Today, we celebrate one of the three feasts that belong to the Christmas season which is celebrated outside of it- The Presentation of the Lord at the Temple. The other two are the Annunciation of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin Mary which is on March 25 and the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth on May 31. Today’s feast marks the 40th day since Jesus was born. 40 is one phase of life in the life of a Jew. This is where we obtain the tradition of saying: “Life begins at 40.” Some of us even reach 120 years old which is equivalent to three phases of life. The number 40 has biblical significance. 40 days and 40 nights were all rain in the time of Noah, Moses was tending the Israelite community for 40 years, 40 days and nights did Moses spend at Mount Sinai, King David reigned for 40 years, Jonah spent 40 days in repentance, Manna rained down on the Israelites for 40 years, Elijah walked to Mount Horeb for 40 days, Jesus spent 40 days and nights in prayer and fasting in the desert, Jesus spent 40 days from His resurrection to His ascension into heaven, etc. Yet, the readings today help us meditate more on what is beyond the feast. There are three important points to ponder upon.

First, the three rites grouped as one by Luke. The first rite is the Circumcision and the naming of the Lord which we celebrate on January 1. It is the 8th day since December 25 and it is the time Mary is called as “Mother.” This is what is meant “when the days were completed.” The second rite is the purification of the mother. Purification does not refer to the purification of Mary as a sinful human being. The third rite is presentation of the first born. The grouping of 3 is significant to the Jews. Luke has to emphasize that “3” is a number reserved for God. Luke would like to instill in his readers that Jesus is divine and God.

Second, the centrality of Jesus in the encounter between two opposite human experiences. The Gospel speaks of Jesus as the light to the nations. This light is the new encounter especially in dualistic human experiences. Pope Francis says that: there are indications of this encounter: first, Mary and Joseph represent the young generation while, Simeon and Anna were already in their eighties. Jesus is the light at the center between the old generation and the young generation; second, the encounter between Jesus and the Gentile world. Jesus is presented now to the Gentiles collectively as the light of the nations. This is a continuation and a grace that follows the visit the Magi who came to see the Child. Third, Simeon and Anna were prophets while Mary and Joseph are doers of the Word. Pope Francis mentioned about the encounter between the encounter and prophecy.

Third, Jesus is presented to the Gentile world. The presentation of the Child Jesus is indicative of the universality of Jesus. He is not only the fulfillment of promise to the people of Israel but He is Savior of the entire world. The Liturgy tells us that Joseph and Mary were fulfilling the law of Moses but actually they were internally meeting His people in faith.

Today, we celebrate what the church remembers: the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva. He was God’s instrument who existed in the 20th century and began his apostolate for the poor and the needy especially after his priestly ordination in 1925 through the foundation of the Opus Dei in 1928. He was a man who promoted and helped us to follow the path of holiness and sanctification. He desired that we live a life of continuous prayer, to mortify ourselves daily, to offer and sanctify our work and be docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Man has the capacity to find holiness of life in his daily undertakings and work. Work does not remain to be a purely human affair but the very locus where we trace the hand, the grace, and the will of God. Allow me to reflect with you some points to celebrate the feast today. We may be blessed in these following ways.

First. Struggle. St. Josemaria Escriva desired that all of us should realize life is a struggle. We are blessed when we struggle for God. Struggle towards God entails a person’s journey to God. He follows a certain path that is not his own but a path towards God. When one strives towards holiness, there are three things involved here. 1) a person strives for holiness because God is holy. The Book of Leviticus says: “be holy for I am holy.” (Lev 19:2) These were also the words of Jesus. The struggle towards holiness is following a command of the ONE who is holy. 2) a person strives to be holy because he is proclaiming God is holy. The sanctification of the person in the work he does not only remains in him. By striving to be holy, a person proclaims the holiness of God. It is not only to be received but also to be shared by his way of life. 3) a person strives to be holy because it is his vocation. Personal sanctification is a call from God and it is the deepest vocation of the person (duc in altum). He has to put into the deep waters to discover the mystery of God. St. Josemaria Escriva is known with his words: “we have to be contemplative souls in the middle of the world, so strive to turn our work into prayer.”

