1. A Transfiguring Light
2. With Jesus on the Mountain
Introduction
1. A Transfiguring Light
Once in a while, perhaps in a rare moment when we are very much discouraged, we deeply encounter the Lord in prayer, or we meet a kind and understanding person who lights up our face with the warmth of understanding and kind love. Such moments can keep us going for a long time. Would that the Eucharist, and our encounter with the Lord here, could be such a moment that keeps us going and disposes us to light up the lives of others.
2. With Jesus on the Mountain
At one time or another we have all seen the face of a person light up by good news, or a moment of real happiness. One day Jesus’ face too lit up, became radiant and was totally transformed by the realization that his work and suffering would not be in vain. May we also know moments when our faces light up with deep happiness and when we bring this radiance to the faces and hearts of others. In this Eucharist we ask the Lord to work this transfiguration in us and to let us bring it to others.
First Reading: A Flaming Torch and a Covenant
At a time when Abraham’s faith is sorely tested, God gives him hope; he binds himself to Abraham by a covenant and by the flaming torch God shows that he is present.
Reading 1: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
The Lord God took Abram outside and said,
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek.
Hide not your face from me;
do not in anger repel your servant.
You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Second Reading: Transfiguration of the Christian in Christ
The saving grace of Christ will transfigure our humanity in the image of the risen humanity of the Lord.
2 Reading: Philippians 3:17—4:1
Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord.
Verse Before the Gospel Cf. Matthew 17:5
From the shining cloud the Father’s voice is heard:
This is my beloved Son, hear him.
Gospel: A Flash of the Lord’s Glory
Before Jesus set out on his way to his suffering and death, a glimpse of his resurrection and glory shone in him, to strengthen him in his own loyalty and to encourage his disciples.
Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up the mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter 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.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
Commentary
For the gospels, usually so quick-paced, that is a strangely static scene on the mountain: Jesus, flanked by Moses and Elijah. It is more a tableau than an event. Tableaux always looked artificial, with their emblematic figures and poses: various virtues and abstractions personified. The two figures in this case, Moses and Elijah, were emblems of the Law and the Prophets; and their reported speech doesn’t do much to put life into it.
Then suddenly the Presence! “A cloud appeared and covered them.” From the cloud the Father’s voice, “This is my Son, the Chosen one, listen to him.” This scene is like two other events in the life of Jesus: his baptism and his resurrection. The Father speaks the same words as at the baptism in the Jordan; and the “dazzling white clothing” are a sign of the glory of the Risen Lord. The beginning and the end of the story are brought together in one luminous moment.
In all three gospels this Transfiguration scene comes just after Jesus predicted his passion for the first time. Death, and even the thought of death, freezes the action and brings the whole of one’s life into a point. But that point is not a fading into extinction; it is a moment of Transfiguration. In this lies the meaning of our own suffering too.
Blessing
We heard today how a glimpse of his glory to come
lit up the face of Jesus and gave him the courage
to face his suffering and death.
Let his encouraging word in the gospel
also lift up our hearts to in moments of trial
and may we light up the face
of people who suffer.
Let the Lord give us this hope and love
and may almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace and the light of Christ.
R/ Thanks be to God.