Transfiguration

August 17th, 2014 Posted in writing

The feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) commemorates when Christ’s appearance became radiant with the light of his divinity and when Peter, James and John heard God’s voice from a cloud telling them to listen to Jesus.

At first it may seem that this event was unique and unrepeatable; that’s not really so, however. For the disciples didn’t just see something; they were shown something. They didn’t just hear something; they were told something. They were shown a glimpse of Jesus’ identity and were told to listen to him. Don’t we grow in our Christian faith when we are shown a glimpse of who Jesus is and when we listen to what he says? I think the Transfiguration is an event that happens often, even daily.

Have you ever, at some particular moment or over a long period of time, realized in a new way that Jesus actually is God’s son, showing us what true divinity and true humanity are really like? Has an action of his shown you something about how God acts and who we can become? Has Jesus’ humanity and divinity become more real for you, even if they still remain a mystery? If so, then you have been shown something just as the disciples were.

Furthermore, countless voices say you must be popular or powerful, rich or famous, admired or praised. But if you’ve paid heed to a deeper voice saying you should listen to Christ who says, “Don’t be afraid. . .I will not leave you. . .Love one another. . .The last will be first, the first will be last. . .You are my friends,” then you have experienced what the disciples did when they heard God saying they should listen first and foremost to his beloved Son.

When we read the story of the Transfiguration in this light, then we realize it is very much about how we live our faith, expectantly looking for a deeper experience of who Jesus is and paying more careful attention to his words for us and for the world.

We might incorporate into our lives a simple prayer each morning that something might be shown to us this day about the grace and love of Christ and that we might be alert to what Christ could be saying to us. Similarly, at the end of the day we could ask if we have been shown anything about Christ or heard a word from him. If we do that, the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus then can become the story of our own continuing transformation now.

  1. One Response to “Transfiguration”

  2. By John Paul Bender on Aug 28, 2014

    Wonderful blog post! My prayer as of late has been to live out my faith in a more authentic way. Thanks for posting!

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