Feast of Transfiguration [A]
August 6, 2023
Matthew 17:1-9

Today the Church is celebrating the event of Transfiguration. This is an extraordinary event in the life of Jesus in which Jesus transfigured or manifested His divine nature to His chosen disciples, Peter, James and John. His appearance became dazzling white, majestic and divine, and the most prominent figures of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah, also showed up. Moses and Elijah witnessed the Lord in the mountain during their time. Now, they witnessed the same Lord in the mount of TransfigurationTransfiguration. To see Jesus in His divinity must be a phenomenal experience for Peter, James and John. Surely, Peter wanted to savor the experience forever, and thus, he offered to build a tent so they could stay as long as possible in that beatific moment.

However, Jesus had another plan and returned to His ordinary human appearance. Jesus then went down from the mount and walked toward Jerusalem. There, He embraced His cross, brutal suffering and horrifying death. He was treated as the worst criminal and abandoned by His closest disciples. Perhaps, some disciples were disappointed and losing hope, and some were angry and frustrated. Even Peter, James and John seemed to forget the glorious experience of Transfiguration. James ran away. Peter even denied Him. Only John stayed and accompanied the mother of Jesus at the foot of the cross. Yet, this is precisely the point of TransfigurationTransfiguration. The divine Jesus on the mount transfiguration is the same dying Jesus on the Mount of Calvary. The most beautiful Jesus on the cloud, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, is the tortured Jesus on the cross flanked by two criminals.

Transfiguration teaches us precious lessons. Like the disciples, we often want to stay with Jesus when Jesus is in His luminous moments. Yet, when Jesus is crucified and looks miserable, we fail to see Him, run away and even deny Him. We forget that He is the same Jesus. We can easily recognize Jesus and thank Him when our lives are blessed with financial stability, good health, or successful careers. And naturally, we tell the Lord we want to stay forever in these glorious moments. Yet, do we see Jesus when our lives are hard? Perhaps, like the apostles, we are angry, frustrated, and blaming Jesus.

So, how are we able to see Jesus on the cross? We need to learn from the apostle John, and how can John see Jesus and stay faithful? John could see Jesus on the cross because he was not alone. He was seeing Jesus together with Jesus’ mother. He was learning from the example of Mary, who was standing at the cross of His Son. If we want to see Jesus on the cross and stay faithful to Him, we must be with His mother and learn from her. Do we invite Mary when our lives are hard? Do we pray the rosary in times of trials?

However, Mary does not only stand for her person but also the Church. Do we recognize that we are part of the Church, the Body of Christ? Do we allow the Church to accompany us as we walk through our difficult times? Do we help and support others also in our community or parish?

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP