Homily delivered on the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, 6 August 2002, at the Novitiate of the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, Canlubang, Laguna.
I am one who has known mountains late in my life for I was born and lived on a wide plain. I knew only one mountain that seemingly sprang from nowhere and that was Mount Arayat which I saw from afar. I also encountered closely the hills of Bamban, Tarlac that led to the other mountains that separated our province from Zambales. This was the reason why mountains were a novelty for me. Later, every time I climbed one, I would experience an exhilarating feeling. Mt. Gonzales, Mt. Makiling, Mt. Canlaon, Mt. Banahaw, even Mt. Pinatubo (nine years after its eruption). But nothing can compare with that experience of Mt. Pulag.
That was a peak experience: literally, for it was the highest point of Luzon, the rooftop of the Cordilleras [that time] considered as the second highest peak in the Philippines after Mount Apo. Our climb to Pulag was likewise a peak experience spiritually, for it shook me hard and opened my eyes to the beauty of God’s creation, the flora and the fauna, the limpid water, the fresh air, the stars once invisible, now at their brightest. There were no clouds above because they were all below us. Yes, I saw the grandeur of God: two nights at the peak—more powerful than a week of retreat.
A thousand times more than that perhaps was the experience of Jesus’ disciples when they saw him transfigured. These three—Peter, James, and John, who would later see Jesus in his deepest humiliation on the cross, and before that, at his lowest point at Gethsemane, now have a glimpse of their Lord in glory. At the time when they were bombarded with predictions of Jesus’ suffering and death, the transfiguration of Jesus gave them hope and strength.
We cannot discount that this also happens in our lives. That God gives us these strong moments. Just when we thought that everything is monotonous; just when we thought that everything is all downhill and hopeless, He sends us these joyful consolations. I myself cry and sigh in relief many times when I feel God’s embracing me despite my failures. And even then, life goes on—for we also have to come down from the mountain.
It is no wonder then that this feast comes in the middle of Ordinary Time. For it is from the ordinariness of life that spring these peak experiences that come most unexpectedly. But when you do experience them, please hold on to them, for they will give you hope later on and for the rest of your life.
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