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Tuesday, 31 March 2009 |
Today we hear the story of the Transfiguration. It is one of the most important events in the life of Jesus. All the Gospels except John’s, recount this event as a turning point situated towards the end of Jesus’ three years of ministry. In Mark’s account, we hear how Jesus transfigured before his disciples, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Dinaig pa ang kaputian na dulot ng mga pangunahing sabong panlaba sa ating mga tindahan ngayon! Then Elijah and Moses appeared and they were conversing with Jesus. This event is actually an epiphany. A revelation. Isang
kaganapang nagpapakilala kung sino talaga si Hesus. This is a feast of temporary glory, a flicker of heaven, a flash-forward to Jesus’ future resurrection. To what can we compare the significance of this event to our everyday experiences?
When we go to movies, aside from the main feature, we also get to see some movie previews. These previews are meant for us to look forward to upcoming movies. They make is anticipate with excitement the showing of these movies: Hindi dapat palagpasin kasi ang gaganda ng trailer. Dapat panoorin at talaga namang kapanapanabik. In the idiom of movie advertising, the scene on the mountain is a preview of coming attractions in Jesus’ life, his resurrection and his ascension into heaven. It is also an indicator that humanity will share in the glory of God through the resurrection. But why did Jesus allow his disciples to witness the transfiguration? Jesus chose to do so in order to strengthen their faith. He wants to give them hope. Why? Because Jesus knows that the following events in his life will be difficult for the disciples to accept. They will see him in the hands of the religious leaders, they will see him sentenced to death by a foreign leader, they will see him suffer, undergo cruelties, stripped of dignity. They will see him die. Ang taong kanilang sinusundan, hinahangaan at ipinagmamalaki, ay makikita nilang magdurusa, hihiyain sa buong bayan, ipapako sa krus, at mamatay. That’s devastating. And so Jesus in his mercy,allowed his disciples to see thispreview. It is His way of telling them, It will not end in suffering and death, there is glory awaiting me, and if you can keep up with me and share in my suffering, you too will share in this glory. But Peter somehow missed the point. Upon seeing the outstanding light and sound show unfolding before him, he declared Rabbi, it is good to be here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Overwhelmed by what he saw, Peter decided to stay put in the mountain. Akala niya main feature na. Ayaw na niyang bumaba. Sapat na sa kanya ang patikim. Ayaw na niya ang buong istorya. But a "preview" is just a "preview". It is not the entire movie. And in order for them to enjoy the whole movie, they have to go down the mountain and accompany Jesus. Accompany Jesus in his trial, in his suffering, in his death. For the only way for them to share his resurrection is for them to share in his suffering. Kailangang mamatay upang muling mabuhay. We tend to become like Peter. We want to stay put on the mountain and enjoy the "preview". Ayaw nating bumaba sa bundok. Thus we miss the main feature. As St. Paul in his letter to the Romans writes, "we are heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ, provided we suffer with him in order to be glorified.." Those who think that there is another way to follow Jesus aside from following his bloody footsteps are mistaken. If we reject suffering outright, we end up rejecting the message of Jesus altogether. If we reject the cross, we also reject the resurrection. Kung hindi pagdaraanan ang krus at ang kamatayan, hindi makakamit ang buhay na walang hanggan. In trying to live out this challenge, I invite you to take the example of Abraham whose story of faith is recounted in our first reading. God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his only son, Isaac, as sacrifice. It may have appeared a cruel joke on the part of God but it was his way of telling Abraham that he alone matters. Isaac came to Abraham as a gift. He should be able to offer him as a gift back to God. It was a lesson of dying to oneself, of making God the center of our lives. In order to share in the resurrection, we must learn to share in Christ’s suffering. We must learn to die to ourselves. This is the call for us during this season of Lent. Tinatawagan tayong mamatay sa ating sarili at mabuhay sa Diyos. To be able to give up our own Isaacs in order to grow more in the love of God. Perhaps the question to ask ourselves is: "Who or what are the Isaacs in our lives?" Things that God may be asking us to give up and offer back to Him. Our Isaacs can be our family, our career, our bank accounts, our jewelries, our plans for the future. Are you willing to die to yourself? To give up what is precious, in order to share in the greatest of all treasures? Unless we die to ourselves, unless we carry our own crosses and follow Christ, we will not be able to share in the resurrection. The story of the transfiguration is told to us today in order for us to look forward to our own resurrection. But let us not be content with the preview. Let us desire to see the main feature. And it means going down the mountain, and, with Jesus, take up our own crosses. The cross can be terrifying, but love makes it tolerable. Let us be like Abraham. In his love and faith in God, he was able to give up what is precious to him for God’s sake. And his act was not left unrewarded. He was made the father of all nations. May naghihintay sa atin sa bandang huli. Huwag tayong matakot tahakin ang landas na tinahak ni Hesus. Ang pagmamahal sa kanya nawa ang maging lakas natin. Whoever loves God needs to fear nothing else; whoever does not love God needs to fear everything else.
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