Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

WE WANT SUCCESS WITHOUT STRUGGLE; WE WANT FULFILLMENT WITHOUT HARD WORK.

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            The transfiguration of Jesus depicts a glimpse of Christ’s glory, of his resurrection, but it had to be achieved with the greatest of pain.

Strictly speaking, it was unnecessary for Jesus to go through the gory of suffering. He could have redeemed mankind without shedding a single drop of blood. It is mystery. But the mystery has a message: YOU CANNOT ACHIEVE GLORY WITHOUT THE CROSS, YOU CANNOT GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.

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            Thus a Christian without the cross is a contradiction in terms – much like a Casian fish that cannot swim. .

Like the apostles, we have to go down the mountain and face the hard reality of life. We cannot live forever on top of the mountain and build a tent of security but we are to get out of our comfortable zones. And this is the message of the feast of the transfiguration.

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Certainly, we have all known moments of extreme happiness, moments we would love to cling to. But the stark reality is that we have to work out our salvation in the ups and downs of daily living.

Life contains joys and sorrows, pain and struggle, defeat as well as triumph. We have jobs, we have to go to work. Young people have schools to attend. Daily we rub shoulders with friends and strangers, and sometimes we stumble into each other in irritating ways.

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No, Peter, we cannot build three tents and rest on the mountain top. Happy moments, we enjoy and remember but we should move forward and walk the valleys between the mountains, with moments of pains that at times painfully interrupt the joys.

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