Transfiguration of the Lord - August 6, 2023 (Click Here for Readings)

The visions of Daniel offered promises of deliverance and glory for the Jews under bitter persecution by ungodly kingdoms in power. They encouraged hope and patience for new leadership under the thrones of God the Father and the Son.

Following the conquest of God (the ancient one), the Son of man (alluded to as Jesus) would receive dominion, glory and kingship, never to be destroyed or taken away. His church would continue militant and everlasting.
 
And like the Jews of this time, are we not also being persecuted today by secular and anti-Christian kingdoms that marginalize and assail our faith and hope for eternal glory with God?

We may never be thrown in the dens of lions or fiery furnaces, or martyred like our many great saints, but the emotional strains of living and contending with non-believers and half-baked Christians today can be just as painful.

If we’re ever been lured or swayed by the “cleverly devised myths” St. Peter refers to in his letter this Sunday, we must stand our ground about Jesus’ true divinity and majesty. Though we don’t have the eye-witness proof of Jesus’ transfiguration that Peter, James and John had, we do have proof today in scripture, supportive media and modern-day evangelization by committed Christians to fortify our beliefs.

Cycles of Light and Darkness

Along with the honor and glory Jesus received from God at this pivotal moment on the mountain, he insisted on going to Jerusalem from there to be crucified, from the brilliance of light to the bleak of darkness.

And similar transitions take place in our lives, don’t they? Our moments of glory are often overshadowed by moments of darkness . . . moments when we must carry our crosses, but can result in even greater glories as it certainly did for Jesus, and for us.

Jesus is the reflection of God’s glory within us and we are called to display that glory brightly. His body was transformed while he prayed through his passion, death, resurrection and ascension. And our lives can be transformed as well into greater holiness through our ongoing and relentless prayer.

Consider all the moments of light and joy where we could have said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here” as Peter did, knowing however, that at some point we’d have to come down from our mountains of bliss to face the day-to-day daily challenges of our faith by worldly kingdoms. Our lives are meant to be filled with roller-coaster ups and downs of light and darkness on our journey to everlasting companionship with Jesus.

But what greater way right now to maximize our moments of light and minimize those of darkness than to visit with Jesus at every Mass and consume his body and blood in the Holy Eucharist. We can ascend to the mountain of God’s altar and go forth holding Jesus within us, ever-ready to depart and embrace the upcoming moments of both light and darkness with our utmost confidence and faith.

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