03/01/2026

I scheduled my vacation for this past week, so I was supposed to leave for Colombia last Monday, but as you know, due to the snowstorm, all the flights have been canceled. So, I couldn’t travel, but shoveled. But you know, things don’t go as planned. It is what it is. As such, travel always comes with uncertainty. It could be changed, threatened, or even canceled and start over. The same is true for our journey, including our spiritual journey. That’s why reflecting on the journeys in the Bible always helps us navigate our journey of faith.

Today’s first reading depicts the beginning of Abram’s journey: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.” God told Abram to set off on a journey to a land that he will show him. Abram didn’t know the itinerary, or even the destination. It was uncertain, unguaranteed; only what he could rely on was God’s promise. He wasn't told what dangers he would encounter, or how long it would take, or where it would end. He was just demanded to start this uncertain journey.

Nevertheless, Abram answered the call. And this would be the starting point of the endless journey of the Israelites. Abram would be threatened so many times during this long journey, waiting for the fulfillment of the promise. And even his descendants, the Israelites, would resume this uncertain, long journey from the land of Egypt, which would take hundreds and hundreds years.

Their whole journey was a tension between their trust in God and fear of uncertainty; They sometimes fell, but rose up again, held fast to their trust in God, and continued their journey.

This calling, “go forth”, echoes in our spiritual journey, navigating to the promised land. Like Abram and the Israelites, our journey bears uncertainties; We don’t know what threats or difficulties we might encounter, or when they will come, and so forth. But this journey demands that we constantly move forward with steadfast trust in God, despite the uncertainty from a human perspective.

Today’s gospel can also be construed from the perspective of our spiritual journey. At the glorious figure of Jesus, the disciples, falling prostrate with astonishment and fear, said, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." To them, who fell prostrate with fear, Jesus approached and said, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” Jesus encouraged them to rise up. And when the disciples raised their eyes, there was Jesus alone. It symbolically tells us that alone is Jesus whom we see and follow in our fear. And we should focus on the next moment: Jesus came down from the mountain with his disciples, who wished to make tents and stay there; They resumed their journey with Jesus, leaving the glorious moment behind.



It says something to our spiritual journey; We can’t rest on a specific moment, even if it is a glorious moment; We are to move forward unceasingly, following Jesus by overcoming our fear or complacency, whatever holds us back on this journey. We might face various moments: Weary, tough, or sad moments; delight, encouraging, or glorious moments. But remember, we are on a journey. when you fall down, Jesus will raise you up to continue; when you are complacent in a temporal glory, he will urge you to go down from the mountain to keep walking. Jesus is encouraging us to rise and go forth today; he is inviting us to be another Abram who goes forth to the promised land, relying solely on the promise of God.