Reflecting on Today’s Readings: 

Genesis 12:1–4A  ; 2 Timothy 1:8B–10 ; Matthew 17:1–9

How often do we, like Peter, try to hold tight to a special moment or a feeling of joy? Something so spectacular has happened that we just don’t want it to end! It’s human nature to want to dwell in these times; after all, God gives them to us as a gift.

But Jesus encourages us: “Rise, and do not be afraid.” Such awesome moments will come again, but we must go down from these mountainous peaks into the valley of life. We must work to bring about God’s kingdom in our every day-we have a responsibility to God, ourselves and our neighbors to do so.

But what does this kingdom look like? We may be fired up for Christ after a holy encounter like the one Peter experienced, but how is it we’re called to use this holy energy to enact God’s kingdom? One way is to reflect on basic human rights. For example, the right to education is often denied to young people in developing countries. This is highlighted in a special way in this week’s feature on Guatemala.

Poverty often robs young people of their childhood-in many cases, if children don’t work, families don’t eat. We can all understand and appreciate the terrible decision parents must make in situations such as these. The question we must ask ourselves is this: How do we make a difference? As Christians, we are responsible for one another, and so we must be engaged in fighting for those rights that are denied to so many people.

This is the task we are all given. God gives us the gift of consolation, of holy encounters-those transfiguration moments-so that we are fueled for the challenges that we are called to face in our everyday lives.