Every year the Church offers us the gospel of the Transfiguration on the Second Sunday of Lent to remind us of what we are working towards as a Christian people. The resplendent and radiant Christ is our goal, for we hope to be that radiant and in the Father’s presence one day as well. As we journey through the desert of Lent, we look towards the glorious Christ who offers us hope.
Goals are important in our
lives as we strive to live better lives.
In the Miami Dolphins meeting room in their training facility, there are
two huge pictures hanging on the wall of the championship teams of 1972 and
1973 with an inscription on the bottom that reads “Super Bowl Champions.” But there is also a third frame hanging on
that same wall that is empty that also has the inscription of “Super Bowl
Champions.” It is to remind the players
that they too can be forever immortalized on that wall like those great 70’s
teams if they set out to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a Super
Bowl. When training camp starts,
everyone receives their schedule for the season, including the team priest, and
the schedule doesn’t end on the last regular season game…it ends on Super Bowl
Sunday. That is our goal. That is what the team sets out to do. If we don’t set goals, it is truly impossible
to achieve them. The same thing goes for
our faith. We look at the transfigured
Christ and we want to be like him, but is that our goal? Is holiness our goal? We may think that our sins are to grave for
us to ever be like Christ. Christ says
otherwise. His mercy is more powerful than
your doubt. We may think that we may
never be holy or achieve sainthood. How do
you know if you do not try to live a holy life?
We look upon the transfigured Christ and see our goal. This is what Christ wants for all of us. This is why he took the disciples up to Mount
Tabor. He showed them a glimpse of what
is to come. The disciples in turn hear
the voice of the Father telling them to listen to his Son. All of us are called to listen to Jesus
during this Lenten season so that we may achieve our heavenly goal. Yet, it is impossible to listen clearly to
the Lord if sin is still reigning in our hearts. Lent is a time to cast sin aside, go up to
your mountain where you encounter God and listen to him. He has a plan for each of us. We will never know what that plan is or how
to achieve the goals he has for us until we make the time to really listen to
the voice of God. Then we will realize
that heaven isn’t just a goal for us but our destiny.
