Beatific Vision: Reward for listening and obeying Christ’s voice
Readings: 1st: Gen 15, 5-12. 17; Ps 26; 2nd
Phil 3, 17. 4, 1; Gos: Lk 9, 28-36
Dear friends in Christ, the gospel of today
presents us a glimpse of the glory of Easter and the splendor of heaven through
the transfiguration experience. I was thrilled by the reaction of Peter after
beholding the glory of Christ and the magnificent beauty of the heavenly home. He
wished to remain on that mountain forever, enjoying the sight of the glory of
God; he wished the experience continued unending; he forgot his family,
friends, and the rest of the disciples, all he wanted was God’s glory. But let
us remember that what he saw was just a glimpse of that glory that awaits all
of us.
Dear friends, in reality, what no eye has seen,
no ear has heard, and no heart has imagined is what God has prepared for those
who love him (1 Cor 2:9).
Reacting to the request of Peter to stay on the
mountain forever enjoying the vision of heaven, the voice of God the Father
came from the cloud and said, “this is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” That voice of the Father simply informed
Peter that if he wants to enter the glory of heaven whose glimpse he beheld on
the mountain, he must listen to the voice of Jesus Christ and follow His
teachings.
Hence, my dear friends, listening to the voice
of Jesus and doing what He commands us have become the conditions for
inheriting the beautiful beatific vision which lies at the end of our earthly
existence. Jesus went to the mountain in the gospel of today to discuss with
Moses and Elijah the type of death he would have to die for the salvation of
the world.
Every lent, the voice of Christ, through the
church, calls us to take a break from the normal activities of life and
dedicate some time to prayer, fasting and arms-giving so that our lives will be
renewed and prepared for inheriting the glorious home. It is the voice that is
calling us this lent to deny ourselves of some comforts and pleasures in order
to share in the suffering of Christ and that of others. It is the voice that is
calling us to love more, to forgive more, to say no to immoral desires. It is
the voice that is calling us this Lent to say no to drunkenness, lies, gossips,
pride, hatred, and other sins. In summary, this voice is calling us to the way
of the cross, to take up our cross and follow Christ.
If we listen to this voice and follow its demands, if we carry our cross and follow where this voice is leading us, that
glory which Peter beheld on the mountain will be ours at the end of our lives. So,
between us and the glory of heaven lies the demand, the duty to listen and obey
the voice of Jesus.
In the first reading, God made a covenant with
Abraham. In that covenant, God promised Abraham that his descendants will be
like the number of the stars in the skies. But, between that wonderful promise
to Abraham and its fulfilment lay Abraham’s task of obeying every command from
God and accepting their attendant hardships. It was obedience to the God’s
commands, even in the most difficult and uncertain moments, that helped Abraham
to reach what God prepared for him.
Dear friends, a careful look at the covenant
between Abraham and God, and the actual situation of Abraham at the time of the
covenant will show us the level of trust Abraham had in God. At the time of the
covenant, both Abraham and his wife were already old and had no child (his wife
had passed the age of childbearing), but they believed in the faithfulness of
God. Of course, many people would look at the choice made by Abraham to remain
faithful to God as a foolish choice, but his obedience to the voice of God paid
off. Same way, Christians who trust in God, Christians who have decided to obey
the voice of Jesus this Lent and to follow the recommendation of the church for
a Lenten season may appear as failures in the eyes of men, but, in reality,
they will be blessed by God.
In the second reading, St Paul informs us that
there are many voices in the world that have the goal of distracting Christians
from listening to the voice of Christ. He tells us that those who promote these
contrary voices have already made themselves enemies of the cross of Christ
and, therefore, they teach things that are against the teachings of Jesus as
the standard for our world. According to St Paul, these people glory in their
shame, with their minds set on earthly things. They teach people to adopt
antilife policies and immoral lifestyle as best ways to enjoy life. Their
project is always to promote things that are against the Christian life. These
voices are heard everyday in our world. Each day, these voices want to rise
higher above the calm voice of Jesus, they have misled many people.
However, my dear people, St Paul reminds us
that we are citizens of heaven. It will, therefore, be unfortunate if those
who are hoping to go to heaven are obeying the voices that contradict the
teachings that come from heaven. Those who hope to enjoy the beautiful home of
heaven, that home which Peter saw on the mountain, should listen to the voice
of Jesus who has come down from heaven and obey it; this is our task this lent.
Let us pray to listen obediently to the voice of Jesus and to shun all voices
that contradict the teachings of Jesus.
Have a blessed Sunday.
Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima
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