NO CROSS NO CROWN
(Genesis 12: 1-4, Psalms 33, 2 Timo 1:8-10, Matthew 17:1-9)
The transfiguration of Jesus teaches us a lot of lessons, but one of them is the fact that we need to suffer before we can enjoy our glory. The transfiguration is a prefiguration of the glory of Christ after His passion and death. But Jesus had to suffer the way of the cross before He was exalted by the Father through His resurrection. His death did not end it all, but he resurrected which is the reward of His suffering. The Christian life is characterised with a lot of ups and downs. This must come first before God can exalt us. In our Christian journey, one has to make a lot of sacrifices before we can grow in our Christian virtues. This is the aim of the Lenten observances and the penance that we do.
The first reading presents to us the calling of Abraham. He was promised a nation and numerous descendants. But this favour that he got from God came with some efforts and sacrifices from him. God did not just shower his favour upon him out of nothing. Off course, God could have done that because He is God, but Abraham had a role to play. In the first place, he trusted God and had strong faith in God. No wonder he is refer to as “the father of faith”. His sacrifices as a man of faith merited him this blessings from God. Abraham certainly went through a lot of challenges in life, especially when he has to leave his family and go to an unknown place, just to fulfil the will of God in his life. The fear of the unknown alone is enough to scare him off. He was heading to a place he doesn’t know, a people whom he doesn’t know their nature. But because of his trust in God he never wavered in his faith. Again, the issue of childlessness was a major blow in his life. A person of his calibre without a child was a serious headache one can think of in his society. Someone who has been promised a nation but without a child would surely be a serious challenge for anybody in this life. But the father of the people of God trusted his maker in all these difficult circumstances. He saw them to be part of the journey of life as a child of God. The result was that, God rewarded him at the end. You and I also need this virtue of trust in our life.
Peter in the gospel reading is just like some of us who wants to enjoy life without suffering. After experiencing the glory of Jesus at the mountain, he wanted them to remain there without coming down from the mountain. But he forgot that Jesus had to suffer before the transfiguration can become a reality. In Matthew, which is the gospel of today, the account of the transfiguration comes after Jesus foretold about his death and resurrection, and the fact that we must deny ourselves to follow Him (Mt 16: 21- 28). He went ahead to rebuke Peter who tried to discourage Him about his suffering. “Get behind me, Satan!…” Mat 16:23. Of course, this was the immature Peter who was still a baby in the faith. But when he was matured he was ready to lay down his life for the faith. He came to understand that one must suffer in order to gain.
My dear friends in Christ, the Christian journey is not one that is as rosy as some pastors are making their members to believe in our days. For some of these pastors you do not mention suffering once you are a Christian. Once you are a Christian, you and suffering are on opposite sides. This has made a number of their members to be frustrated in life when they are now facing the realities of life. Because,psychologically they are not prepared for such circumstances in life. This is a wrong Christian theology and for that matter it is unchristian to think that way.
The second reading continues with this gospel idea and invites us to die with Christ. St. Paul is inviting us to take our share of the suffering for the sake of the gospel of Christ. According to Paul, we are able to accomplish this basic calling through the grace of God and not by our own efforts. Surely, it is not by our might or strength, but by the Spirit of God.
The spirit of Lent calls on us to make conscious efforts to avoid all forms of pleasure and comfort, especially those which are obstacles to our spiritual growth. It is by doing so that we can resurrect with Christ with a new life at Easter. We cannot afford to remain the same after Lent with all the opportunities laid before us. This is a process and not an event. Because it will become a reality through our daily efforts that we make. The little sacrifices will not be in vain if you persevere in doing them. The personal prayers that you have embarked on will at the end transform you into a person of prayer. Do not undermine those little efforts to become a better Christian. They end up transforming us.
Some of us are not making any efforts even in the second week of Lent, but we want a change in our lives. This is not possible, because certain things must be sacrificed in order to gain higher values. Sometimes in life you have to destroy some things so that you can get better ones. If you have a building and you want to transform it into a story building, you would have to destroy the old one before you can achieve your objective. You cannot keep the old structure at the same place and put up the new one. Of course, this is not possible.
This is the second week of Lent and it is not late to make amends and start doing something about your spiritual life, which has to do with our relationship with God. Try to let go some things in your life to stand upright before God. Assess yourself and see if you are making progress at the beginning of this grace-filled season. You must suffer and make sacrifices in order to gain.
We want to be with Jesus and be like him with a transformed body, but this comes with efforts. The kind of life we live will determine whether we will attain this status one day or not. The choice is ours to take. May God grant us this grace to always endure in moments of difficulties in our faith journey. AMEN. Learn to endure in difficulties. No sweat no sweet. No suffering no victory.
Have a blessed Sunday, a spirit- filled lent and a favoured Month of march.
REV. FR. Akakpo matthew
