August 6^th 2017. Feast of the Transfiguration

GOSPEL: Matthew 17,1-9

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

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GOSPEL: Matthew 17, 1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, 
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them; 
his face shone like the sun 
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 
"Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here, 
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, 
then from the cloud came a voice that said, 
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him."
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
"Rise, and do not be afraid."
And when the disciples raised their eyes, 
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
"Do not tell the vision to anyone 
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . In our world, things are normally illuminated by the sun. Whether the sun is shining or not colours everything we see. Our perspective tends to be from our own particular viewpoint. In the Gospel, Jesus takes the three disciples up a mountain and they are enabled to see things from a wholly new vantage point. The sun is no longer the source of light, for the face of Jesus and his garments begin to shine like the sun. Think how different our existence would be if we allowed the light of Christ to illuminate every aspect of it! This light does not come and go but shines constantly because Jesus will never abandon us. But what is revealed to the disciples up the mountain? The Father begins to speak and says, “This is my Son, in whom I delight. Listen to him”. God reveals himself as a loving Father who is utterly absorbed in delight with his Son. But this word is also for us! We are asked to listen to Jesus, to obey him and enter into union with him, becoming his body in the world. Then we begin to perceive that the love and delight of the Father is directed towards us as well. How different our perspective on life when it is illuminated by the light of the paternal love of the Father for us in Christ!

Our human perspective on things is limited. How we need the perspective of God!

The first reading from the book of Daniel is a very solemn and powerful passage. It speaks of a vision of one who is similar to a “Son of Man” and who will be given the kingdom, the power and the glory. He will be an eternal word without end. All peoples and tongues shall serve him. In the Hebrew tradition this figure is a synthesis of everything regarding the promised Messiah. The character of this passage is apocalyptic: it reveals something that lies hidden. The vision occurs to Daniel at night and it permits him to see beyond the darkness. At the time of the vision, the people of Israel had been suffering great oppression under Antiochus Epiphanes (about 175 B.C.) The vision of Daniel shows that a greater power is on its way, a power that seems to be denied by the present situation of misery. But to see something at night time, in the darkness, is already a paradoxical situation. Let us not forget that when Jesus died on the cross there was an eclipse of the sun! The most important event in human history occurred in the darkness, at a time when the light of this world was not shining. The light of this world is not sufficient to permit us to see the things that matter! Inside each of us there is our own kind of human light but often this light is unable to comprehend the nature of things. It is when the powers that prevail collapse, when our own powers are humiliated, when human wisdom seems to have reached its limits – it is then that real wisdom begins. How often we gain true wisdom only when something tragic happens. But this requires us to be open, to open ourselves to that which is greater than our humble capacities of understanding.

The sun illuminates what we see and often colours our perspective on things. When Jesus starts to shine like the sun in my life, then I gain a completely different viewpoint on everything.

Happily, the Feast of the Transfiguration falls on a Sunday this year, permitting us to celebrate it in a more marked way (although the second Sunday of Easter also has the reading of the account of the Transfiguration as part of the penitential preparation for Easter). This passage recounts a story of light, of the reception of light. Peter, James and John are taken away by themselves. This place involves climbing to a height, to a place that is not easily accessible. It is beyond the darkness of mundane things. If we wish to see things in a new way, then we need to attain a new perspective on life. How often we perceive completely new characteristics of a thing once we look at it from a new perspective! We suffer from the limitation of seeing things usually from only a single point of view. Jesus helps the disciples to see things from a wholly different angle. They climb a high mountain and are given this new vision. They see beyond his face, which starts to shine like the sun, while his garments also become luminous. The sun and light are parts of creation. But here the sun is no longer an inanimate object but a man. When we wake up in the morning we see things according to the light. Some days the sun is shining, whilst on other days everything is overcast; the day can be miserable or it can be uncomfortably hot. How we see things depends often on the sun, whether it is present or not. We tend to be happier when it is shining. Imagine what happens when the sun becomes a man, when his face becomes the sun. What this makes possible is to perceive my things according to the light of Christ. I see things in a new way. One of the Psalms says, “In your light we see light”. The Psalms, in fact, often have phrases of the sort, “Hide not your face from me. That I may see your face”.

How different our existence is when it is illuminated by the constant light of Christ!

During their development, children find themselves at a point where they are still attached to their mother but are seeking to detach themselves from her. During this phase of exploration, they seek things that are separate from their mother but at the same time they need to be watched over by her. If they see that she is distracted, they look to her until they receive a reassuring smile that she is still being attentive to them. Similarly, under the gaze of Our Lord, we begin to see things with more courage. Under his gaze, the light that permeates what we see emanates from his face. If he is before us in everything that we do, then everything changes radically. Our being is either closed up in solitude or is open to relationship. Jesus never abandons us so it is as if we are forever under the sun, like on a beautiful day where the light continues to shine no matter where we are.

We are called to listen, obey and become a vibrant part of the body of Christ in the world. The Gospel reveals that the nature of God is that of a paternal Father who delights in his Son. He delights in us too. Let us listen to this text and hear the voice of the Father speaking to us, inviting us to enter into union with his Son and enjoy the paternal love of the Father.

The garments of a person in Sacred Scripture represent a person’s mission. The light from Jesus’ garments give us a sense of what we should do and what we should refrain from doing. Thus to have Jesus illuminate our existence in this way entails to be part of his mission. The Church is called to the sublime mission of being the body of Jesus in the world. The three disciples are given access to this other dimension of reality and it is something that they will never forget. They will have to await the fulfilment of this experience in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. In this sense, the experience of the Transfiguration is a preparation for what is to come, but they still learn that things can be seen in the light of God. There are a lot of elements hidden in this text. One is the transition from a visual experience to an aural experience. The voice of the Father resounds, “This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him”. It is interesting that what is heard is a statement about relationship. “This is my Son who is my joy”. This enlightens us to the nature of God, who is a loving Father. We learn that he is paternal joy. When we unite ourselves to Jesus and become one body with him, this word is for us too! We perceive that the Father is filled with joy that we exist! The relationship between the Father and the Son is something that we are invited to enter into as well. It is this happy light that must illuminate our days. This Gospel challenges us to listen, obey and carry into our hearts the way that the Father look on his Son and looks upon all of us: with joy, with the happiness of a proud Father.