Reflection – Dr Nathan Leber

The Transfiguration

August 6 is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. What began as a private prayer session on the mountain with Jesus and Peter, John and James, soon became so much more.

Transfiguration literally means to change form, but more specifically, it is the change into a more glorious, beautiful and spiritual form – and this is exactly what Jesus does. When the Son became human, he emptied himself out (known as ‘kenosis’), and this was a momentary lifting of this state – a pure demonstration of his divinity – “his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light”.

When Moses had come down off the mountain carrying the Ten Commandments, his face was radiant from being in the presence of God (Ex. 34:29), but the radiance of Jesus comes from within, radiating through his garments. The idea is that his internal divine glory, veiled in his humanity (Hebrews 10:20 calls it an opening through the curtain), was revealed. If you will, it gave a glimpse of the glory and power of the Kingdom shining out of Jesus, with what the Catechism [568] would call ‘the hope of glory’.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah represent Jesus’ fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets (respectively). He is the fulfilment of the covenantal promise give to Abraham. It is somewhat endearing to see Peter’s naivety in the situation, but we can all imagine how confusing this scene must have been for the three disciples. Jesus had, just prior to this passage, told the disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem where he would suffer, die and rise from the dead. Then he had said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels…” This is what the three had seen for a fleeting moment before the enormity of the situation made them stumble into fear.

They managed to see for a moment the grace that St Paul talks about – that reached its manifestation “by the Appearing of our saviour Jesus Christ”. It is a pity we don’t get the next line from the letter to Timothy – “and I have been named its herald, its apostle and its teacher”. This message is for all of us, it calls us to action to proclaim and teach the Good News both near and far.

We have had the privilege of seeing the glory of our Lord – but how will you react to this. Do you want to stay frozen in a moment of perceived perfection forever – to build the tent in the hope that nothing will change. This is often our stance as we get older, and we feel justified in this. Yet, please remember that Abraham was 75 when he was told by God to move, and he listened. Do you overthink the experience so that we lose the amazement and joy and become frightened by the enormity of it all? Or do you revel in the joy of the honour and, like Paul, see this as a calling to be herald, apostle and teacher of the faith? God tells us in clear words, “This is my Son, the Beloved…Listen to him!”

Is it not time that we heard this and actually listened? Then, and only then, can we stand up, stop being afraid and trust in the Lord like Abraham, Moses and Elijah did. It is then that we may receive what Paul’s letter to the Philippians promises to us – the same transfiguration of our wretched bodies into ‘copies of his glorious body.’ We are given the promise of shining with God’s grace, joy and love, all by merely accepting the path that Christ so clearly showed us through his life and suffering.

Dr Nathan Leber