Since today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, all the readings point only to one thing, the Kingship, Majesty and Dominion of God over all the earth. In today's 1st reading, God is described as seating on His throne and gave an impression of great power. It takes us to another aspect or level of understanding of the majesty of our God. We ought to be glad and rejoice that we have a God who is Almighty and Immortal that no one or nothing can ever be over and above Him. Whenever we hear the word throne then we immediately paint a picture in our minds about royalty, highness and being on top of everything. This is all true when we speak of God. Although we may never be able to fully visualize God, the Ancient One sitting on the throne, it reminds us of the truth that He is King of kings and Lord of lords. We just can’t put the right words into our mouth when we speak of God’s majesty. God is almighty and all powerful. He is beyond words! Amen. Hallelujah!
Daniel 7:9-10. 13-14
9 As I watched: Thrones were set up and the Ancient One took his throne. His clothing was snow bright, and the hair on his head as white as wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire. 10 A surging stream of fire flowed out from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him... His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.
We don't want to be losers here in this life, do we? All the more should we not want to be losers in the next life for eternity. We have a God who fights our battles and we are assured of His victory already. We should all be well aware of God’s angels that surround us and are sent by God to us to always light, guide, rule and guard. It is just a matter of persevering and committing to the task that we are all called to fulfill. To live a life of faith in words, thoughts and deeds in our Lord Jesus Christ who lived, died and resurrected all for our sake. Erase all doubts and be faithful to the One God who is most high above every other god. We should develop an image of God that is fitting to Him as described in today's psalm. There are significant events in our life that we can associate with certain major decisions we made and can never forget. The place where we are right now is exactly where God wants us to be. If God brings us here then He will bring us through it. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our life at this precise moment. God's purpose for us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place where we are now. That's God, He passes us through a lot of things for us to see His glory. We all long to become a member or even be identified with groups and associations that hold a good name and reputation. It helps us in many ways and keeps us abreast with the latest trends in our profession for example. It could be considered an asset and we would definitely not leave it out from our resume because it speaks well of us. There are even associations that require us to fulfill certain requirements in order to qualify. We even have to go out of our way and make some sacrifices such as go through rigid screening, pass certain examinations and maintain certain units in order to comply with the qualifications. All of these we are willing to do and make ourselves able just to belong. Considering that these are all earthly memberships that could only last a lifetime. What about eternal memberships that continue even after this life is over? To be a part of the Kingdom where our Lord is King is the ultimate goal we should all set our eyes on. Whenever we are faced with problems and difficulties in life we should always find consolation in a God whom nothing is lost for He knows and sees all. We may still not be in perfect shape for the Lord but God is constantly at work in those who are just and upright of heart. We have all the reasons to rejoice and be glad knowing that we have a God who is just. We should always acknowledge that without God we are nothing and God's power over us can only go as far as we allow Him to. Nothing else matters more than this truth that we have a God who is high over all the earth and exalted far above all gods. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 97:1-2. 5-6. 9
R: The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
...Clouds and darkness are round about him, justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. (R) 5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory...You, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth, exalted far above all gods.
Peter declared God's tremendous power with much conviction. This due to the fact, that he had been an eyewitness of God's majesty. We know that once in our lives, too we've already witnessed the glory of God and it is only right and fitting that we proclaim it and make it known to everyone in order for us to always remember the He is Lord of lords, King of kings and Savior of the world. Today's 2nd reading is first hand information from Peter himself. He witnessed Jesus' Transfiguration which made all the difference from all other narrations which are just handed down. When we hear amazing things and stories we get all excited about it but to experience and witness it for ourselves is a lot more rewarding and convinces us even more to believe and not doubt. One way or another we've had experiences like that of Peter's when we can not deny its authenticity. Our senses have testified to it and can no longer be unbelieving. If we are to closely review our lives we will find that we too have been to Peter's situation when we also have witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus. It may not be specifically the same events but it is something that should make us hold on to God and make us a living testimony of His Almighty Power. It could serve as a lamp shining on us when darkness comes and morning seems to be far from sight. Amen. Hallelujah!
