Last week the liturgy led us into the desert of the Lord’s temptation. This week it takes us up a mountain with Jesus who is accompanied by Peter, James, and John. We will meet this privileged trio again during Holy Week in the Garden of Olives.
On this mountain, the Lord was transfigured. A brilliant, dazzling light shone from within him. A light so extraordinary that it defied description. The Ven. Fulton Sheen said at the Transfiguration, the divinity of Jesus “flashed through the threads of his earthly garments.” It was a glimpse of heaven on earth. Moses and Elijah appear. The Old Testament came to meet the New. They conversed with Jesus about the Cross, the central act of redemption that was soon to take place. Their appearance conveyed to stunned apostles that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
The apostles were then overshadowed by a holy cloud from which the voice of the Father was heard. It was first heard at the Lord’s baptism in the Jordan, at the beginning of the Lord’s public ministry. Now it is heard as he prepares to fulfill his mission through his passion and death.
Knowing the weaknesses of his apostles, aware that they struggled to grasp his mission as the Suffering Messiah, Jesus allowed them to witness the Transfiguration in order to encourage and strengthen their faith. The Transfiguration was a glimpse of the glory to come. It was, we might say, a preview of coming attractions. Jesus wanted to assure them that beyond the tragedy of Good Friday lay the glory of the Resurrection, the joy of Easter Sunday.
Obviously, the apostles were shaken by the enormity of it all! Struggling to compose himself, Peter speaks. So overwhelming was this glimpse of glory, he wanted to remain on the mountain. He did not want to let go of the experience, but to preserve it.
What message does the Lord’s Transfiguration have for us? In all the ups and downs of life, as we confront life’s dark and fearful mysteries, we need hope. Like the weak apostles, we need encouragement. We need to be reminded that beyond Good Friday lies the glory of Easter Sunday.
A writer expressed it well: “The unrelieved diet of dramatic crises, of tragedies, and conflict, leave many, especially the homebound, the elderly and the nervous, with ample grounds for pessimism and depression.” The Transfiguration of Our Lord points us to light, freedom, glory, and joy. It is an event of hope and strengthens us to be bearers of hope to others. May our Lenten prayer this week be for a firm hope. Pope Francis said that “feeling hopeful does not mean to be optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy that humanity is facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t lock itself into darkness, that doesn’t dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow. This is what Our Lord offered to Peter, James, and John and to us all!
