Inner change

The story is told about a woman who approached a little old man happily sitting on his rocking chair and asked: “Sir, what is your secret for a long and happy life?” He replied: “I smoke three packs of cigarettes, and consume a case of beer every day, and eat junk food as much as I want.” “Wow! That’s amazing, sir. By the way, how old are you?” “Twenty-six” was his reply.

In today’s Gospel (Mt. 17, 1-9), Jesus was transfigured before the very eyes of the apostles Peter, James and John. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. More than this miracle, it was the voice of God telling them that Jesus was His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased that had a transforming effect on the three apostles as well. Real change and transformation are about what happens not so much outside as inside us.

It is interesting to note how the voice of God interrupted Peter’s plan to build three tents on the site of the transfiguration, and instead instructed him to listen to His beloved Son. That’s the problem with many of us: We are so busy working for God, but we hardly have time to listen to Him. We are so focused on our ministry and functions and we belittle, if not totally forget, the fact that we are first and foremost persons, called not so much to become a somebody as to become a someone to God and His people.

The apostles climbed up Mount Tabor for them to experience the transfiguration. It was a long, hard climb, but it was worth it all. Change for the worse is easy, very easy, and it is worth nothing, nothing at all. Change for the better is difficult, but it is better, much, much better.

Speaking of change, may I humbly share that I have lost 20 pounds since March. How? I finally learned at 63 how to eat right, and how to eat less. What triggered this “transfiguration”? As you know, pain is the greatest teacher, and it has taught me that one way to alleviate the pain in my left knee is to shed those extra pounds I am carrying unnecessarily. When people ask me how I did it, I simply say: “Eat half of what you usually eat, and the extra pounds just go away, naturally.”

Taste, don’t indulge. Eat a little of everything, and eat happy. If we eat a lot we are happy, but we end up feeling bad or sad, and have lots of guilt inside because we know we did not eat right. On the other hand, if we eat less or little, we are happy that we ate right and light.

“A few moments on the lips, forever on the hips.” What this saying reminds us is that we need to somehow plan what, and how, we should eat. Let us not just eat with passion, but also with decision, and in moderation. And, let us also learn to eat with compassion—i.e., to be aware and to be in solidarity, and to share with those who don’t have much or have nothing to eat.

More than the external, it is the internal change that really counts. More than our career journey, financial journey, beauty journey, or popularity journey, it is our inner journey, our journey to the heart—God’s heart, other people’s hearts, and our very own heart—that really matters in the end.

Think about this: “Make peace with your past so it does not spoil your present; time heals almost everything, so give time some time. No one is the reason for your happiness except yourself. Don’t compare your life with others because you have no idea what their journey is all about. Stop thinking too much—it’s all right not to know all the answers. Smile! You don’t own all the problems in the world.”

On this feast of the Transfiguration, we ask: What is the figure of our country now? And how do we figure out what is happening in our country now? Beyond these questions, we should ask: Is the Father pleased with what is happening in our country now?

Questions, questions.

A moment with the Lord:

Lord, may our journey be a constant change, for the better. Amen.