Jesus Reveals a Glimpse of His Glory-Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord 6th August 2023

Jesus Reveals a Glimpse of His Glory-Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord 6th August 2023

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14. Psalm 97:1-2,5-6,9. 2 Peter 1:16-19. Matthew 17:1b-9.

Theme: Jesus Reveals a Glimpse of His Glory.

Today's feast has long been celebrated throughout the Eastern and Western Church on the same day. During the fifth century, it was extended to the universal Church by Pope Calixtus III.

Twice during the liturgical year, we remember the transfiguration in a special way. First, on the second Sunday of Lent, to affirm the divinity of Christ before we commemorate his passion. And second, today, as we recall the exaltation of Christ in anticipation of his eternal glory.

Jesus speaks of himself as the "Son of man." He used a generic expression that simply means "man." He used this expression to avoid misunderstandings that other titles, say, King or Messiah, might have caused. He used the term to refer to the vision in the Book of Daniel in the first reading. The distance between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God can be compared to the distance between the instincts of wild beasts and the feelings of a heart of man. Jesus begins the new kingdom of God.

In today's Gospel, Jesus revealed to three of his Apostles a glimpse of his glory in his Father's kingdom. Before today's event, He told his disciples of his forthcoming passion and the sufferings He would undergo at the hands of the Jews and Gentiles. He exhorted them to follow him on the way of the Cross and of sacrifice. A few days later, in Caesarea Philippi, He wants to strengthen their faith since the disciples were profoundly shaken by the experience of witnessing the passion. For this reason, He took three of them who were to accompany him in his agony in Gethsemane to the summit of Mount Tabor. There, He reveals himself in a glimpse. Pope St. Leo the Great says, "The principal aim of the Transfiguration was to banish from the disciples the scandal of the Cross." The disciples would never forget this drop of honey that Jesus gave them in the midst of his grief. Many years later, as we have it in the second reading, St. Peter would recall these moments in all their clarity: And the voice was borne to him by the Magestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, " we heard this voice from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain (2 Pet.1:17-18).

And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Moses and Elijah represent two of the great foundations of the Old Testament, law and prophecy. Moses was the law giver. Jesus is the new Moses leading us from the slavery of sin to the promised land, heaven.

Elijah was considered the greatest of all prophets. The presence of Elijah on the mountain was witnessing that in Christ, all prophecies were being fulfilled. Jesus was to continue the work of Elijah to take us away from the idol worship and lead us back to God.

This vision gave the Apostles unspeakable happiness. Peter does his best to express it, saying, "Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah" (Matt.17:4). He was so happy that he was not thinking of himself or of James and John, who accompanied him. St. Mark adds: For he did not know what he was saying (cf.Mark 9:6). He was still speaking when a voice shining cloud over them and a voice from within the cloud said: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him" (Matt.17:5). How often have we not heard him in the intimacy of our hearts?

The mystery we celebrate today is a prefiguring of Christ's glory to come and of the glory we are invited to share one day with him. The Transfiguration is intended to strengthen the Apostles for the coming trial of Christ's passion and death and for their future suffering and death as his witnesses to the world. It is also directed to increase their faith, hope, and love for Christ. The event makes so much impression on the Apostles that Peter forgets everything and just wants to remain there.

There are moments like that in our spiritual journey, when we long to prolong a particular spiritual experience we have, especially when we feel we are very close to God. However, our journey to heaven is a mixture of the transfiguration and the passion, the sweet and the bitter, the wine at Cana, and the vinegar on the hyssop. The good news is that the God of the Transfiguration is also the God of the agony in the garden. When He gives us the transfiguration experience, it is to strengthen us to trust him in our agony in the garden. When He crowns us with the glory, it is to strengthen us to wear the crown with thorns.

May God turn our sorrow into joy, our cross into crown, our loss into gain and reward us at the end with the crown of glory through Christ our Lord. Amen.