Being Attentive to the Mystery
(Dan 7:9-10/2 Pt 1:16-19, 13-14; Ps 97; Mt 17:1-9)
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“You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”
Those words from St. Peter, a witness to the transfiguration, invite us to ponder this mystery and let this feast strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ Risen from the dead.
The liturgists chose the readings for this feast well. In the first reading, Daniel recounts his own personal heavenly vision that prefigures the transfiguration. In the second option, St. Peter, a witness to the transfiguration, recalls his experience of that life-changing event and encourages us to ponder and draw meaning and strength from it for ourselves.
The gospel from St. Matthew focuses us on the event itself, packed with symbolism and meaning. The journey to the mountaintop is a gesture that indicates an encounter with God, a desire for a theophany.
Jesus takes with him three leaders of the early church: Peter, the first pope; James, the leader of Jerusalem church where it all began, and John, the longest living apostle and our last link to the apostolic are. Suddenly, two great Old Testament figures appear: Moses, the great lawgiver and leader of the exodus out of Egypt, and Elijah, the great prophet who experienced his own personal exodus from this world into the heavens on a fiery chariot as his successor Elisha looked on with wonder and awe – also prefiguring the transfiguration. These five witnesses from both Old and New Testaments underline the importance of what was to transpire.
In his gospel, Luke points out that Moses and Elijah were speaking to Jesus about his departure, or exodus, “which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Lk 9:31) How ironic that in all this glory and awesome brilliance, their conversation would be about the passion, suffering and death that Jesus was to undergo in Jerusalem. The message is clear – the way to glory, to eternal life, is through the cross – through some suffering that when accepted by us without resentment or bitterness, as Jesus did, places us within the kingdom of God.
The other purpose, in the light of that suffering, was to give the apostles strength to face the imminent suffering of Jesus, and to begin to understand the role of redemptive suffering in the life of the early church, as well as to give us that same strength in the face of our own often seemingly meaningless suffering.
The bright cloud and voice from heaven is the blessing the Father gives to Jesus, a blessing that empowered him to accept the suffering that awaited him. This is a reminder of the importance of blessings in our own lives – especially the blessing of fathers over their sons, and mothers over their daughters. Blessing comes from the Latin benedicere, which means “to speak well of.” When parents affirm, praise and speak well of their children, that blessing imparts a powerful inner strength, self-confidence and self-worth to the children that equips them to face all the challenges that life will throw at them. As one young boy put it, “I desired even just one light punch on the arm by my father, more than all the love of my mother.” It is that gesture that seems to transfer the energy of the father to the son, and that transferred the Father’s energy to Jesus.
When he was praying the appearance of his countenance was altered and his raiment became dazzling white. A voice came out of the cloud saying, ” This is My Son , My chosen; listen to Him! ” Jesus is the son of God and the chosen one to represent his father on earth. The father wants him to carry out his duties by living out his word. During his passion and resurrection he already showed us how he is the son of God by dying on the cross and the next day he is resurrected. He appeared to his disciples and instructed them what to do to proclaimed the gospel ; basically to spread the Good News. It’s the one true God who is the son and the Holy Spirit who performs all these task. We can also transform into his disciples by following his teachings and proclaim the Good News. This is what Jesus wants us to do, live out his word and spread the News to other people. Amen . Des Coloures.
The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth . The Lord is King. Let the earth rejoice !
Bishop thanks for the long inspiring homily and messages about the transfiguration . This is a bright and great picture of the Father blessing Jesus. Merci . Gracias !