Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the great Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, marking the moment when Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, was transfigured or transformed before the sight of three of His own disciples, the members of His innermost circle, namely St. Peter, St. James and St. John. This occurrence happened at Mount Tabor in Galilee, in the northern part of the land of Israel. This event is very important indeed because it was at this moment that the disciples, three among them to be precise, came to know more about the truth behind the identity of their Master Whom they had been following all the while. Christ revealed Himself to be not merely just like any other man, but that He indeed came from Heaven itself.
Let us all then first look upon the Scripture readings we have heard from today. First of all, the first reading from the Book of Daniel highlighted to us the vision that Daniel received from the Lord, showing a premonition of what the Lord planned to do, and part of which was revealed through Jesus Himself at Mount Tabor. The One of Great Age represents God the Father Himself, the Creator of all, Who had shown Daniel that He was giving the power and dominion to the One that looked like the Son of Man. This Son of Man is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the Beloved Son of God begotten from Him from before all ages, co-equal and co-eternal with Him, consubstantial and united in the most loving and Holy Trinity. Essentially, Daniel received the premonition of what God had planned to do for the sake of His people, those whom He had called and chosen.
Daniel witnessed how God would send His own Begotten Son into the world to save it, to fulfil everything that He has promised to all of us mankind, to all of His servants throughout time and history, to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, to Moses and to David, Solomon and others throughout the history of our salvation. God has endeavoured to fulfil everything that He has said, proving that He is indeed ever faithful to the Covenant that He had made with us, and He has always been truthful in all things, not making empty promises in what He had vowed to deliver to us. He sent unto us His Son, to embrace our humanity and human nature, so that He might manifest unto us perfectly the Love that He has always had for us for all eternity, and reach out to us all with this most generous Love that He has always lavished on us.
Then from our alternative first reading, that is usually read as the second reading, from the Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle, we heard of the testimony of St. Peter himself speaking about his experiences witnessing the Lord’s Transfiguration as it happened. St. Peter spoke of how God revealed His truth and identity, His great love manifested through His Son to the Apostles including St. Peter himself, who experienced everything in person and therefore, could testify to what had exactly happened at the moment of the Transfiguration of the Lord at Mount Tabor. He spoke of this great experience as the revelation of the great majesty and love of God, which had been made visible and tangible to us, so that God’s Love is no longer something that is beyond our reach.
At the same time, St. Peter also spoke of the transformative aspect of the Transfiguration, as this Transfiguration of the Lord and the decision that the Lord had undertaken in embracing our humanity and becoming one like us in fact is a revelation that we too shall share in the glory that is to come, the glory which Christ Our Transfigured Lord has shown us Himself. As He revealed His Divine glory clad in the flesh of His humanity, Christ revealed to all of us through the three disciples, as we heard in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, that He is truly more than just a mere Man, but that He is also God Himself, the Divine Word of God, the Son of God incarnate in the flesh, having in Himself, in His one Person, two distinct and yet inseparable natures, of Divine and Man.
Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus there at Mount Tabor as a symbolic revelation of the truth about the Lord Himself and His ministry in this world. This is because Moses is the representation of the Law of God, which God first revealed to His people at the time after their Exodus from Egypt through Moses, and he was also representing God’s Covenant with His people. Meanwhile, Elijah was widely considered as one of the greatest among the prophets, and hence he represents the Prophets of God. Hence, the appearance of Moses and Elijah at the moment of the Lord’s Transfiguration represents Him as the fulfilment and the perfection of the Law and the Prophets of God, in how He would reveal the true intention and meaning of the Law, and fulfilling everything that God had told to His people through His prophets.
And by uniting His Divinity to His humanity, the Lord Jesus, our Transfigured Lord showed unto us the preview of what we ourselves are meant to be, when we shall also be glorified and triumphant at the end of our earthly journey and waiting, when at the end of time we shall enjoy forever the eternal glory and life with God, with our own transfigured and glorified bodies, united with our souls, no longer bound to sin or the world, when we become once again pure and immaculate, full of God’s grace just as He has intended all of us to be. And this is what we are all called to look forward to, to look forward to be reunited with the Lord, and to reclaim once again our true inheritance, full of God’s glory and grace, to be transfigured like the Lord and to share in His inheritance, enjoying forever the fruits of our faith in Him.
Let us all therefore commit ourselves from now on to a renewed existence in our faithful dedication and trust in the Lord. Let us do our very best so that in each and every moments of our lives, we will always do what is right and just in accordance with the Lord’s teachings and His ways. Let us all be the beacons of God’s light, the worthy bearers of His Good News and truth to all the whole world. Let us all not be complacent in life or be idle, but let us all be truly committed to our Lord and God at all times. May the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Transfigured Lord, continue to inspire us all through His love for us, and help us all in our journey of faith and life, blessing us in our every good efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 