Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 6, 2021
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John,
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
I have always been struck by the overwhelming sensory experience of the Transfiguration. I put myself in the shoes of disciples and wonder what that sight must have been like. Frankly, sometimes I can’t help but ask myself if the story seems like a subtle plug for a really effective laundry detergent. Jesus’ garments were not just a little clean but so clean that no bleach could make them whiter. It almost sounds like a 30-second television spot for Tide!
However, this passage is clearly not an advertisement for a daily household product but rather St. Mark’s simplistic, yet eloquent, way of describing something completely and utterly magnificent—Jesus’ revealing his heavenly form as God to Peter, James and John. This visual and Jesus’ “dazzling white” clothes, showing no dirt nor blemishes, are clearly symbolic of the divine perfection that is God.
And so while this passage may sometimes make me think of something as mundane as washing clothes, I quickly realize that something much more significant is being communicated. The story, with its description of a glorious Jesus high above a mountain top and appearing with such important figures to the nation of Israel, serves as a powerfully vivid reminder of Christ being our “dazzling white” connection point from our time on earth to eternity in heaven.
Prayer
God of wisdom and truth, make yourself known to us and to all people, as the one God, living and true. Affirm your truth in our lives that we may be witnesses of your unchanging presence and shine with your glory. May the life and teachings of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, be our salvation and guide. Amen.
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.
