Scripture Scribbles: March 16, 2025

the Gospel

Luke 9:28b-36

Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.

the scribble

And Lenten Season has begun. This very important season in the Catholic Church has indeed begun. One of the signs of this is Jesus’ transfiguration. This event really comes first, a few months before the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection. 

The gospel today is about Jesus’ transfiguration. It is among my favorite Biblical accounts and yet it never ceases to baffle me each time it is read in the yearly liturgical cycle. But then I realized something essential today. I don’t need to understand everything. We, as God’s children, don’t need to discern, comprehend, decipher, decode, or grasp every single word we read in the Bible. The others, we only need to know and acknowledge them as God’s miracles and mysteries. This is how our faith works.

If we can accept the transfiguration, the multiplication of the bread and fish, the water turning into wine, the sick getting cured, the dead coming back to life, and all the other surprises in the Bible as God’s miracles and mysteries, then we’re on the right track. God’s message is clear: nothing is impossible with Him. 

Perhaps He really wanted Jesus’ transfiguration to happen in order for Jesus’ apostles and us to realize that there’s nothing He cannot do and that we should listen to Jesus, God’s chosen son. Perhaps God wants us to focus more on the Lord and not listen to anyone else, but to Christ alone. 

So many perhaps. So many assumptions. Maybe they are all valid. However, regardless of the reason for Christ’s divine transformation, the mystery itself was beyond beautiful. But what if there’s no reason at all? What if God just wants to present Jesus in that bedazzling, overwhelming, and mesmerizing way because that’s Jesus Christ, His beloved son? Or because the Lord himself is the REASON.

At the end of the day, God’s actions need no justification. His decisions can transcend reasons. Hence, let us follow God’s message. Let us listen to Jesus. Can we do this even without visual stimulations, frightening phenomena, or God’s mighty voice literally telling us to listen? Or do we really need to witness (just like the apostles did) Jesus’ divine metamorphosis first before we can listen to Him? I hope our answer is the former instead of the latter.

Let us listen and do it well. The kind of listening that yields obedience and trust. The one that makes us say “yes Lord”. This kind of listening. 

Today’s devotion was written by Edwina Yu