Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 6, 2019
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up a 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.
I feel special patronage of the apostle James because we share a name and we each have a brother John. Growing up, my parents would even refer to us as the “Sons of Thunder,” like these biblical brothers. To this day, whenever I hear their names at Mass, I grin and pay extra attention as if the Gospel is meant especially for me. Over the years, it has been easy to see that James and John, for all their zeal, are not perfectly heroic: the brothers selfishly request a favored spot in heaven; Jesus rebukes them for asking to rain fire on unbelievers; they cannot stay awake while Jesus prays in Gethsemane; and even here at the Transfiguration they fall asleep until a dazzling light awakens them.
Sometimes, I wonder how James doesn’t do better when he is right there with Christ. It seems like James does not live up to being specially chosen by Jesus. After all, it is Peter and John, not James, who bear epithets like “the Rock,” “the first Pope,” “the beloved disciple,” or “the Evangelist.” James seems like…just James. But even (perhaps especially) Peter and John needed Christ to guide them out of lowliness, doubt, and error. Jesus invites James too.
Despite their human failings, Christ calls all his apostles to a special mission. Christ calls me too, out of my brokenness and into new life in him. In his love, he seeks to transfigure me, just as he was transfigured in today’s Gospel. In Christ, “just James” became Saint James, who evangelized Spain and became the first martyred apostle. May we allow Christ to transfigure us so as to be the saints God calls us to be.
Prayer
God of wonder and might, the glory of your presence is beyond our understanding, yet you continue to reveal yourself to us in countless ways. May we who seek to draw close to you, be open and ready to your revelations, so that we may recognize Jesus in our lives. When we see him, give us the grace to listen well.
Saint of the Day
The gospel stories of the transfiguration of Jesus tell us that Jesus and three friends, Peter, James, and John, departed from everyone else and went up a high mountain. There, something happened to Jesus—he changed in front of them as his divinity burst forth. “His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). The two great prophets, Moses and Elijah—the Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy of Judaism—stood next to Jesus, talking with him. Then, a bright cloud came over them, a traditional image used to convey the holy presence of God, and God’s voice said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5).
Naturally, Peter, James, and John were terrified and fell to the ground. Jesus touched them and told them, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” Suddenly, it all passed, and it was just the four of them standing on the mountain. The Renaissance painter, Raphael, captured this moment in his last masterpiece.
Why is this an important feast day in the Church? Because it is a moment when Jesus is revealed for who he truly is: both fully human and fully divine. As such, this is a moment that shows us who we really are as well—this is an image of the holiness that we strive for in both body and soul, and that will be granted us at the end of time.
There is an image of another, different transfiguration on campus: the statue of Moses giving the Ten Commandments that stands near the Hesburgh Library. After Moses converses with God, “the skin of his face became radiant” (Exodus 34:28). In fact, after this encounter, Moses had to wear a veil over his face whenever he was among the Israelites because his face shone so brightly. Moses is often depicted in art with what appear to be horns—artists were trying to represent his face radiating glory.
This context might help us see just how glorious Jesus must have appeared to Peter and John. Moses himself is overshadowed as Jesus, the fulfillment of the law that Moses proclaimed, momentarily shines forth as divine.
Moses experienced intimacy with God just as Jesus was one with the Father, and it changed them inside and out. It changed them so greatly that others could not fail to notice. This is our calling as well—to cultivate intimacy with God so that this encounter changes us through and through.
May we live this day conscious that our baptism has made us like Christ, and as we embrace that identity in our words and actions, may we remain open to God’s transfiguring grace.
On this feast of the Transfiguration, may we be transformed by grace and shine with God’s glory!
Image Credit: Our featured image of the Transfiguration is in the public domain. Last accessed March 28, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
