Becoming a follower of Christ is difficult. He demands our everything and even our suffering. But it is the only way we can make our way to the heavenly kingdom – by making sacrifices, bearing our burdens with patience and walking with Christ to Calvary.
For God’s name to be made holy, we must glorify Him in word and action, by rejecting immorality and embracing love. We must live our lives in a way that causes others to believe in and love our Father in heaven.
We cannot claim to have an intimate relationship with Jesus without being compassionate toward those in need: the poor in material terms as well as the poor in spirit. Our prayer lives must be intermingled with right actions as described in the corporal works of mercy.
The Eucharist, where Jesus is present – body, blood, soul and divinity – binds Christians in a community, a communion of love. We cannot depart from this living sacrifice, most integral to our faith, without putting our souls in peril.
Faith does not entail fearlessness. It is proceeding on a journey set by God despite all our fears as we combat them, relying completely and absolutely upon Him, our Lord and Savior, to guide us, hold us and even cradle us in the safety and warmth of His love, until the end of our sojourn.
To mature spiritually, every Christian must weather the storms of life, seeking refuge and entrusting all to God. It is only faith like that of a child, humble and total, that will allow us to pass the tests that must refine us and prepare us for heaven.
We have the privilege of calling God our Father, unworthy as we are to be called His children, because of Christ’s supreme and immeasurable sacrifice, which has expiated for our sins and repaired our fractured relationship with our Maker.
Aloísio Gonzaga, a Bayingyi from Myanmar, relates his powerful experience at the World Youth Day, from being able to share his community’s struggle in Myanmar to being uplifted by Pope Francis’ words of encouragement.
The feast of the Transfiguration is an invitation to keep our own ambitions and desires aside to allow God’s will to manifest fully in us. This will transform us into true Christ followers, reflecting His love and glory, even within our limited human capacity.
The Transfiguration of Christ is a message to us that unless we reflect God’s countenance, we cannot bring Christ to people who truly need Him: the poor, the sick, the hungry. While we recognize suffering Christ in our brethren, we should represent the compassionate Christ to them.