Transfiguration at Mount Tabor

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Sunday, 16 March 2025 : Second Sunday of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 9 : 28b-36

At that time, Jesus took Peter, John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the aspect of His face was changed, and His clothing became dazzling white. Two men were taking with Jesus : Moses and Elijah. Appearing in the glory of heaven, Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about His departure from this life, which was to take place in Jerusalem.

Peter and His companions had fallen asleep; but they awoke suddenly, and they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter – not knowing what to say – said to Jesus, “Master, how good it is for us to be here! Let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

And no sooner had he spoken, than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud, “This is My Son, My Beloved, listen to Him.” And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was there alone. The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen.

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Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day we mark the great and most glorious Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, marking the moment when Lord Jesus revealed a glimpse of His true identity and glory as the Divine Son of God, the Holy One incarnate in the flesh to the three of His disciples at Mount Tabor. On this day we recall that most wonderful moment when Our Lord revealed His salvation through His Son, showing us all how God has fulfilled all the promises which He had made with us all, His beloved people, so that through His Son, His love has been manifested in the flesh and became approachable and tangible for us. And at the same time we have also been shown what we are all expected to be like, to be transfigured ourselves from our current worldly lives into new lives truly blessed and filled by the grace of God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Daniel in which the Lord showed the prophet Daniel a great heavenly vision that was a prefigurement of the coming of the Saviour into this world, and at the same time, revealed to the people of God some of the truth of the identity of this Saviour Whom God had promised and would send to be with His people. He showed them that God would send His Son into our midst to lead us all into the ultimate triumph and victory, liberated and delivered from all the darkness around us, gathering each and every one of us to return back to His heavenly Father, to be the One through Whom all of us are assured of God’s salvation and grace, fulfilling all of His promises and reassurances to us.

Daniel saw the vision of One of a Great Age, a figure that represents God the Father, the Creator of all of us as the One seated in Heaven, ruling over all of Creation. Back then, no one would have known anything about the identity of the Lord, Who in truth exists in Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son of Man shown in Daniel’s heavenly vision clearly prefigured the coming of Christ, the Son of God Incarnate and His role in the story of our salvation. After all, to whom would God grant all dominion, power and authority, such a great responsibility, the kingship and power, that everyone in all of creation ought to serve this Son of Man? It is clearly none among us all mankind, for we are all equal to each other, and neither the Angels nor any other beings that God had created. He must therefore be God Himself, in His aspect as the Son and Word of God, united to the Father, the Creator, and the Holy Spirit.

Thus, it was indeed a prefigurement of the One Whom God would send into this world, One Who is co-eternal, consubstantial, that is of the same nature and substance as Himself, the Divine Son of God, the Word by which God had created this world, Who would enter into this world, incarnate in the flesh through the acceptance of His mother Mary, who accepted the mission entrusted to her by the Archangel Gabriel, to bear the Son of God Himself within her. That is how He came to be known as the Son of Man as well, because through this Incarnation, He has taken up flesh of man, the complete and full nature of our humanity, and become the Son of Man, the Son of Mary, His beloved Mother. But all these were yet to be fully known and understood by the people of Daniel’s time and afterwards, up to the time of the Lord Himself.

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, as mentioned earlier, we heard of the story of the moment when the Lord was transfigured before His three disciples at Mount Tabor, when He revealed His true Divine glory and nature which had been hidden behind His human nature and appearance. He revealed to the three disciples that He was not just merely a Man, or any ordinary human beings or a Prophet. For He is no less than the Almighty God Himself in the flesh, having His full Divine nature manifested together with His human nature, in the one Person of Jesus Christ, the One Whom the three disciples called Lord, Teacher and Master. It was there at Mount Tabor that the Lord manifested Himself and revealed Who He really was to the world, through His three disciples, appearing before them with His Divinity bared freely to be seen.

We heard how the Lord appeared before St. Peter, St. James and St. John together with Moses and Elijah, which was actually an important symbolism and was meant to reveal not just the Lord’s Divine nature, but also the fact that He was indeed the One Whom God has sent into the world, the One He has promised to us to deliver us from the destruction caused by our sins and wickedness. The Lord showed that He is indeed the culmination of the Law and the Prophets of God, with Moses representing God’s Law and Elijah representing God’s many prophets and messengers. That both of them appeared to the Lord at Mount Tabor showed that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah or Saviour that has been prophesied through the prophets, and that He would also uphold and reveal the full truth and meaning of God’s Law. He is the One through Whom God would make all things right once again.

Now, at that moment we also heard how St. Peter told the Lord that they ought to build three tents, one for Himself, one for Moses and one for Elijah. This was then met by a rebuke from the Father, Who spoke to them through the clouds, telling them all to listen to and to obey His Son, His Chosen and Beloved One. Then the heavenly vision and the figure of the Transfigured Lord disappeared, and the Lord with His disciples went down Mount Tabor, and afterwards, they would go on to Judah and Jerusalem, where the Lord would face His sufferings or Passion, bearing up the Cross for the salvation of all the whole mankind and the whole world. This is what is meant by obedience, just as the Lord Jesus had the choice to remain on that mountain, on the place and moment of His glorious Divinity, His majesty and power. He chose to obey His Father’s will, emptying Himself of His glory and power, and assuming the humble condition as a slave, to suffer and die for all of us.

