Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 9,2-10.
After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
I am thrilled on reading today’s gospel on the transfiguration.
Why?
I recall the story of my Mum who told me that my uncle Ignace AhLim some 62 years ago received a letter from her, from China where she was sent after her marriage with my Dad to prepare the return of the family to Mexian.
Mum informed him that she gave birth to a son on the Sunday of the transfiguration. Ignace sent back his congratulations and added to her, that this son will transform her life and will cause the improvement of her relations with her in laws. The in laws vision of her will be transfigured.
In the Chinese culture, the first son of the eldest son has a very special ranking: he is charged with the responsibility of the clan & family. Indeed looking back to my mum’s life, she did transform and influence the Yiptong family with her kindness and living her path in faith of Jesus.
No wonder that today’s reading yields in me an emotional charge. I have used this anecdote of my life to make it the motto of my life. I live to be the transformer of the lives of others who are on my path- this is my calling.
I bless and am thankful the Lord who gave me this auspicious birth date and gave me the appropriate calling.
From the sermon of my parish priest on the reading, I shall remember:
On our journey through lent to Easter , the liturgy takes us from last week from the desert where Jesus was to tell us that as a human, just like Jesus, we shall be tempted, today the reading places us to the summits of mountains- a call to look up for heights to reach the spirit of God. We are called to the transform our manly nature to reach our union with our Creator.
Jesus His beloved son has come and we are called to listen to him. He has risen from the dead, so shall we should we listen and follow His path?
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