Praised be Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph!
On the mountain of the
temptations, Satan challenged the Lord Jesus to prove that he is the Son of
God. However, by refusing to display his divine power, Jesus did not give in to
the seductions of the tempter. On another mountain, what Jesus refused to display
to Satan, he revealed to his disciples Peter, James, and John. “He was
transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became
white as light.” The glory that Jesus showed these disciples was his glory as
God’s only begotten Son…full of grace and truth. The Father was not at all
ashamed to declare who Jesus truly is: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am
well pleased; listen to him!
As we continue to look at the
Baptismal character of Lent, let us reflect on the white baptismal garment. The
gospel spoke about the clothes of Jesus becoming white as light. We will
appreciate the meaning of the baptismal garment if we keep in mind that when
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the first thing they realized is that
they were naked. Nakedness means deprivation of dignity. A person who is
dishonored is stripped of his dignity. Nakedness brings shame. Thus, in the
parable of the prodigal son, the father commands that his son be given the
finest robe at his return. His prodigal son received back the dignity he lost
to loosed living.
Jesus, the Son of God, was
clothed with a white garment. In Sacred Scriptures, a white garment indicated
that the person wearing it came from heaven. Thus, the angels who appeared at
the tomb of Jesus and also at his ascension would wear white garments. Jesus’
white garment revealed that he is the Son of Man who came from heaven: No one
ascends to heaven except the one who descended from heaven…the Son of Man who
is from heaven. Jesus, who is clothed with unsurpassable light in heaven,
emptied himself of that glory when he came down to earth to save us. On the
Cross, he hung stripped of his garments. He was humiliated…exposed not only to
the elements but also to the mockery of the passersby. And this he did so that
you and I would be restored to the dignity which the evil one took away from
Adam and Eve on the day they ate the forbidden fruit. The Son of God stripped
himself of heavenly dignity so that he could share it to those who will be
baptized. He made us sons and daughters of his Father by the sacrament of
Baptism. “He saved us and called us to a holy life…according to his own design
and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began…” Our baptismal
dignity is a heavenly dignity. It means that we belong not to this earth but to
heaven. Our true home is in heaven, St. Paul would later on say. In the book of
Revelations, the souls of the just in heaven would be shown wearing their robes
which were washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb.
“Ang damit pambinyag ay tanda ng
muling pagsilang kay Kristo at ng dakilang karangalan ng mga anak ng Diyos.
Nawa’y panatilihin niya itong walang bahid hanggang sa muling pagbabalik ni
Kristong ating Panginoon.” With these words we were clothed in white on the day
we were baptized. Let us always keep in mind who we really are: we are sons and
daughters of God. Let us live as such. Let us live lives worthy of our
Christian vocation. Remember, we are not children of darkness. We are children
of light and of the day. Let us shun deeds of darkness and live as children of
light.
Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary
conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
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