Becoming more and more like Christ
By Fr. Roy Cimagala Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
THE gospel episode about the Transfiguration of the Lord (cfr. Mk 9,2-10) reminds us that like Christ we are meant to be transfigured in our definitive state of life in heaven for all eternity.
This is, of course, a very incredible truth of faith about ourselves. It definitely requires tremendous faith from us. That’s why, in the first reading of the Mass of the 2nd Sunday of Lent, (cfr. Gen 22,1-2.9a.10-13.15-18) we are told about the great faith of Abraham who believed what was told him no matter how incredible the messages God gave him were.
We also are given a reassurance of why this faith is all worthwhile in spite of its incredible character in the 2nd reading (cfr. Rom 8,31-34) where St. Paul tells us, “If God be for us, who is against us? He that spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how has he not also with him given us all things.”
In the face of such a tremendous truth of our faith about ourselves, we should just say, Amen, so be it, Lord. If that is what you want us to be, who are we to question? Let’s also remember that faith of Mary when she was told she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Even if she did not fully understand how it was going to be, she just said, “Be it done to me, according to your word.”
Let’s not waste time analyzing too much this supernatural truth about ourselves that will always be a mystery to us. Let us just do our best in pursuing the goal of our earthly life to become more and more like Christ. Thus, at the end of each day, as we make some kind of accounting as to how our day went, we should ask ourselves, “Is there some progress or growth in my pursuit to become more and more like Christ today?”
We have to be clear about this point. We are meant to assume the identity of Christ. And that is not a gratuitous, baseless assertion, much less, a fiction or a fantasy. It is founded on a fundamental truth of our faith that we have been created by God in his own image and likeness.
And this truth of faith has been vividly shown to us since it is acted out in the whole history and economy of salvation that culminated in Christ offering his life and his very own self as the Bread of Life so we can have the eternal life with him, and so that he and us can be one.
We have to arrive at that point where we can make St. Paul’s words as our own too: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” (Gal 2,20)
We just have to learn to set aside whatever difficulty or awkwardness we may have in dealing with this basic truth of faith about ourselves. We have to try our best to know Christ and to adapt his very own mind and will, his own ways, behavior and reactions to whatever situation we may find ourselves in.