Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The word of God speak to us of heaven and tell us that, for Christians, we have the certainty of our homeland. The Word of God wants to put us in heaven today. This eucharist is heaven. You can check yourself and see if you really believe this if you have the same reaction as Peter when he said, “Lord, it’s good that we are here.” Even the gospel says he didn’t realize what he was saying. Peter was always the first one to speak and many times only using his reason when he said, Lord, I will give my life for you, or I will go to prison for you. Even Jesus had to say to him, get behind me Satan. But sometimes he speaks inspired by God: you are the Messiah, the son of the living God. And Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you and depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man. But today, all three of them fell asleep. Jesus Christ brings them to Mount Tabor to see a bit of heaven and they’re all asleep. Why are they sleeping? Because they’re tired from following Jesus Christ? I doubt it.
Maybe you are also sleeping. I’m not speaking about a restful night, but you’re tired of life, tired of your marriage, of the education of your children, tired of working and/or studying. And the Lord brings you to this eucharist tonight. He takes you up to Mount Tabor and is transfigured before you in this eucharist, and you were already there after listening to the word.
The second reading says, ‘You’re a citizen of heaven.’ However, the world and your sins have closed it for you. Maybe you don’t see heaven in your marriage or in your difficulties or in the sickness of a child. Heaven is closed because you are constantly looking at yourself, and at the world: money, power, success, vanity, pleasure. We are citizens of heaven, not of this world.
The first reading about Abraham is wonderful since it has already given us a piece of heaven. Heaven is to listen to the Lord, as we heard: ‘This is my beloved Son, listen to him.’ Abraham listened to the Lord which is why he is the Father of faith. He was at the point of killing himself because he was already old and did not have a son or a land. Where would he be buried and who would inherit his flock? When you listen to the Lord, he gives you the desire to change. He reminds you of that relationship with so-and-so will lead you to sin, those shenanigans that you use to avoid paying taxes do not come from God.
Abraham listened and this helped him to look to heaven; he counted the stars and that is all he had to do. He didn’t do any heavy lifting. He had listened twenty years at this point of the reading, and he is asking for a guarantee from God. The Lord makes a covenant with him as the people of Israel did at that time but cutting animals in half, which meant if you break this covenant, the same thing will happen to you. But also, this time God is the only one who walks through the animals. Abraham does nothing; he falls into a deep sleep. God does it all. He is the one who makes the commitment, not Abraham or you or me. He makes the same promise to us: I will love you; you will be a new man and you will love your enemy. You don’t have to do anything.
The psalm says, ‘Don’t hide your face from me.’ Where is Jesus Christ transfigured after this gospel? On the cross. The Fathers of the Church say that the cross is the radiant face of the Father. Christ came to show us the face of the Father. The transfiguration gives you the ability to enter the cross, to see the face of the Father so that you can say: Lord, it is good that we are here. Maybe your concept of heaven is to be on a beach on some Caribbean island with a beautiful woman who doesn’t talk too much or heaven for you is a more affectionate spouse or more obedient children. Is this your idea of heaven?
Heaven is the cross. It is the narrow gate. Whoever looks for his own life, loses it. Those who lose their life for Christ, gain it. By loving the other we gain our life. This is the transfiguration. When you have this experience people will not recognize you. I knew this man when he was a drunk, an adulterer, a gossiper, a slave to his body and to affections; look at him now, how he loves and does not care about his life or his plans.
I hope you believe this because often you and I have this doubt about this promise. How do you know if you believe this or not? If you go to the community, to the Mass; if you listen to the Word of God, then you can see if you believe in this word.
I hope you can enter this cloud on the mountain and hear the voice of the Father: this is my son, my beloved one, when you are alone, when you are sick, or with a problem in the marriage, or when your husband is horrible to you. This is Christ speaking to you, so listen to him. Let us ask for the grace to be able to say, how good it is that we are here in heaven, in the resurrection, in eternal life.