This is My Beloved Son; Listen to Him.

Homily for August 6, 2017

Every year, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ on the 6^th of August and given that it happens to fall on a Sunday this year, the feast takes precedence over the normal Sunday liturgy.

There are some lessons that the Transfiguration teaches us:

One, Transfiguration teaches us never to give up when we face difficulties in our Christian faith. In the Transfiguration experience, Jesus Christ decided to show Peter, James and John a tiny glimpse of how life would be in heaven so that in the face of the forth coming trials and persecution, they may have something to hold on to; something to still assure them that Jesus is God.

No wonder, Peter writes in our second reading that: “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but we were EYEWITNESSES of his majesty…” Peter than goes on to say we could hold on to this fact like a lamp shining in a dark place.

Are you passing through a dark place in your life? Is your faith very shaky at the moment? Are you going through certain challenges that makes you wonder if God still exists or if he still cares about you? Then take some moment to reflect on how the Transfiguration re-assured the faith of the disciples and tell yourself that it is not over yet.

Secondly, Transfiguration teaches us that heaven is truly a sweet place to be. Peter only saw a tiny glimpse, yet he said: “Let us build three tents…” This means, he wanted to remain there forever. He stopped thinking about his other responsibilities anymore. Indeed, heaven is worth longing for; heaven is worth sacrificing everything else for.

In fact, the experience of Peter, James and John correspond accurately with the experience of Daniel in our first reading today. The beautiful thing is that even persons who have had similar experiences of heaven have all reported that heaven is truly a glorious place. Try to compare the visions of Daniel with the revelations of John in the last book of the Bible, you see that all this talk about heaven is for real.

The Bible cannot be false. Anyone who tells you that heaven is not real is only deceiving you. To live your life without a sense of responsibility is the greatest mistake you can ever make. Whether we like it or not, the way we choose to live at this moment determines where we would spend our eternity and as Jesus would ask: “what shall it profit anyone to gain the world and lose heaven?”

Thirdly, in the Transfiguration, God himself preached a very powerful short sermon to us: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Jesus is the Son of God. Yes, Jesus is the Son of God; not just a mere prophet as Islam teaches. We Christians must stand up for what we believe and proclaim the truth about Jesus everywhere.

Note that this was not the first time God spoke those words: “This is my Beloved Son.” He said the same thing at the Baptism of Jesus Christ. Hence the Baptism of Jesus and the Transfiguration are two great moments of enlightenment; no wonder they form part of the luminous mysteries of the Rosary (the mysteries of light).

The second part of this short message from God says: “Listen to Him.” We live in an information age, some persons can afford to spend a whole day on social media just to keep up to date with latest news and information in the world. Do I take out time to listen to Jesus daily? Do I long to hear from Jesus as much as I long to hear from CNN, Aljazeera or from my friends on facebook?

Rather than carry your problems to the world; seeking for solutions where there are not, why not come to Jesus and try to listen to him? Take up your bible once again and let the words of Jesus contained therein become your source of revival. Yes, you may listen to a thousand different sermons by several men and women of God, but none is as powerful as that of Jesus himself.

Finally, the Transfiguration teaches us to be humble. Jesus did not want earthly glory so he warned them not to broadcast the transfiguration while he was still moving among them since he was yet to rise from the dead. Do I seek earthly glory at all costs? Am I always doing things so that people will broadcast my fame and praise me? Let us learn from Jesus to be humble for truly pride goes before a fall.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see your transfigured image that my faith my increase day by day. Amen.

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Transfiguration of the Lord. Year A. Bible Study: Daniel 7:9-14, 2 Peter 1:16-19 and Matthew 17:1-9).