Feast of the Transfiguration
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Today we celebrate the feast of the transfiguration. When God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, came down to earth to suffer, die, and rise again for our redemption, He took on human flesh. In doing so, He veiled His divine glory and appeared like anyone of us. What a grace for Sts. Peter, James, and John to see Jesus transfigured. They got a preview of the glory of heaven. It was also a preview of the glory we all hope to share in heaven.
Jesus shared the special grace with Peter, James, and John. Just before receiving this special grace, Jesus transfigured, Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer greatly, be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. Peter rebuked Jesus for saying this and Jesus responded, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does but as human beings do.” The disciples had to learn that Jesus was not the type of messiah they were expecting. What a shock! They needed this grace now. They left everything to follow Jesus and he had just told them he would be killed. They needed reassurance, and Jesus did not let them down. They received grace now on the mountain as they saw Jesus transfigured.
These three disciples, Peter, James, and John, were invited on three separate occasions into three privileged moments in the life of Jesus. They were present at the house of a synagogue official Jairus when his daughter was brought back to life. Again, they were with him in the agony of the garden. Finally, they were present at the Transfiguration where Moses and Elijah were also present speaking with Jesus about his approaching death. These disciples would have liked to remain on the mountaintop, but they did not want to stay in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here we can all identify with the apostles because in our mountain–top experiences of joy we also want to stay. And then in the moments of trial, we want to flee.
Now they hear the words of the Father, “This is my beloved son, listen to Him.” They have a task to listen attentively to his words and put them into practice.
The transfiguration was the mountain–top experience of the apostles which prepared them for their future trials. The glory they saw on the high mountain helped them understand that the Lord’s Passion was not the end of His mission. The Mass is our mountain–top experience which prepares us for the trials of the day. The Mass is not a transfiguration but a transubstantiation, in which bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. Now we say with St. Peter “Lord, it is good for us to be here” And we do not want to leave. But it is not to be. Soon we will hear the words, “The Mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” So we pick up our cross and leave to face the trials of the day.
As the disciples had wonderful movements with Jesus, we too meet Jesus in a most intimate way every time we receive Jesus in the Eucharist. It is the time when we are close to Jesus.
We also meet Jesus in the Scriptures as they touch our hearts. Jesus speaks to us now when we read the scriptures. And we meet Jesus in a very special way in all the sacraments.
We all want change. We all want to be transformed and yet we find it difficult to do so. May the transfiguration event inspire us to return to Jesus for He alone can lead us and transform us so we can see His Glory.
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