Theme: Strength for the Journey

Some years ago, I visited an elderly man who had been given a serious diagnosis. He was calm, almost unusually calm. After we spoke for a wee while, he said something simple: “Father, I am afraid sometimes. But I had a good life. I have seen beauty. I have known love. I will hold on to that.” He was facing uncertainty, yet he chose to remember light.

Today’s Gospel gives us a similar moment. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain. There, everything changes. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become radiant. For a brief moment, heaven breaks through. And the Father speaks: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

This happens before the cross. Before confusion and fear overwhelm them. God gives the disciples a glimpse of glory so that when darkness comes, they will remember who Jesus truly is.

Life often unfolds this way. There are seasons of clarity and seasons of shadow. There are moments when faith feels bright, and moments when it feels tested. Many here know what it is to walk through illness, loss, or uncertainty. The journey of years has brought both joy and sorrow.
The mountain does not remove the valley. It prepares the heart for it. Saint Teresa of Avila once wrote, “Let nothing disturb you. God alone
suffices.” She understood that peace is rooted in who God is, not in
changing circumstances.

Abraham left his homeland trusting a promise. He stepped forward without full vision of the path ahead. That is faith.

Lent invites us up the mountain. Through prayer, through silence, through listening, we are given strength. We are reminded who Christ is. We are reminded who we are.

Then we descend into ordinary life again. Carrying light. Carrying assurance. Carrying a memory of glory that steadies us when the road grows difficult. And that memory makes all the difference.

Fr. Charles Ijeoma Egbon