Yes, there’s a forever

THE Solemnity of the Transfiguration of the Lord somehow reminds us that there is a forever. When Christ transfigured himself before his three apostles Peter, James and John, he tried to reassure them not to worry about what was going to happen to him on the following days.

Yes, there would be extreme suffering that would end in Christ’s very miserable death on the cross. But all this would be nothing compared to what would happen after his death. And with his resurrection, there would be life everlasting—a forever.

This forever is actually meant for all of us also, since we have been made in God’s image and likeness. Even if we damaged that original divine image in ourselves, that image has been repaired by Christ himself who showed us how to handle precisely our damaged condition.

This reassurance of our eternal life with God should lead us not to be afraid to take up commitments in our life here on earth. Despite our limitations, not to mention our sins and mistakes, we can still take those commitments because God will provide us with everything that we need to carry them out.

We should banish whatever fear we have of making commitments and of eternal life itself. Let’s keep our faith in Christ strong, and continue to boost our hope in achieving the promises of Christ for all of us, in spite of whatever.

In fact, by taking up commitments we would be showing the strength of our faith, hope and love in God and in others. We would be willing to undertake an adventure, cruising uncharted seas and exploring the dark side of the moon, if need be.

For sure, we are capable of entering into a commitment, because we have both the intelligence and will that will enable us to know what we are committing ourselves into and to want it for good or for a time, irrespective of the changing circumstances and developments that may be propitious or not to us.

Entering into commitment can only show determination on the part of the one assuming it, a determination that can only spring from love, from one’s self-giving to another.

It is a promise that is taken very seriously, just like what a marrying couple would promise to each other on their wedding day—“to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

As such, a commitment can truly be considered as proper when it is inspired by God’s love, since it is God’s love that is its source and pattern. God is always faithful to us, as can be gleaned from the Book of Lamentations:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.” (3,22-23)

And even if we are unfaithful to God, God will still be faithful to us, as St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Romans: “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” (3,3)

We need to inculcate this sense of commitment among the youth since they are the ones most affected by the current prevailing environment of disloyalty, infidelity and promiscuity. Some have gone to the extent of equating being non-committed with being free, when in fact being non-committed can only make them held captive and enslaved by self-seeking forces.

If entered into out of love of God, there will never be regrets. Even if the outcome may appear to be disadvantageous, such disadvantage will only be apparent and would only be so if seen in purely human and worldly terms. In the eyes of God, such commitment can only be good to us irrespective of worldly and temporal consequences.

Taking up a commitment is proof of our belief in the forever.