2 Peter 1:16-19
16 Beloved: We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
We should fully trust the voice of Jesus who dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. If there are times when we get confused and don't know anymore what to do, whom to listen and where to go just feel the very depths of our heart as we pray and He will never hesitate nor withhold the answers we seek. He is not a God who misleads, confuses and causes chaos. There is a time for everything. All we have to do is kneel down before the foot of the cross and we will surely find the answers. Let our hearts talk and do the work to fully understand His instructions to us. May we be able to learn the art of silence and just listen and meditate on the Word of God. There are some things that our mind can not fully explain and understand. Each one of us during our lifetime have experienced unbelievable things wrought by God's mighty hand that are beyond our understanding and comprehension. We shouldn't be surprised at all if we truly believe that our life is in the hands of a God who is Almighty, Immortal and Holy. Today’s gospel invites us to look deeply into the transfiguration of Jesus. This corresponds to the 1st transformation in the womb of the Blessed Mother when the glory of God penetrated humanity. This transformation happened without any harm coming on Christ’s Divine nature. This communication of divinity is the immediate prelude of the resurrection. We long and have a deep desire to live and see at the very moment of our death this same glorious sight that the disciples saw although with holy fear and an awe of God that we want to live in perfect union with Him. We see God’s face that shines forth and with clothes dazzling white. We think of the very garments worn by Jesus made by Mary. We ask Mary to intercede for us and plead to her son that each of us will be transformed into the likeness of His son just as Jesus Himself was woven in the flesh of her own body. The transfiguration is true of us when we experience deification after the 2nd coming. Our features will not be distorted but glorified just as in the person of Jesus. He did not lose the substance of his flesh but showed forth an addition of brightness. Our bodies will be renewed in the way Jesus is. We will be brought to a state of perfection, surrounded by the glory of God not only at the level of our souls but also in the level of our bodies. Jesus is one Divine Person with 2 natures, the divine son who by merit of his Incarnation assumed our human nature. He exists united, with human and divine nature which is what we profess in the Apostle’s Creed every Sunday. He takes the aspect of suffering and humiliation when He underwent death in his human nature but in his divinity resurrected in glory for He is life Himself. His glory in transfiguration as a human person is not abolished or absorbed by His divinity nor did His humanity hide His Divinity. When Jesus became man He did not in any way lost any of His Divine nature. He is always complete, fully divine and fully human and always in full and total operation, both natures are together and miraculously joined in the person of Jesus Christ. His divinity is not evacuated but divinity communicated. He shares to us his divinity and makes us partakers as in Romans 8:16-17, The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. God alone can transfigure our lives and make it beautiful. Thus the gospel for today also holds a special meaning to me in relation to my son. He wrote an essay a couple of years ago to fulfill one of the requirements for his College entrance exam. Here is what he wrote.
-When I was in elementary (4th grade) and wanted to be a part of the basketball team of our school. I tried out many times but I always get cut because I am not physically fit, I was really fat back then. I was really determined to join the team and I decided to lose weight and get fit. I exercised daily and lessened my food intake and from 160lbs I became 120lbs. On the first term of my 1st year in high school, I tried out again for the team and I got accepted but the league that I am suppose to play in was in the 3rd term. I became really sad that the coach didn’t recognize my determination and talent. And then the most unexpected thing happened to me, during our PE class which was swimming, I got a perfect score in our practical test in diving. My teacher talked to me about my potential in becoming a strong swimmer and asked me if I would want to join the team, at first I was hesitant in joining because I didn’t really know how to swim but when my teacher said that he would teach me all of the strokes, I immediately accepted his offer. At the start of my training in swimming, I had a really hard time. My coach said that it’s normal because I haven't been swimming for a long time already and my body is not yet used to it. But he assured me that eventually I will soon get the hang of it. And so I did train hard and enjoyed at the same time, I joined competitions and it was in my 4th competition that I got my very first medal. And now that I am in my 4th year in High School, I was appointed by our coach to be the Team Captain. In those years I have learned that you must persevere in order to attain your goal. I just wanted to be a part of the basketball team but because of persevering it turned out to be more than I expected because now I am already the Team Captain of the swimming team.
When I was a child about 7years old, I used to idolize the cartoon character Tarzan. His family lived in the jungle, but his parents were killed when he was still young and the gorillas were the ones who took care of him. I was really captured by the movie and I used to watch it everyday, over and over again. And then one afternoon, after eating lunch, I got so hyper that I copied the moves of Tarzan. In our garage we had a lot of cases of beer for my dad’s business. I climbed the cases of beer about a storey high. I lost my footing and I fell from it. It was really high that I just closed my eyes and then all I heard were the crashes of the bottles and cases. And then felt that my body was flat on the ground. And then I heard my mom screaming. When I opened my eyes I was already surrounded by glass splinters. The shirt that I was wearing was bedecked with broken glasses. It looked like it was stuck there forever and can no longer be used so my mom just threw it away. I was all wet with beer and really smelled of alcohol but aside from that all I got was a small scratch in my chin. I saw my mother’s face and she was crying so hard, she kept on asking me “Are you okay? Where does it hurt?” and I just said to her that I am okay and she has nothing to worry about. I got up and took a shower then I slept. When I woke up, I saw my mother crying while praying and then I said to her that I would join in praying. From that day on I have always prayed almost everyday. I made it a point that I would always talk to God and thank Him for His blessings everyday. From a kid who watches Tarzan, I became a man who have a big faith in God. End of his sharing.
When I read this I was in tears. I praised and thanked God for the personal transfiguration process of my son at a very young age and still at work even in the present. Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him...behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
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