The Transfiguration of the Lord; August 6, 2023

Dn 7:9-10,13-14.  Ps 97.  2 Pt 1:16-19.  Mt 17:1-9

Deacon Jim McFadden

            It always struck me as ironic that the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 was on Transfiguration Sunday.  Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer deals with the real-world consequences brought about by that fiery ball of atomic energy unleashed on the two Japanese cities which killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people.  The movie questions the meaning of death and wrestles with the sanctity of life.  Oppenheimer is very utilitarian in his thinking.  He justifies the creation of the weapon by saying, “I don’t know if we can be trusted with such a weapon. But, I know that the Nazis can’t.”  But by the time the bomb was built, Germany had already been defeated.  And though the bombs hastened the end of WWII, Oppenheimer cannot help the feeling that he has blood on his hands.  The creation of these weapons of mass destruction that threatened the very viability of humanity on Earth is a product of a consciousness that Jesus would describe as an old wineskin.

            That is why we need to pay attention to the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord where three Apostles—Peter, James, and John—witness an extraordinary event, which will transform them and should do the same with us.  Jesus took them to a high mountain apart (Mt 17:1) and while he prayed, his face changed in appearance, “shone like the sun”, and his garments became white as light. Peter is overwhelmed by the experience that he can’t help but cry out: “Lord, it is good that we are here…” (v. 4).

            Unlike the events described in Oppenheimer, the event of the Lord’s Transfiguration offers us a message of hope, in which we have the opportunity to encounter Jesus in a new way, which means we live the way Jesus does and be at the service of our brothers and sisters. 

            Notice where the Transfiguration occurs: the disciples ascended up Mount Tabor.  A ‘mountain’ in Scripture is a code word for the transcendent place where the divine and human come together.   For that to happen the disciples have to disengage from their ordinary way of living which occurs on the plain, to make a journey toward the mountain and contemplate Jesus.  What happened to Peter, James, and John is meant to happen to us.  As the Church Father Origin perceptively asked, “Is it therefore possible for Jesus to be transfigured before some but not before others?” 

            That is the key question: how can Jesus be transfigured to us?  How can his divine light and energy pour into our heart and soul, transforming us at the very core of our being?  It really is a matter of simply being attentive to Jesus through careful and prayerful listening.  When we seek intimate moments of prayer with our Lord, the divine Life that he shares with his Father will now enter into our being.  “Like a child at rest on its mother’s knee” (cf. Ps 131) we rest in Jesus as a docile child, joyfully welcoming the Word of God into our heart. 

In this spiritual ascent to our own Mount Tabor, we need to disengage from a worldly, secular way of thinking and living, which is acquisitive and frenetic.  Instead, we are called to rediscover the peaceful and regenerative silence which can be found in many forms of prayer, such as meditation, Adoration, a Holy Hour, and Lectio Divina, in which we meditate on the Gospel and Scripture in general.  As we enter into a Christ-consciousness, as we stand before his Transfigured presence, we will move towards our destination, which is rich in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.  With Peter, we will exclaim, “Lord, it is good that we are here…”

            At the end of the stunning Transfiguration experience, the Apostles had to come down from the mountain, but now their hearts and minds are transformed by their encounter with the Lord Jesus.  It is the journey that we too can make.  The discovery of the Transfigured Christ is not the end point, but motivates us to “come down from the mountain”, energized by the presence of the Holy Spirit so that we can embrace  ongoing metanoia, conversion, and to live a life of self-giving  in which we share our lives with our brothers and sisters.  As we become transformed by Christ’s presence and by the power of his Word, we will be a concrete sign of the unconditioned love that God has for his children, especially those who are suffering, lonely, and rejected.

            Before us lie two paths: the way of our dominant consciousness as depicted in Oppenheimer or the one shown on Mount Tabor.  In the Transfiguration, the voice of the heavenly Father is heard saying, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” (v. 5).  Let us look to our Blessed Mother Mary, who was always ready to welcome and keep in her heart every word of her Divine Son.  Mary listened; let us do the same. Amen.