A Glimpse of the Future
- Mar 1
- 3 min read
Reflection by Fr. Earl Valdez for the Second Sunday of Lent
I was once asked about my insights on the mix of religion and superstition in the parish where I was formerly assigned, specifically pointing out that while there were people who were serious in their devotions, there were other people (and in some cases, the very same people who came from the Church!) who would go to the fortune tellers around the Church, asking questions about their future and what they expect in the days, months, or weeks to come.
I reflected on that, and while I admit that my doctrinal instincts would kick in and see the contrast between religion and superstition, I temporarily set that aside and found one thing in common: the desire to see the unseen future.
It takes so much humility, in fact, to admit that regardless of what we believe or hold on to, we have this desire to know the future that we do not see.
It is not just the devotee and the fortune teller’s customer that bears this desire, and certainly it does not just cover religion. Any student would want to have an assurance that they will get good grades after all their efforts, and would surely keep their quiz and exam scores and compute it. And any investor or starter of a business would want to know whether the money and effort that he or she has put on this business would actually gain profit. Indeed, having some piece of the future assures us that we are on the right track and that all our efforts would at least mean something in the end.
In our Gospel reading today, Our Lord recognized this concern that perhaps were nagging his disciples. Perhaps they were asking whether it was worth it, or what was the point of all this. Thus, Our Lord took them to the mountain where they saw something that we only get to see again during the Resurrection: Our Lord bathed in light, with Moses and Elijah beside Him as the confirmation of his identity. He transfigured and showed them the truth of who He is and how He is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. He assured them that their following has meaning and purpose, and that this is a glimpse of what the future awaits for those who are faithful to Him.
However, this vision was just as it was, a vision, and not a permanent sight. With these disciples as witnesses, the Lord came down to the mountains to face everything that is necessary for this glory to be a reality. He had to go through the hard path in obedience to the Father, who willed that His love be shown in the most human way possible, that is, giving up one’s life so that all of us would have an opportunity to return to the Father’s love. And without any knowledge of how this would happen, Our Lord and His disciples moved forward toward uncertainty, but with a piece of the future, a promise that would become fulfilled depending on the Father’s will and desire for His Son.
The Transfiguration responds to this desire for certainty, an answer to the sense of our following. However, like Our Lord, as we carry this vision of the Resurrection, given to us in the Gospel and comes as part of our faith, we have to “go down” to our everyday lives. Like Our Lord, we have to go through this life holding on to this hope and becoming faithful to what the Lord entrusted to us. Lent comes as a time for us to “practice” this reality of our faith, as we prepare ourselves to enter and join the Lord in His suffering and death, so as to join Him in His Resurrection.
At the end of the day, we can say that the future is, as it is, uncertain, without any chance for success in itself. Our expectations for the future only happen when we strive for it, when we set our sights for it, or more precisely, when we become open to where the Lord leads us. We ask, therefore, for the grace to walk down the mountain and accompany Him after his transfiguration, to continue our work that leads us to the Cross, before we see Him again in His resurrected glory.
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