Today therefore, as we rejoice and celebrate in this great moment of the revelation of Our Lord’s glory and majesty, we are therefore called to follow in the examples set by the Lord Himself, and follow Him as we all should do in each and every one of our respective lives. We should walk in His footsteps, remembering the great love, kindness and compassion which God has shown us all throughout the way, all these while. And at the same time, we all should continue to remember that through His glorious Transfiguration, the Lord wants to show us all that we are all called to seek this same transfiguration of our existence and lives in this world. For by sharing in our human nature and becoming the Son of Man, God has united Himself through His humanity with all of us, and through His Transfiguration, the Lord showed us all what we all are ourselves going to be like after we have transcended from this human and worldly existence to the new and everlasting life beyond death.

All of us are called to return to the Lord and be fully reconciled and reunited with Him, to assume once again our blessed and graceful existence and appearance, which God had created us all with, to be perfect and wonderful once again, free from all defects and wickedness due to our sins, full of grace and love, just as how God created us all in the very beginning. Let us all therefore strive to live our lives to the fullest, serving God at all times and glorifying Him by our very lives, in each and every moments. Let our lives shine with the fullness of God’s light, truth, hope and love, and be the beacons of His light and truth, as a glimpse of our own transfigured selves, and encourage one another, our fellow brothers and sisters, so that each and every one of us will remain firm and true in our path towards God and His salvation. May the Lord, our most gloriously Transfigured Lord continue to bless and guide us all in His path, and strengthen us in faith, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 28b-36

At that time, six days after Jesus predicted His own death, He took with Him Peter and James and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain, where they were alone. Jesus’ appearance was changed before them : His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became bright as light. Just then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. If You wish, I will make three tents : one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter was still speaking, when a bright cloud covered them with its shadow, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, the Beloved, My Chosen One. Listen to Him.”

On hearing the voice, the disciples fell to the ground, full of fear. But Jesus came, touched them and said, “Stand up, do not be afraid.” When they raised their eyes, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus. And as they came down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had just seen, until the Son of Man be raised from the dead.

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Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 96 : 1-2, 5-6, 9

YHVH reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Clouds and darkness surround Him; justice and right, are His throne.

The mountains melt like wax before YHVH, the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory.

For You are the Master of the universe, exalted far above all gods.

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Tuesday, 6 August 2024 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Daniel 7 : 9-10, 13-14

I looked and saw the following : Some thrones were set in place and One of Great Age took His seat. His robe was white, as snow, His hair, white as washed wool. His throne was flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before Him. Thousands upon thousands served Him and a countless multitude stood before Him.

Those in the tribunal took their seats and opened the book. I continued watching the nocturnal vision : One like a Son of Man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into His presence. Dominion, honour and kingship were given Him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served Him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Alternative reading (Second Reading if this Feast is celebrated as a Solemnity)

2 Peter 1 : 16-19

Indeed, what we taught you about the power, and the return of Christ Jesus our Lord, was not drawn from myths or formulated theories. We, ourselves, were eyewitnesses of His majesty, when He received glory and honour from God, the Father, when, from the magnificent glory, this most extraordinary word came upon Him : “This is My beloved Son, this is My Chosen One.”

We, ourselves, heard this voice from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Therefore, we believe most firmly in the message of the prophets, which you should consider rightly, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the break of day, when the Morning Star shines in your hearts.

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Saturday, 19 February 2022 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Mark 9 : 2-13

At that time, six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain. There His appearance was changed before their eyes. Even His clothes shone, becoming as white as no bleach of this world could make them. Elijah and Moses appeared to them; the two were talking with Jesus.

Then Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say : they were overcome with awe. But a cloud formed, covering them in a shadow, and from the cloud came a voice, “This is My Son, the Beloved; listen to Him.”

And suddenly, as they looked around, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus with them. As they came down the mountain, He ordered them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this to themselves, although they discussed with one another what ‘to rise from the dead’ could mean.

Finally they asked Him, “Why then do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered them, “Of course Elijah will come first, so that everything may be as it should be. But why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they have treated him as they pleased, as the Scriptures say of him.”

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Sunday, 28 February 2021 : Second Sunday of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Mark 9 : 2-10

At that time, six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain. There, His appearance was changed before their eyes. Even His clothes shone, becoming as white as no bleach of this world could make them. Elijah and Moses appeared to them; the two were talking with Jesus.

Then Peter spoke and said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say; they were overcome with awe. But a cloud formed, covering them in a shadow, and from the cloud came a voice, “This is My Son, the Beloved : listen to Him!”

And suddenly, as they looked around, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus with them. As they came down the mountain, He ordered them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this to themselves, although they discussed with one another what ‘to rise from the dead’ could mean.

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Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate one of the great feast days of the Church, celebrating the moment when our Lord Jesus Christ was transformed in His glory and majesty, revealing for the first time to the whole world, the whole truth about His existence and nature, Who He was, and what it is that He was going to do in the world, His mission and intentions.

