Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 6, 2024
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.
As I hear today’s gospel, I picture Peter, James, and John shading their eyes from the brilliance of Jesus’ clothing, trying to make sense of what they are witnessing. They are terrified and awed all at once as they glimpse Jesus in his fullness, both God and human.
Immediately, I picture my own experiences of overwhelming brightness: a flashlight suddenly filling my eyes in the dark of a campsite, the shock of a sun-drenched sky when I leave the eye doctor with dilated eyes, or the pain when a plane’s window shade is raised mid-flight and bright light fills the darkened cabin.
Bright light is painful to eyes accustomed to darkness. My instinct is to close or shade my eyes or to protect myself by turning away from the dazzling brightness.
So today, I find myself pondering the moments when I have glimpsed the light of God. Where have I seen the fullness of God in my life? Have I witnessed God’s in nature? Have I seen Christ in the love, goodness, and kindness of those around me?
Examining further: Have I doubted what I have seen? Have I turned away because the glimpse is too painful? Have I allowed myself to bask in the light of the one who loves me to the very core of my being? Have I truly listened to the voice of Jesus in my life, calling me to love God and my neighbor?
The light of Christ shines on in the world all these years after Peter, James, and John first witnessed Jesus at the Transfiguration.
May we each find the time to allow our eyes to adjust to the light and the courage to live our lives differently because we have seen the dazzling brightness of Christ.
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.