Second. Unity. St. Josemaria Escriva reminded us that our struggle towards holiness of life is not just a personal journey. We are united with the Church and the all of humankind. We are blessed when we struggle towards unity. St. Josemaria Escriva would mean unity in two major things: 1) the unity of work and God. The unity we find in the work we do and the God who worked for our sustenance is the sanctification of the human person. Once we see and understand the unity of work and God in us, we turn our gaze to the needy and those people around us. He said: “everything becomes prayer, everything can and ought to lead us to God, feeding our constant contact with Him, from morning till night. Every kind of work can become prayer, and every kind of work, become prayer, turns into apostolate.” 2) Sanctification of life is manifested in the apostolate. An interior way of life is radiated in one’s relationship with the poor and the needy. He is not separated from those in crises. St. Josemaria Escriva calls this the “unity of life.” Unity of life is understood as unity of persons in places where we live and work.

Third. Encounter. St. Josemaria Escriva reminds us today that God can be encountered. He meets us in a specific place especially in our work. If he meets us, then He sanctifies us. We only need to discover Him in the things around us. He said: “We find the invisible God in the most visible and material things." To encounter the Lord meant these two things: 1) God is always present in human activity. St. Josemaria Escriva said: “when he works or rests, when he prays or sleeps, at all times, is a life in which God is always present.” 2) In the encounter we will always find joy, light, and peace. The cross of Christ is not a defeat but a victory of life.

Fourth. Formation. St. Josemaria Escriva promoted the formation of consciences, formation of the inner life, the formation towards perfection, and formation towards the unity of life. Doctrine or teaching is necessary to nourish our sense of piety as piety vivifies doctrine. Life consists of knowing God and his desire for perfection in us through prayer and doctrine. The fruitfulness of the apostolate relies on formation and prayer. He said: “in the first place, prayer; then expiation; in the third place, but very much in third place, action.” 

The story of the encounter between Jesus and Thomas is one of the fascinating events we find in the Scriptures after Jesus rose from the dead. As a protagonist in the story, we find the human experience of Thomas which Jesus used as an occasion to show how vulnerable we are and Jesus had to strengthen us like Thomas. There are 7 vulnerable moments we can find in Thomas.

1. Disengagement- Thomas disengaged immediately when he witnessed Jesus arrested, dragged to His passion, carrying His cross, nailed to the cross and died. It appeared that Thomas could not accept tragic things in life. He seemingly lost the hope that supposed to bring him to the future. But it seemed the future which he pinned to a person has vanished, so he disengaged.

2. Distrust- Thomas distrusted his friends. One of the painful moments in the life of Thomas was when he distrusted his companion apostles when they said: “We have seen the Lord.” He said: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Thomas did not trust the words of his friends whom he was with for three long years. They were formed by Christ together for a long time but distrust has overtaken him.

3. Blindness- Thomas who disengaged himself from the community was no longer able to recognize Jesus. It was painful for his friends that Thomas no longer called Jesus as Lord. When his friends exclaimed: “we have seen the Lord,” Thomas’ answer was: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into the side of the “Lord”, I will not believe.” He could have said: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into the side of the “Lord,” I will not believe.” When a person is away from the Lord for a time, he might not recognize him anymore. It would be a painful moment.

4. Forgetfulness- Thomas forgot that Jesus repeatedly said that the “Son of Man will suffer greatly and be handed on to the chief priests.” He will die but on the third day he will rise. Forgetfulness had led Thomas to infidelity and distrust. Jesus has said “do this in memory of me” to keep us faithful to him. Jesus appeals to our memory that faith may grow and love be steadfast in him.

5. Disunion- Thomas was usually one of the twelve who was there for three years. They gathered with Jesus, they celebrated with Jesus, they walked and talked with Jesus, they healed and preached with Jesus, but the other apostles felt the pain of one who left the group. For one who was no longer with them or in communion with them would be hurting: they would miss him, they would yearn for his return. By saying “we have seen the Lord,” they were hoping Thomas to be back but Thomas resisted their yearning by responding them in doubt.

6. Insufficiency- Thomas was filled with insufficiency that he had go back to other apostles. He had to realize that he could not live alone without the presence of the apostles and give him strength and fill his emptiness. When one leaves the community or family, there will be emptiness and pain. It would be noteworthy to think why Thomas came back for the second time to be with the apostles. We could imagine the insufficiency of life without Christ and without the community.

7. Woundedness- Thomas was a wounded person. The beginning of the wounded happened when he left the community. He thought that to be away from the community could make him whole but he was wrong. He had to come back to the community to be healed. He had to touch the wounds of Christ for him to be healed. He had to confess “My Lord, and my God” to be healed.

