By transfiguring, Jesus helps the apostles to deal with fear, death, and resurrection

May the Lord bless you with peace and health.

It is 06th August 2021. It is the first Friday of the month dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

We celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Wishing you all a happy feast of Transfiguration of the Lord.

We reflect on Dan 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19 and the Gospel of Mark 9:2-10.

The feast of Transfiguration comes in search of identity of Jesus. Starting with open confession of St. Peter about Jesus, the Son of the living God and his fear over passion, crucifixion, and death of Jesus.

The first reading presents us the presence of God in a vision to Daniel while in the second reading St. Peter confesses all that he experienced on the day of Transfiguration.

It is indeed an experience on the mount top. Jesus reveals Himself as a divine person and how He would be looking like in Heaven. The representation of Moses for the Law and for Elijah for the prophets offers the primacy of Jesus as the Second Moses and as a divine person. Jesus shows to the chosen apostles namely Peter, James, and John His other side of the divine person.

Transfiguration invites us to recognize the presence of the Holy Trinity and to obey Jesus, the Beloved Son.

By transfiguring, Jesus helps the apostles to deal with fear, death, and resurrection.

Jesus took the same three apostles to the home of Jairus whose daughter died and brought to life by Jesus strengthening the belief of them. The same three apostles were the ones made to witness the terror at the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus faced and feared imminent death. Again, in the Transfiguration to the same Apostles, Jesus transfigures to make them feel and have faith in Jesus, the Son of God.

Through the transfiguration, Jesus helped the apostles to deal with the fear of His death, and resurrection.

His Holiness Pope Francis teaches us, “the transfiguration helps the disciples, and us too, to understand that the passion of Christ is a mystery of suffering, but it is above all a gift of infinite love on the part of Jesus. The event of Jesus transfiguring on the mountain makes us understand better also his resurrection.”

We all need the mount experience with Jesus to know Him as He is and to face him no matter what happens. Let us not change our colour of the skin like a chameleon but to keep our souls pure to see Jesus in us and others as He transfigures in daily life. With faith and prayer, we can all climb the mountain of peak experience. By knowing the identity of Christ, we can love and serve Him effective and meaningfully.

Have an experience of Jesus today in the Sacraments, Sanctuary, in service to humanity. May God bless you.