THE TRANSFIGURATION: AN AFFIRMATION OF JESUS’ DIVINITY.
August 6, 2023.
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – A.
“This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to
him.” Mt 17:5
A Chinese proverb says: “One's true nature is revealed in
times of difficulty.” And an Akan proverb adds: “You can kill a man's identity
on earth but you cannot kill his spirit.”
In everyone's life, there are moments and events of singular
meaning and importance. These moments and events not only mark our whole lives,
but they also sometimes shape our identity and reveal who we are to others.
I don't like some imageries, but just for the sake of
explanation, may we use this? We are in a world where the homosexuality and
LGBT movements are growing and trying to impose themselves. Many families have
at least one member, one son or a daughter inclined to this reality. In orthodox
and strictly conservative families, those members hide themselves and fear
revealing their tendency or inclination, or sexual orientation. Parents do know
not about some children's orientations until the day when, on the benefit of a
circumstance, they come out. This is called in the homosexual language the
"coming out", like getting out from hiding, revealing who one truly
is. Then, their homosexual identity is proven and made manifest to all.
Our Lord Jesus Christ has also got three experiences of coming
out or self-revelation. His first coming out was at his Baptism by John in the
Jordan. The Spirit came upon him, and the voice of the Father revealed him.
Today's Feast marks his second coming out, which, is a preparation for the
third and glorious coming out that will take place at the Golgotha, on the
Cross.
In that sense, the Transfiguration of the Lord is a step in
his Epiphany or self-revelation. Furthermore, the Transfiguration of the Lord
manifests the glory the Lord Jesus Christ possesses as God, it foretells his
Ascension into Heaven and anticipates our own future glory in Heaven where we
will truly see God face to face and know him.
For Jesus, this is clear, and that is what we said ahead,
the Transfiguration is as well as a Theophany and a Christophany. It is a
manifestation of God and a revelation of Christ. God is made transparent in his
Son, and he reveals him to us that we might listen to him and believe in him.
The Christophanic side is that Jesus has the confirmation that the fulfillment
of his mission is in his glorification on the Cross. The Evangelist Luke, in
his account of this singular event, gave content to the discussion between
Moses, Elijah, and Jesus: "They were speaking of his passing which he was
to accomplish in Jerusalem." Lk 9:31 So Jesus will be fully revealed as
Christ on the Cross.
And then we, what about us? What is the Transfiguration in
our relationship with the Lord? This feast is a divine confirmation of the
great mystery of our faith in Jesus, that we “believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God,
Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial
with the Father...” So, the Transfiguration of Jesus, before being something for
him, is above all something for us, it confirms our faith and prepares us for
our future glory with him.
The Catechism gives a great summary of this feast saying: “From
the day Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,
the Master "began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and
suffer many things... and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Peter
scorns this prediction, nor do the others understand it any better than he. In
this context the mysterious episode of Jesus' Transfiguration takes place on a
high mountain, before three witnesses chosen by himself: Peter, James and John.
Jesus' face and clothes become dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah
appear, speaking "of his departure, which he was to accomplish at
Jerusalem". A cloud covers him and a voice from heaven says: "This is
my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"” CCC 554
Life is a whole process of transformation, and so, of
Transfiguration. If who we are is known through our name and our ascendancy,
what we will be is in process. It is little by little, through our actions,
achievements, and through the divine grace that we can reach our full stature
and be who we will be. In the case of the Lord Jesus, who he is and who he was
to be were known from the very beginning. He was the Son of God and Savior of
the world: “Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God
from God, Light from Light, true God from true God…” Nevertheless, at the
Transfiguration, this identity is made manifest so that we may know him and
believe in him.
The liturgy today gives us to listen to two beautiful
narratives of the event of the Transfiguration. One is from an eyewitness,
Peter sharing an experience that impacted his life and that of his two
companions, and the other one is from Matthew doing a work of narrator to
instigate the faith of the Christian Community. The two narratives, however,
meet in two points: First, what does the event of the Transfiguration mean for
Jesus? And second, what could be its impact on us as Christians and as a Church
today?
Another element that springs from the Transfiguration is
that the glory and the suffering of Jesus are inextricably connected. And this
comes to say something great to us, that there is no glory without tribulations.
Today's crosses, hardships, and trials are ladders that lead us to greater
manifestation and glorification. The fact is, the true Transfiguration of
Christ took place on the Cross, that is, at the Golgotha, not on the Tabor.
For, at the Cross, Jesus’ identity was stripped, and professed through the mouth
of a Pagan, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Mk 15:39; Mt 27:54; Lk 23:47.
The feast of the Transfiguration, as we said ahead, is a
time of manifestation, revelation, and glorification. But it is also a calling
for transformation for us. This is the message the disciples heard and which
changed their lives and perspectives on Jesus. It is a calling to believe in
Jesus as the only Begotten Son of the Father, and furthermore, to listen to him.
And this listening capacity will lead to our own transformation and
transfiguration too.
Faith springs from listening. A Christian who does not know how to listen, or who does not take time to listen to Jesus and his words cannot believe in him. Paul wrote in his address to the Romans, "it is in that way faith comes, from hearing, and that means hearing the word of Christ." (Rom 10:17) So, the Father calls us to faith through paying a hearing and listening attention to the words of his Son. And by that, not only will we know the Son but we also will know the Father. The Revelation of the Son is nothing else than a self-revelation of the Father. In definitive, Jesus is transfigured and manifested to Peter, James, and John so that through them, and the witness of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah), we may know all about God. It is only in Christ that the human beings finds its truth. That is the true meaning of the Transfiguration. By listening to the Son of God and setting our firm faith in him, we are transformed into the perfect image of God that we lost through sin.
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