The Transfiguration of the Lord was an event to reveal the anticipation of the glorified body of Christ and for the disciples of Jesus to witness the future of humanity which is the perfection of life in heaven. St. Thomas Aquinas considered the event of the Transfiguration as the “greatest miracle.” Let us look into some points we may reflect on the great mystery which we proclaim every 4th mystery of the Luminous group of mysteries in the Holy Rosary.

First, the primacy of witness. The transfiguration of Jesus was witnessed by three of His disciples: Peter, James and John. Jesus had to bring witnesses to make them credible instruments of the Gospel after His resurrection and Ascension into heaven. St. John Paul II said: “it is precisely in Jesus that God reveals himself and reveals his face to the Apostles. Thus, those who wish to know God must contemplate the face of Jesus, his face transfigured: Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father’s holiness and mercy.” For Jesus, witnesses are important to make them realize the value of truth. St. John Paul II said: “Truth enlightens man’s intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord.” (Veritatis Splendor 1). In the Second Reading today, St. Peter had to say that he was a witness of the event of Jesus so that all those who would hear him would believe him. Truth would let us free for the truth is a person. It was Jesus who said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Peter then had to say: “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

Second, the value of going beyond. The word “transfiguration” may be understood in two important ways. First, from the Latin source: “trans” which means “beyond” and “figura” which means “image.” The disciples of Jesus should be able to “see” beyond the image of the physical Christ. Jesus revealed His divinity right before them. Second, from the Greek word “metamorphosis” which means change. Jesus’ appearance changed which is symbolic of a reality that is not only corporeal but of a divine reality. Benedict XVI said: “The Evangelist Matthew has told us what happened when Jesus, taking with him three of his disciples — Peter, James and John — climbed a high mountain. While they were up there, on their own, Jesus’ face, and likewise his garments, became radiant. This is what we call “Transfiguration”: a luminous, comforting mystery. What is its meaning? The Transfiguration is a revelation of the Person of Jesus, of his profound reality.” If we desire to be blessed, then, change should be part of our daily undertaking with God. Just as Jesus underwent change (metamorphosis), then we should undergo change.

Third, the reality of the Cross. The mystery of the Transfiguration indicated the importance of the Cross. Jesus predicted His passion three times to His disciples because He wanted that they would understand the path toward God’s glory. Life is not only full of joy, excitement, and pleasure. It is also full of suffering. Life comprises pleasant and unpleasant things of life. Jesus predicted His passion three times in the Gospel in Matthew: Mat. 16:21-28; Mat 17:22-23; Mat 20:17-19. The mystery of the Transfiguration has to be understood in relation to the mystery of the Crucifixion. This is the reason why Jesus warned disciples not to speak about the Transfiguration until He would rise from death. He charged them saying: “Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Let us look the comparison between the Transfiguration and the Crucifixion: 1) at the Transfiguration, they climb up the mountain; at the Crucifixion they made their way up to Mount Calvary and Golgotha; 2) At the Transfiguration Jesus revealed His glory; at the Crucifixion, Jesus was revealed in shame; 3) at the Transfiguration, the clothes of Christ were shining white; at the Crucifixion, Jesus is stripped off His clothes; 4) at the Transfiguration, Jesus was between Moses and Elijah; at the Crucifixion, Jesus was between two robbers; 5) at the Transfiguration, a cloud hovered them; at the Crucifixion, darkness covered the skies; 6) at the Transfiguration, it was Peter who acknowledged and appreciated: “Lord, it is good to be here, let us build three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah; at the Crucifixion, Peter denied Jesus three times “I do not know the man”; 7) at the Transfiguration, the voice of the Father was heard. There was so much love Jesus received from the Father: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him”; at the Crucifixion, Jesus was mocked by the voice of the thief: “If you are Son of God, save yourself and us.”

Fourth, the importance of eternity. The Prophet Daniel has prophesied that in the future, the Son of Man will have dominion over all creation. He is a King who rules the world with majesty. The Prophet said: “The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed.” Thus, Jesus revealed that there is life beyond this world and He revealed this through the glorious body He has at the Transfiguration. St. Peter desired that everyone should believe in Christ (whom he denied three times) and he presents himself as a witness to all that happened to Christ. Truth is not just the absence of a lie but Truth is a person. It is Jesus Christ. Jesus desires that we should learn to go beyond what our corporeal self just experiences then the message of the mystery of the Transfiguration be a source of our blessing and salvation.