March 16, 2025 English

St. Paul is known for being direct and blunt. “Many… conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ… Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their ‘shame.’ Their minds are occupied with earthly things” (Philippians 3:18-19). He doesn’t mince words, does he?
Rising above our preoccupation with earthly things, we are reminded that our citizenship is in heaven. We have not fully arrived but have already been enrolled as divine citizens. Christ will change our lowly bodies to conform to his glorified body.

How do we know that? Luke’s gospel for today gives us a hint. When Jesus was praying, his complete identity as God’s beloved son was manifested. Only in prayer do we come to know who we are. So, the perennial challenge is to own and exercise our heavenly citizenship during this earthly journey.

Witnessing the blinding splendor of the Lord’s transfiguration must have been breathtaking. Moses, with his luminous countenance, and Elijah, with his fiery wheels, appeared and conversed with the gloriously transfigured Jesus.
 
What was the topic of their conversation? They talked about “Jesus’ exodus” which was about to happen, namely, the next phase of Jesus’ ministry, his journey to Jerusalem, and his passage – exit - from this world to God. This exodus would include betrayal, arrest, trial, condemnation, and crucifixion. Only after that would he experience the resurrection. The journey must go on.

What was the reaction of the disciples? They wanted to stay there, to hold onto the glorious moment, while the Lord had to be on his way to Jerusalem. There is a misunderstanding. One cannot be a Christian by remaining alone on a mountain, contemplating Jesus's stupendous divinity. The disciples must come down from the mountain with Jesus to begin the journey towards all that is to happen in Jerusalem. Like him, we must join Jesus and walk towards whatever future God plans for us.
 
If our spirituality is about seeking one mountaintop experience after another, we may end up disappointed and with little spiritual growth. Being a disciple of Jesus is not just about getting high emotionally and intellectually satisfied. It is about following Christ in his journey to Golgotha, the way of the Cross, which leads us to his glory. It may be easy to thank God and glorify His name when things are going well. But it will be tough to follow Him when we go through some tough challenges in life. Everyone has unexpected setbacks, painful failures, and heart-wrenching losses.
 
We may never be too comfortable with the Son of God suffering and dying for us. Praying the Stations of the Cross is always a jarring experience. Yet, Paul advises us to be the allies, not enemies, of the cross because that is the wisdom and power of God, the way to rebirth and resurrection. During Lent, we are reminded of this truth of life, which we call the Paschal Mystery. When we unite with the Lord in his passion, death, and resurrection, we will understand the seriousness of our waywardness and the depth of God’s mercy toward us. Then, we will persevere in the vicissitudes of life. We will grow in compassion toward those who face excruciating pains. We will grow in our faith, knowing God’s assurances of presence and accompaniment.

The forty days of Lent are a reminder of Israel’s forty-long years of challenging trekking in the wasteland toward the promised land. We may be mired in the mud of this earthly travel, but we know it is our journey of hope as citizens of heaven. Please pray for our catechumens, who have started their hopeful and joyful journey with Christ and us.
 
Fr. Paul Lee, STD