We live in a noisy world where there are voices around us and within us that compete for our attention. These voices want to tell us what to do, what to believe and what’s happening around us. In the world of social media, the spread of fake news is common. Scammers are everywhere. There is a lot of finger-pointing over who is to blame for any man-made disasters. Others are in denial about what’s actually happening and want to erase history. Worse, they want to replace it with their own version of truth. We live in a generation when most of us invoke our right to speak our mind as we cry for attention. There is a clear need to discern which voices are worth listening to. We need to be able to distinguish the voices that are helpful and can do good for us.  God the Father helps us make that decision. He instructed us to listen to His beloved Son.  Peter, James and John witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus when his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. They also heard a voice from the cloud saying, «This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.»

To understand this instruction given to the three apostles, I believe that it is important to know the words of Jesus before and immediately after his transfiguration. Six days before Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain, he explained to them and the rest of his disciples his upcoming suffering in Jerusalem at the hands of the elders of the people.  He told them that He would die and on the third day be raised again to life. After the transfiguration, he touched his three companions and told them: “Rise, and do not be afraid.” On their way down the mountain, he told them again about his death and resurrection.

Jesus invited his apostles to pay closer attention to everything that he says. He invited them to walk with him in his suffering. The transfiguration of Jesus gave the apostles a message of hope. The instruction from the voice in the cloud to “listen to him” was to tell them to believe in the words of Jesus. This would help them be prepared for the horrors that they would witness in the coming days. The foretaste of heavenly glory during the transfiguration could strengthen the faith of Peter, James and John and give them courage in the face of suffering and persecution.

May God grant our ears and hearts the ability to listen and hear the words of Jesus as we pray and meditate on his teachings. So that when we experience heavy doubts and are consumed by fear, the instruction to “listen to him” would remind us of his words for the three apostles: “Rise, and do not be afraid.”

Fr. Danilo Vallejos Mutia Sch. P.

Sunday, 5 March 2022 | II Sunday of Lent

Mt. 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, «Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.»

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, «This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.»

When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, «Rise, and do not be afraid.» And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, «Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.»

Death of someone we know and dear to us, especially those within our age group like a classmate and friend,  pushes us to reflect about our life and how to prepare ourselves for our own death as we don’t know the exact moment of its coming. I remember that a few years ago, a group of men in their late 40’s gathered together at school to celebrate their 30th high school graduation anniversary.  As they toured around, they were laughing and happily remembering their experiences at school. After their campus tour, they gathered in the school chapel, spent a quiet moment and prayed for their classmates who passed away whose photos they put near the altar.  I believe that the death of someone humbles us and helps us remember that we are not the master of our life. That no matter how hard we try, no one can be sure about the time and circumstances of our own death. Therefore, we need to reflect regularly on how we lead our lives based on our relationship with God and with each other.

In the Gospel passage today, Jesus sends us a strong message to be prepared at all times because the Son of Man will come at an hour we do not expect. He narrates what awaits those who are found ready for his coming. He promises blessedness for those who wait for his return with proper dress and burning lamps. This is an image of a person who is always ready for action. Jesus wants us to be prepared so that when the time comes we can be part of the event of his return where he will serve his servants who he found waiting for him. He came to serve in his first coming and he will do the same at his second coming. In this way,  Jesus gives us a model that those entrusted with power to lead are also given the responsibility to serve. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

One of the ways to be prepared is to reflect on the words of Jesus: For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. Many of us can claim that we look forward to heaven but in reality our hearts are not in it. Greed for power and material wealth choke our hearts.  May the Gospel passage today inspires us to prepare ourselves by making sure we treasure things that have eternal and heavenly value and by remaining faithful to the commandments of the Lord.

Fr. Danilo Vallejos Mutia Sch. P.

Sunday, 07 August 2022 | 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 12, 32-48: Be ready

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”