Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
Last Sunday, we heard about how the Lord Jesus revealed to
Peter, James, and John his glory as God’s only begotten Son, a glory “full of
grace and truth”. Contrast that vision to the one received by Moses in today’s
1st reading. On Mt. Horeb, Moses saw what he called “an incredible
sight”: a bush that burned and yet remained unconsumed. On Mt. Tabor, the 3
disciples saw Jesus transfigured before them, his face and clothing resplendent
in light. On Mt. Horeb, Moses was told by the Lord: “Come no nearer! Remove the
sandals from your feet for you are standing on holy ground.” On Mt. Tabor, Jesus
took Peter, James and John with him. On Mt. Horeb, Moses hid his face for he
was afraid to look at God. But on Mt. Tabor, Peter was even able to say, “Lord,
it is good for us to be here!” Both were revelations of the same Divine glory,
manifestations of the immeasurable holiness of God. And yet, as we can plainly
see, Peter, James, and John were not told to stand at a distance, nor did they
hide their faces in fear as Moses had done. The disciples were invited to draw
near this unapproachable light of Divine glory. You may say that Christ our
Lord gave us the means to approach the unapproachable – to behold with unveiled
faces the glory of the living God.
This makes us feel so privileged. How grateful should we be
that we have been called in Christ. However, St. Paul in the 2nd
reading shows us the gravity of the obligations that accompany this privilege.
First, he spoke of our ancestors who were all under the cloud of the Divine
Presence and who ate spiritual food and drink in the desert. “Yet, God was not
pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.” Then, St.
Paul said: “These things happened as an example to us, so that we may not
desire evil things as they did. Do not grumble as some of them did, and
suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example,
and they have been written down as a warning to us.”
Thus, we should not take our Christian faith for granted. If
they who have simply entered the cloud were later on found wanting and have
fallen, how much better will we fare? By becoming Christians, we have received
more than what they have received. And as Spiderman would say, “With great
power comes great responsibility.” The Lord Jesus warns us: “If you do not
repent, you will all perish as they did!” We are like fig trees planted in the
orchard of the Lord. He searches fruit from us, and gives us sufficient grace
and time to repent in the hope that we would bear fruits of holiness in the
future. But if we do not bear fruit, considering the fact that we have been
given both capacity (grace) and opportunity (time) to repent, we shall be cut
down. We will all perish as they did.
And so let us not procrastinate our conversion. Let us not
tire God’s patience nor abuse his mercy. Let us take our Christianity seriously
for the standards of Christianity are very high. They do not admit shallow
spirituality nor mediocre morality, said Bl. John Paul II. Considering what we
have received, the standard to be met ought to be very high: Be perfect as your
heavenly Father is perfect. Therefore, let us not be overconfident and let us
get to work on our salvation. “Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take
care not to fall!”
Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for
us who have recourse to thee!
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