Greatness in God's Glory

"AND after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus.

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead."  ~Matthew 17:1-9 DRB

Hello friends!  I am sharing this post with you today that was inspired by my priest's homily on Sunday.  I want you to contemplate this statement.

Our greatness is only in God's glory.

My mind had started to wander at the beginning of the homily, but it was soon brought to attention by this statement from the priest.  Our greatness is in God's glory.  Christ proved His divinity in the Transfiguration.  He showed us that we can follow Him in His suffering and cross because we will then share in His glory and resurrection!

If God didn't exist, life would not have a purpose.  We would have nothing to live for.  No God means no Heaven and no eternal life.  So maybe we would enjoy things of this world, like musicals or ice cream, but ultimately, there would be no greater good.  We would live one day to the next in fear of impending and unknown death.  With no purpose to life, our lives have no importance and therefore no dignity.  

This is why there is such a disrespect for the dignity of human life in our culture and world today.  With no eternal purpose, every human being would just be a "clump of cells" walking about the earth one breath from extinction.  Without God and eternity, all life would be meaningless.  But because God does exist and we have been redeemed by His death and resurrection, each and every life has a purpose and therefore, human dignity.  Each person is a child of God, created for a unique purpose that only they can fulfill.  That's why, even the unborn baby, the handicapped, and the elderly are worthy of our respect and protection.

With the glory of Christ's resurrection, our death no longer means fear and emptiness, but is a door through which we must pass to enter into eternal happiness and life.  This life is just the journey to that door.  We must prepare then, to enter that door worthily. Live this life in anticipation and preparation for the real life to come.

Christ proved His divinity many times, but especially in the Transfiguration.  Because He triumphed over death, we have a purpose, to be happy forever with Him in Heaven.  And because we have this purpose, we can have glory.  We can do great things.

Our greatness is only in God's glory.

God love you!!