This moment is known to us as the Transfiguration of our Lord, when our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born through the Virgin Mary, having assumed the flesh and form of Man, revealed Himself and allowed that divinity to shine forth through, and showed His disciples Who He really is, as not just a mere Man or Prophet, but as God Himself, the Divine Word Incarnate.

And there are truly many symbolisms in what we heard in the readings from the Holy Scriptures today. In the first reading, we heard from the prophet Daniel, who recorded what he saw in a great vision of heaven, where God showed Him the glory of Heaven, and then Himself, the One of Great Age, and His Son, the Son of Man, Who would come to take His place in the world, as the Father has granted Him the dominion over the whole world.

Indeed, He came into the world, as the fulfilment of God’s long promised salvation of the world and all of His beloved people. He has promised that He would send His Saviour to gather all of His beloved ones from the places where they had been lost in, gathering them all from all the four corners of the world, from the dark places and bring them into the light.

In the Gospel, we heard how Jesus showed Himself in His full glory and majesty atop the mount Tabor to three of His disciples, St. Peter, St. James and St. John. Mount Tabor was one of the holy mountains on which important events in the history of salvation had taken place, and thus the significance of such an event happening at Mount Tabor is also linked to how Moses in the Book of Exodus had ascended up the other holy mountain Horeb, meeting up with God and receiving the Law of God from God Himself.

And there, up that mount Tabor, again as I have mentioned, Jesus showed His divinity, by being transfigured into a Being so pure and great, that no pureness can match the dazzling white garment He is wearing. This is the first important thing we have to take note in this Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, that we believe and worship the Lord Who in His nature is both God and Human at the same time.

And He came forth into the world in order to fulfil what the Law and the Prophets had said about Him, to fulfil completely and perfectly the Law and the Covenant which God had brought upon His people, and to fulfil the promises and guarantees of salvation preached through His faithful prophets and servants. And that was why we saw Moses and Elijah, each of whom represented the Law, that is Moses, and the Prophets, that is Elijah.

That is the second thing which we ought to take note of, that God has endeavoured to fulfil His promise to us, and He is ever faithful to His covenant, which He has established with us all, for our sake and our benefit. But are we also faithful? If we look at how we mankind acted towards the covenant we have with our Lord, we should realise just how unfaithful we are to His covenant, preferring to walk on our own ways and disobeying His rules and laws.

But last of all, what we need to heed from the readings today is the most important of all, as it is telling us what we as Christians and as members of the Church need to do from now on. After Jesus had revealed His glory, His disciples wanted to stay on there in that moment of bliss and they did not want to leave all that for the world below.

Yet, that was exactly what Jesus did, and the Father reminded His disciples to follow the way which His Son followed. He left the glory behind and walked down the mountain, determined to go on to Jerusalem, even though He fully knew that the Pharisees and the elders in Jerusalem were plotting to bring about His death. And that was that act of courage and commitment to His cause which eventually led to the great saving work of our Lord, as He went up the hill of Calvary bearing His cross and eventually was crucified and died for our sake.

In the same manner, let us all ask ourselves, are we all too comfortable in our own respective comfort zones? Are we too caught up in our comfort and in all the happy and pleasurable things we have in life that we may have forgotten our true purpose in life? Such is the danger that all of us are facing, that Satan and his allies may just tempt us and persuade us to remain aloof and indifferent amidst the challenges and the mission which we have been entrusted with by the Lord?

And what is that, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is just as Jesus Himself had said, that we ought to take up our crosses, leave behind all the fetters of worldliness, and follow Him as He walked through the way of the cross. And that means, as Christians, we should not be satisfied with just the status quo, and neither can we sit back and enjoy, while in reality there are still so many things that we can do.

Let us ponder on this matter and reflect deep in our hearts. Let us all not be hesitant any longer, but from now on embrace our roles as Christians with zeal and vigour, that in all the things we do from now on, we may bring greater glory to God, proclaiming Him through our deeds and actions, that more and more people may come to His salvation and receive the gift of eternal life.

And thus, at the end of it all, we may enter into the glory of heaven promised to us all, which glimpse we saw at the Transfiguration itself. Let us all be thoroughly transfigured with our Lord Jesus Christ, and be glorious and be worthy of God’s grace. Amen.

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Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 28b-36

At that time, Jesus took Peter, John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And while He was praying, the aspect of His face was changed, and His clothing became dazzling white. Two men were talking with Jesus : Moses and Elijah. Appearing in the glory of heaven, Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus about His departure from this life, which was to take place in Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions had fallen asleep; but they awoke suddenly, and they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter – not knowing what to say – said to Jesus, “Master, how good it is for us to be here! Let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

And no sooner had he spoken, than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud, “This is My Son, My Beloved, listen to Him.” And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was there alone.

The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen.

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Saturday, 6 August 2016 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 96 : 1-2, 5-6, 9

The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Clouds and darkness surround Him; justice and right are His throne.

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory.

For You are the Master of the universe, exalted far above all gods.