Genesis 12:1-4a / 2 Tim 1:8-10 / Matthew 17:1-9
In life, we have many desires. And there is no doubt that one of the top desires is the desire for happiness.
So, putting it simply, in life we want to be happy.
But the reality is that life is difficult.
Indeed, life is difficult, but we don’t seem to accept this reality.
So, we will find ways and means to make life as happy as possible.
We want to be happy and to enjoy life.
So, we will try to gain as much money as possible, so that we can do the things we want to do and be happy.
We would want to go for holidays, and enjoy good food and the luxuries of life.
We dream of enjoyment and happiness, but life turns up with many difficulties and challenges.
But it must also be said that life does have its moments of happiness, and that gives us the motivation and inspiration to go on in life.
In the gospel, Jesus went up a high mountain and brought along Peter, James and John.
Up there on that mountain, Jesus was Transfigured.
Jesus was in His divine glory, and Moses and Elijah also appeared and they were talking with Him.
The disciples saw all that, and they were amazed with what they saw.
Peter started talking about building three tents and all that.
Then suddenly, a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said:
This is My Son, the Beloved, He enjoys My favour. Listen to Him.
And then, just as suddenly as Jesus was Transfigured in His glory, then it was back to normal.
Moses and Elijah were not there anymore, and only Jesus and the three disciples were around.
Then on the way down, Jesus told His disciples not to tell anyone about what they had seen until He is risen from the dead.
Jesus would go on with His mission of proclaiming the Good News of salvation.
But He would also face mounting opposition and rejection, that would finally end with Him nailed to the Cross.
So, it can be said that for Jesus, life was difficult, and His life came to an end with a shameful death on the Cross.
But the Transfiguration was a bright moment in the surrounding darkness.
It was in the Transfiguration that Jesus felt the love and affirmation by His Father.
And it was that one moment that gave Jesus the strength and the courage to go on and complete His mission.
So yes, life is difficult, but God will give us moments of happiness to rise above the difficulties and challenges.
We may have heard of the baby monkey named Punch who was born in the Ichikawa zoo in Japan.
Punch was rejected by his mother at birth, but somehow he kept surviving.
Videos on the internet about his story have gone viral with viewers rooting for him.
The zookeeper came to his help, he was given a plushie, a soft toy, in the form of an orang-utan.
But he was also bullied by the other monkeys and chased around.
His heart-wrenching story touched the human experiences of rejection, opposition, suffering, survival and resilience.
But in the midst of all that difficulties and challenges, an older female monkey came around and took Punch, the baby monkey, into her care.
And then another male monkey also took Punch under his care and taught him how to live as a monkey.
The story of Punch is still developing, but his story also touched the depths of our human experiences and taught us lessons about life.
The Transfiguration of Jesus also taught us many lessons about the difficulties and challenges of life.
Through the Transfiguration, we learn this:
In difficult moments, let us keep something beautiful in our hearts.
For Jesus, He remembered His Father’s voice from heaven and those words of love.
May we also remember the voices of love and the words of love that others had spoken to us.
And may we be a voice of love that speaks words of love to others who are facing challenges and difficulties in life.