The Transfiguration of the Lord
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Christ revealed his divine glory to Peter, James, and John, preparing them for the scandal of the Cross and the joy of the Resurrection.
The story
Soon after Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. The Gospel does not name the mountain. Later Christian tradition identified it with Mount Tabor in Galilee, although that identification is not certain. There Jesus was transfigured before the three apostles. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with him.
Peter proposed making three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. A bright cloud overshadowed them, recalling the cloud of God's presence in the Old Testament. From the cloud came the Father's command: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." The disciples fell down in fear. Jesus touched them and told them to rise. When they looked up, they saw Jesus alone.
Moses represents the Law, while Elijah represents the prophets. Both bear witness that Israel's Scriptures find their fulfillment in Christ. Luke adds that they spoke about the "exodus" Jesus would accomplish at Jerusalem, meaning his Passion, death, Resurrection, and return to the Father. Jesus ordered the apostles not to tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. The Transfiguration therefore cannot be separated from the Cross.
The feast was celebrated widely in the Christian East by the sixth century. It appeared in various Western calendars during the Middle Ages. Pope Callistus III extended its observance in the Roman calendar in 1457, following the Christian victory at Belgrade in 1456, news of which reached Rome on August 6. In the General Roman Calendar, the Transfiguration is celebrated as a feast. The Church teaches that it gave the apostles a foretaste of Christ's glory and strengthened them for his approaching Passion. It also points toward the transformation promised to those who are united with him.
What Transfiguration teaches
The Transfiguration teaches that the glory of Christ is revealed through, not apart from, his Cross. Prayer helps the heart listen to the beloved Son and follow him when the road becomes difficult. The Catechism explains this mystery in CCC 554-556.
Patronage
contemplatives, those seeking spiritual renewal, Eastern Christian communities.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, let your light strengthen our faith when suffering obscures our hope. Teach us to listen to you and to follow you from the mountain of prayer to the daily service of others. Bring us at last into the glory of your Resurrection. Amen.