Transfiguration of Our Lord (6 August)

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Our Gospel passage for today is found in Mark, Chapter 9

What a beautifully strange and wonderful story we find in Mark today. Our gospel reading tells of Jesus’ transfiguration, an event recounted by all three of the synoptic gospels. In the experience of the Transfiguration, the Son of God, now in the flesh, allowed His glory to once again shine forth. As He did, He conversed with Moses and Elijah in the presence of three of His disciples. These disciples were in awe, just as Moses and Elijah had been during their first encounters with God on Mount Sinai. These two great Old Testament figures now stand as witnesses of God’s unfolding plan, revealing by their presence that Jesus is the fulfillment of all they had been entrusted to teach in their lifetime. On the Mount of the Transfiguration, Jesus prepared three new disciples to continue the mission He began through Moses and continued through Elijah. Jesus gave these disciples the New Law of grace and mercy that He came to institute. The disciples were also entrusted with the prophetic mission of Elijah to call people to repentance and to fidelity to the covenant. This image teaches us about the entire plan of God throughout time. I encourage you to prayerfully ponder the idea that Jesus is inviting us to make the arduous journey up the mountain of prayer, self-discipline, virtue and holiness. Pray that our eyes will be open to see His glory and that this experience will inspire us and strengthen us to continue to fulfill the mission of God started long ago, until it comes to completion when He returns at the end of time. Today, our Lord calls all of his faithful servants up a spiritual mountain with Him so as to entrust to them the ongoing mission given to these great servants of old. Through prayer, God will manifest His divine presence to each of us if we are willing to make that journey. As He does, He will entrust to us His New Law and inscribe it on our hearts. For God is real, and we can be assured that we are not alone.

Blessings,