March 5, 2023

Second Sunday of Advent

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS

Mt. 17:1-9

The second Sunday of Lent would always narrate the Transfiguration wherein Jesus’ appearance
change before them: His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as snow. Upon
seeing the glory of Jesus, Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be
here...”
When in comfort or with power we also utter these words of Peter. We may think of some of our
political leaders who sit at their throne, which will soon perish, and with power in their hands
saying, “It is good for us to be here”. We may say they are one of those who do not want to
renounce comfort and do not give attention to our brothers and sisters who are poor and
suffering, not even a bit. They live in abundance while many Filipinos live in want.
Nevertheless, the Gospel is inviting us to look not on them but rather to look deep within
ourselves. It is easy to see all the evil outside of us and to blame it on the system or to the
government that we have but then let us ask ourselves. Do we see our own sinfulness and
negligence and make reparation for them? Do we go out of our comfort zone to help others? Do
we speak out against sin and prejudice whenever we have the every opportunity? Let us strive to
remove sinful inclinations from our lives and act with justice and charity toward our neighbors.
Let us start it with our little acts of kindness each day and God will bless our deeds or even our
desire to help. A simple smile, a listening ear, a helping hand and a generous heart is enough to
lighten the burden of others. The season of lent invites us to prepare our hearts to ascent to the
holy mountain of Easter through acts of penance, particularly prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In
prayer, we unite ourselves with God, in fasting, we become united with ourselves for we learn
discipline and through almsgiving, we unite our hearts with the less fortunate. Uniting our hearts
with them is being one with them for we are all brothers and sisters walking together in this
synodal church. We need not to go to Mt. Tabor to see the glory of Jesus, we just need to step out
of our house door and we will see Jesus in the faces of our brothers and sisters. In helping one
another we will all be transfigured in Christ.

SR. MA. KRISTINA ODIAMAN, MCST

1st year Junior