We just heard in the gospel how our Lord went up on the mountain and was transfigured before
three chosen apostles, Peter, James, and John.
And he does this, or rather in doing this, he reveals his own glory, the glory of his divinity
and his infinite, perfect, and absolute holiness.
Now he calls each and every one of us, his followers, to also climb that holy mountain,
to make the way up, travel the road of sanctity.
To arrive on the top of that mountain with him and be glorified, transfigured, and divinized.
That is, to become saints.
And this is an obligation for each and every baptized soul.
Once you are baptized and incorporated into Christ, once you are a Christian,
you are obligated to strive for holiness.
To love God with all of your heart.
To love God with all of your strength.
And our Lord gives us all of the necessary graces.
Each and every one of us gives us the necessary graces to become the saints that he has called us to be.
Now we see that the other readings are also related to this.
Holiness, sanctity.
In the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy,
it talks over and over again about the importance of,
of the commandments.
And again, it reminds us,
practically speaking,
in what consists holiness.
That is,
it all can be summed up in doing the will of God.
We must do the will of God.
This is the practical way in which we demonstrate
concretely our love for God
by doing his holy will.
We see here,
in the book of Deuteronomy,
it says,
I have not transgressed thy commandments,
nor forgotten thy precepts.
Okay?
There it is.
I have not transgressed thy commandments,
nor forgotten thy precepts.
This is what we need to do.
Never transgress the commandments of God.
There's some people out there,
some Catholics,
who talk about being a good person.
Okay?
They're people of faith.
And they consider this to be the essence of the Christian life.
And,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and,
and at the same time,
they don't go to Mass.
Or they go to Mass,
but rarely.
They see that as more optional
and not essential to the Christian life.
Because after all,
isn't it essential that we be good people?
Well,
of course it's essential.
But good people go to Mass as well.
They demonstrate their love for God
by observing the commandments,
especially the third commandment,
to go to Mass on Sunday.
Now,
beyond the commandments,
we need to also do the will of God
as we know it,
according to the personal inspirations
that he gives us.
The next part of that phrase says,
I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God.
I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God.
That is,
the voice of God
that speaks to each and every one of us.
That doesn't,
perhaps,
pertain to the commandments,
but are things that are useful
to make our way toward holiness,
to avoid this occasion of sin,
to make this small sacrifice
during the time of Lent.
Those little inspirations
that God gives us.
Of course,
we have to avoid all scruples
in trying to discern
what is authentically
an inspiration from God.
We shouldn't get,
all wrapped around the axle
and paralyzed
in trying to obey
these little inspirations.
But nevertheless,
to at least have
an interior disposition,
a docility of spirit,
and an uprightness of intention
to always do
what is pleasing to God
and what he wants us to do
in any given situation.
And now, notwithstanding this,
all of our efforts,
to observe the commandments,
all of our personal efforts,
and striving to cooperate
with the personal inspirations of God,
nevertheless,
we can't become saints on our own.
Ultimately speaking,
it's God who must work in our souls
to sanctify us.
And this is what we hear
in the epistle.
And St. Paul says,
And may the God,
the God of peace himself,
sanctify you in all things.
It is God himself
who must sanctify us.
And how does he do that?
Above all,
by sending us trials
and tribulations,
difficulties in our lives
that don't depend on our own will.
They aren't the penances
that we choose,
but they're the penances
that God chooses for us
to purify us.
Now, he is the perfect physician.
He knows each and every one of us
better than we know ourselves.
He knows us physically
and also psychologically.
He knows what we are capable of enduring
and gives us all of the necessary grace
to endure,
whether they be exterior trials,
sicknesses,
difficult people,
difficult tasks
that we have to perform
and that are associated
with our state of life.
Or they may be interior trials,
temptations against faith
or various virtues,
temptations to give up prayer.
We experience aridity during prayer.
Or perhaps we just are experiencing
sadness in our life.
That too,
if it has no other tangible cause,
can be a trial.
A trial sent by God.
Okay?
And these things we must accept
in a spirit of penance
and resignation to the will of God.
Again, as it says in the epistle,
in all things give thanks
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you all.
See, in everything that does not depend
upon our will,
we ought to give thanks to God
for all things.
Why?
For this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you all.
God governs everything.
And if these things
which happen to us
don't depend on our choice
and our will,
even if they come from the free will
of other people,
and even if they come from the bad will
of other people,
that too is permitted by God
and willed by God.
For our purification
and sanctification.
So what are we to do?
Lament?
Complain?
No.
But we are to give thanks.
You know, one glory bee to the Father
in the time of temptation and trial
is worth more than a thousand glory bees
in a time of consolation.
So let's be generous this Lent
and give ourselves over to God.
May God,
through the mediation of the Immaculate,
sanctify us.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.