Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 6, 2026
Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John,
and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them;
his face shone like the sun
and his clothes became white as light.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
conversing with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, behold,
a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,
then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate
and were very much afraid.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
“Rise, and do not be afraid.”
And when the disciples raised their eyes,
they saw no one else but Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them,
“Do not tell the vision to anyone
until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the transfiguration follows upon Jesus’ first prediction of his passion, death, and resurrection. Peter objects in horror. But Jesus rebukes him. He tells all of the disciples that they too, if they wished to follow him, must take up, each one, his own cross and be prepared to lose his life for his sake. In so doing, ironically, they will find it. Jesus predicts not only his own suffering but also that of anyone who would be his disciple. But if they are ready to follow Jesus, the predicted resurrection will be theirs too.
The transfiguration is an image of Jesus in the glory of the predicted resurrection. The disciples can actually see, for a moment, what Jesus is promising. Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, appear, talking to Jesus in glory. The Law and the Prophets find their fulfillment in Jesus’s death and resurrection, and this fulfillment is part of Jesus’s glory.
The Second Letter of Peter states, “We were with him on the holy mountain, and we have the prophetic word made more sure.” Jesus’ risen glory, foreseen on the mountain, fulfills the “prophetic word.” Thereby it also glorifies the prophetic word of Law and Prophets, making them “more sure.” As we see the glory of God’s eternal plan, our confidence and hope in God’s promises are increased.
This gives us the courage to take up our cross as Jesus commanded us. Though we may “lose our life for his sake,” we can have confidence that we will nevertheless “find it.” The vision on Mount Tabor is a vision of our own destiny, too. The light of Mount Tabor reaches us even now, transfiguring our own lives in its light, if only we will give ourselves to its glorious vision of hope.
Prayer
Lord Jesus: You shared the joy of your transfiguration with Peter, James, and John. But when they heard our Father’s voice from the cloud, they were terrified. You touched them and told them not to be afraid. Lord Jesus, be with me when I am joyful and when I am afraid. 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 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 to 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, James, 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.
