Joke: A transfiguration in old age. Grandson one day sent his grandparents to a class with a very famous instructor to help those who are easy to forget to remember what they try to say. Part of his instruction to help people learn to remember is to use poems and famous phrases to help them remember what they try to say. After a week of school, the grandson asks grandpa, “Grandpa, how is school? How is your memory now? Do you remember the name of the instructor?” Grandpa paused a little bit and asked, “Grandson, what is the name of the flower which is beautiful that lovers often give to each other on Valentine's day?” “I know,” the grandson said, “it’s called Rose.” Turning over to his wife, grandpa asked, “Rose, what is the name of the instructor?”

Just as the transfiguration at the old age of these grandparents didn’t help them with school, Peter, in Today’s Gospel, at the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus, didn’t know nor understand what he was saying, “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.” Why is it transfiguration, a glorious moment which truly revealed who Jesus is? What does it mean? The Church places this reading in today’s Gospel to strengthen our faith. What is faith? Does faith need proof? Is faith supposed to be understood?

To call someone to be a witness to his love, God chose Mary Magdalene, a prostitute, and a sinner who first experienced the risen Lord Jesus Christ. To call someone to be the teacher of the Gentile, the foreigners, God chose a Gentile himself, Saul, who hated and persecuted the early Christians. To call someone to be the leader of the Church, of his disciples, God chose Simon and called him Peter, the Rock, an uneducated person. To call someone to be the father of his chosen race, God called Abram in his old age mentioned in today’s first reading taken from the book of Genesis. If we recalled from the book of Genesis after Abram was called to be the father of the human race, he waited and waited, and his wife Sarah still conceived no child to the point that she asked Abram to have a relationship with her maid to have children. But that’s not what God wanted, and Abram still waited in his old age until Sarah finally gave birth to his firstborn Isaac. Faith surpassed all human understanding. Faith tested human endurance. God then asked Abraham to sacrifice his now-only son Isaac. Faith without question, Abraham followed God’s command. When he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, the angel appeared and stopped him from slaughtering his son. Faith was a victory when Abraham cooperated with God.

This is exactly what Saint Paul experienced from his conversion and shared with his companion, Timothy, in his second letter reported in today’s second reading saying, “He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his design.” In other words, in faith, we are invited to follow God’s will, not our own will. Faith is to surrender our will to God’s will. Faith is to allow God works in us and not depend on our strength and understanding. Faith, under God’s grace, we will experience God’s glory, his glorious transfiguration here on earth. Just as Peter, James, and John faithfully followed the Lord Jesus up to the mountain so that they could experience the Lord’s glorious transfiguration, we are invited to follow the Lord faithfully, especially during this Lenten season, to put aside all the worries, anxieties, things that are so attractive to us, the brokenness and difficulties that we experience in this life, our spouse is unfaithful to us, our children scatter and abandon us, our friends betray us, our coworkers hate us, and many other brokenness and challenges of life that attack us on every side of our life, to have strength and courage to follow the Lord; so that when Easter comes, we will proudly experience the true joy and happiness of the risen Lord. Does the glorious transfiguration of the Lord Jesus in front of his chosen disciples mean our transfiguration after this life? Or does it mean for our present life? To experience glorious transfiguration like Peter, James, and John, what should we do? Can we achieve it by faith alone? Should we try together with faith to experience the glorious transfiguration? The decision is yours.