I have been receiving a lot of concerned, worried, and scared phone calls, texts, and messages from my own friends and family members, as well as from servicemembers’ loved ones, trying to make sense of the current situation in the Middle East. (Please do not ask because I cannot share details for the sake of operational security to keep our people safe down range, as well as out of respect for their families and loved ones.) I prepared another homily for Sunday, but it quickly became “outdated” because the message failed to address, connect, and strengthen the faith of my people at the moment. I came to prayer and asked the good Lord to know what to say to those who are seeking Him at the moment… and all of a sudden, the Mass readings began to make sense in a personal, communal, liturgical, and providential way. He spoke clarity, calmness, and peace to my heart first. He consoled me in prayer so I could use what He revealed to speak life to others who were struggling to make sense of the situation!
The Gospel reading told us that St. Peter said, “Lord, it is good that we are here…” when he witnessed the transfiguration. (cf. Matthew 17:1-9)
Just as St. Peter was shocked by the transfiguration of the Lord, many were shocked by what was happening in recent days… Nonetheless, we can also say to God that it is indeed good that we are here with Him!
He transfigured, not for His own sake, but to reveal to His disciples His divine nature (as a sign of consolation and preparation) as He was one step closer to fulfilling His mission and purpose. He manifested to them His glory, after He told them of His coming death, so they know that the passion with all its pains and sufferings is not the end-all-in-all but the resurrection itself. (cf. Preface of the Second Sunday of Lent) We, too, can know that we are not alone in our worries, anxieties, pains, or whatever we are going through at this moment! It is, indeed, good that we are where we need to be with Him when the news broke about what happened in Iran and the Middle East.
It is, indeed, good that we are here with Him in how we pray and how we come to worship. He is especially present with us when we come together for the Holy Eucharist as the Church! As a matter of fact, the Entrance Antiphon from the Second Sunday of Lent beautifully puts into words what our heart is yearning for this moment, “Of you my heart has spoken, seek His face. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide your face not from me.” Furthermore, the Collect reminded us that: “O God, who have commanded us to listen to your beloved Son, be pleased, we pray, to nourish us inwardly by your word, that, with spiritual sight made pure, we may rejoice to behold your glory.”
In uncertain, scary, and unknown times of life, may we not give in to hopelessness and despair, or let our own minds and the noisiness of this world make us lose focus on Him. It is important to turn off the sensationalistic news media that constantly bombard us with more breaking news toward the point of us breaking part because we can no longer take it anymore! Step back from those noises and learn to listen to Him because the Heavenly Father affirmed to us, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” It is so important that we learn to listen to the Lord in the midst of what is going on, so we are not being crippled by our own internal conflict as well as exterior noise. I know that listening to Him is not what we want to do at this moment, but it is what we must do!
Listening to Him is hard, but it is necessary, else we will let the world robs that very peace that can only be found in Him and through Him. We must learn to step away and silence ourselves from all the noisiness to be able say to Him, “Lord, it is indeed good that we are here with you!” When we step back from the chaos and immerse ourselves in His loving presence, we are able to slow things down in order to see the bigger reality than the myopic tendency.
Listening to Him is important and must be the first thing that we do in order to learn prudentially, calmly, and wisely discern all things and humbly, courageously, and resolutely take action when needed. We see reality in a more theocentric, transcendental, wider, and eternal way when we learn to listen to what He says to us through the Sacred Scriptures, saintly wisdom, wise Church teachings, and the loving people who are around us. The first reading this Sunday reminded us that God called Abraham to leave his father’s house and the land of his people to an unknown land that was to be revealed in time!
Abraham was far from being perfect, but he trusted in the Almighty. He was willing to embark on a journey that stretched and tested his faith. There were times when he failed. Times when he doubted and questioned God‘s goodness. Times when he was pushed to his limit. Nonetheless, Abraham continued to follow His will for him. It was not easy, but he grew in his own faith journey by learning to trust in the Lord.
Thus, St. Paul in his second letter to St. Timothy urged him to bear all hardship, especially ones for the Gospel, with the strength that comes from God! (cf. 1:8-10) Are we willing to do the same? He continued by inviting us to live a holy life, not according to our own ability nor human measurement of works, but according to God‘s design, will, and grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus.
Times like these will challenge and test us in many different ways! It will not be easy, but the Lord is with us. Furthermore, we are never alone because we have the Church with us. He has given people around us to walk alongside and help us through our ups and downs in life, but it is up to us to open up and ask for help when needed because we cannot go through life alone. Furthermore, we are being reminded of how much He loves us when we receive His Body and Blood at each and every Mass! Indeed, we are not alone, abandoned, forgotten, ignored, or rejected by God, for He has personally shown us that we are His beloved by the very giving of Himself to us. What began at the Last Supper is perpetuated at each Mass… the same love shown on the Cross is re-presented in an unbloodied way every Eucharistic Sacrifice!
Therefore, it is, indeed, good that we choose to be here with Him through prayer and in worship. It is indeed good that we are present with Him and recognize His love for us at Mass. It is indeed good that we are here for one another as brothers and sisters in the faith. It is indeed good that we can lean on our faith and on one another through the trials and hardships of faith, knowing that we are never alone and He can use all things to sanctify, purify, and call us to greater holiness. It is not easy, nor do we really want it, but we all can embark on that journey of faith to the final destination of the heavenly homeland.
Just as the Father reminded us that, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him,” may we learn to listen to Him in personal prayer time as well as how we come together to worship as the Church. May we learn to not be noisy and reactive or give into hopelessness and despair, but to learn from Him how to embrace all things out of courageous, faithful, self-donating, and sacrificial love. May we learn to invite the Holy Spirit, the very love between the Father and the Son, to come to guide, sanctify, purify, and transform us deep from within so we can become more Christlike each day.
The Savior and Redeemer did not have to reveal Himself through the transfiguration, but He did it to affirm the faith of His disciples in preparing them for the passion. He did not have to undergo suffering, but willingly did so because He genuinely loved us and freely gave Himself up for us as expiation for our sin! His love is the strength that helps us to bear all hardships for the Gospel, because it is the GOOD NEWS that sets us free, conquered death, and overcame sin. We rejoice in this good news, knowing that He already won the world and we will overcome all evils, trials, and hardships, too, with His grace. Truly, it is indeed good that we are here in this place and time in history because He is here with us.
I know it is worrisome and scary. I know it is discouraging and frustrating. I know that the never-ending chaos is tiring and draining. Nonetheless, may we not lose hope but seek His face, choosing to live in His presence in prayer and in worship. May we learn to walk with Him each and every day on the journey of faith. May we be consoled in knowing that we can overcome all things through the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and sin so we can have eternal life through the Gospel. I know it is not easy, but it is indeed good that we are here with Him, as those who went before us were there with Him in their trials and hardships.