2026our citizenship is in heaven\u2026<br \/>\nthe Lord Jesus Christ\u2026will change our lowly body<br \/>\nto conform with his glorified body\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He says,<br \/>\n\u201cStand firm in the Lord.\u201d<br \/>\nStand firm, hold fast.<br \/>\nIt\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n<p>These readings are to inspire us<br \/>\nto stay true to the commitments we made for Lent.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever it is we\u2019ve given up,<br \/>\nwhatever it is we\u2019ve committed to doing,<br \/>\nkeep it up.<\/p>\n<p>Because if we stand firm in the Lord,<br \/>\nEaster is just around the corner.<br \/>\nThe resurrection will happen.<br \/>\nWe know this because God has promised,<br \/>\nand what God has promised, God does.<\/p>\n<p>Henry V\u2019s St. Crispin\u2019s Day speech was effective.<br \/>\nThe English, though outnumbered five to one,<br \/>\ndefeated the French that day at the Battle of Agincourt.<\/p>\n<p>God\u2019s word to Abraham and Sarah was effective.<br \/>\nThough old and childless,<br \/>\ntheir descendants are as numerous as the stars,<br \/>\nand their people inherited the promised land.<\/p>\n<p>And Jesus\u2019 words and deeds were effective.<br \/>\nThough seemingly defeated by crucifixion and death,<br \/>\nhe rose again on the third day,<br \/>\nopening the way to eternal life for us all.<\/p>\n<p>It is now for us to stand firm in the Lord this Lent<br \/>\nand hold fast to the promises of God<br \/>\nand the vision of Christ transfigured.<\/p>\n<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6270\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-3198-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 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It\u2019s October 25, in the year 1415, and King Henry of England and his men are about to fight the French in what will come to be known as the Battle of Agincourt. Henry\u2019s men are exhausted and sick. They&#8217;ve been fighting for months, and they\u2019ve just finished a long and grueling siege of Harfleur castle. As they move across the French countryside trying to&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[349],"tags":[546,641,361,640,108,547,281,455,642,55],"class_list":["post-3198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homily","tag-abraham","tag-agincourt","tag-gospel-of-luke","tag-henry-v","tag-lent","tag-sarah","tag-shakespeare","tag-st-paul","tag-transfiguration","tag-video","post_format-post-format-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/maxresdefault-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pOucj-PA","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3198"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3201,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198\/revisions\/3201"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nicksenger.com\/onecatholiclife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}