Liturgical Note:
Feast: In Transfiguratione Domini Nostri Jesu Christi – II Classis
Commemoration at Lauds only: Ss. Xysti II, Pope, and Felicissimus and Agapitus, Martyrs
Scriptural Texts:
- 2 Peter 1:16–19 – “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables… but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”
- Matthew 17:1–9 – The Transfiguration on Mount Thabor.
Reflection
The Feast of the Transfiguration, celebrated with solemnity on August 6th, presents us with one of the most awe-inspiring moments in the earthly life of Our Lord: His sacred Humanity radiating the uncreated Light of the Godhead. As the Apostle Peter writes in his Second Epistle, “we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” And through the Church’s Liturgy, we too are invited to ascend Mount Thabor and behold, with the eyes of faith, the resplendent glory of Christ.
The Gospel according to St. Matthew (17:1–9) gives a vivid account of this mystery. Our Lord takes with Him Peter, James, and John—those same apostles who would later accompany Him in the Garden of Gethsemane—and is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun; His garments become white as light. He is revealed, not as a mere rabbi or prophet, but as the Eternal Son, consubstantial with the Father.
1. The Glory Prefigured and Fulfilled
St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Catena Aurea, notes that this manifestation was not a change in Christ, but a revealing of what was already within Him. His divine nature, ordinarily veiled by His humanity, is briefly unveiled for the comfort and confirmation of the apostles. As St. Leo the Great declares:
“The great reason for this Transfiguration was to remove the scandal of the Cross from the hearts of His disciples; so that the humiliation of His Passion, voluntarily undergone, should not confound them, who had been permitted to contemplate the splendor of His hidden majesty.” (Sermon 51 on the Transfiguration)
This is further underscored by St. Peter’s testimony in today’s Epistle (2 Pet. 1:16–19), where he affirms that the apostolic preaching is not myth or allegory, but rooted in direct, sacred experience: “We were with Him in the holy mount.” The Transfiguration was not a mere vision, but a theophany—God revealing Himself in glory, with Moses and Elias as witnesses from the Law and the Prophets.
2. The Light of Prophecy Made More Firm
St. Peter goes on to say: “We have the more firm prophetical word: whereunto you do well to attend, as to a light that shineth in a dark place.” The Fathers saw in this both the authority of Scripture and the luminous promise of Christ’s return in glory. Origen interprets this as a call to cling to divine Revelation until “the day dawn” in the heart of the believer—until Christ be formed in us.
St. Bede the Venerable, commenting on this passage, writes:
“The ‘morning star’ is the Lord our Savior, and when He begins to rise in the hearts of the faithful through grace, then the darkness of sin is dispelled and the light of truth shines brightly.” (In 2 Pet. ad loc.)
Thus, the Transfiguration is not only a past event—it is a paradigm of Christian transformation. The Taboric light, once seen externally, must now illumine the soul. As St. Paul teaches: “But we all, beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” (2 Cor. 3:18)
3. Silence and Awe: The Way of Adoration
After the vision fades and Moses and Elias depart, only Jesus remains. This sacred detail is laden with meaning. The Law and the Prophets point to Christ; their voices fade when the Word Incarnate speaks. The Father’s voice from the cloud—“This is My beloved Son… hear ye Him”—echoes the eternal decree: that salvation comes through obedience to the Son.
St. Augustine remarks:
“In the Transfiguration, the Lord showed Himself to His disciples as He will be after the resurrection. He showed Himself to them in glory, to strengthen them for the scandal of the Cross.” (Sermo 78)
We, too, must listen to Him—especially in His Passion, which the Transfiguration anticipates. The apostles, after beholding the glory, are commanded to tell no one until after the Resurrection. Here, the Church is instructed in patience, silence, and contemplation. Glory is not for display, but for transformation.
Commemoration: St. Xystus II and Companions
Today, the Church also recalls St. Xystus II, Pope and Martyr, along with his deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus. Their martyrdom under Emperor Valerian in 258 A.D. serves as a radiant example of bearing witness unto death. The Transfigured Christ, resplendent in glory, gives strength to His martyrs. Their blood is the seed of the Church; their fidelity echoes Peter’s own confession of the divine majesty.
As Pope St. Leo says in another place:
“No one is crowned unless he has striven lawfully; the struggle comes first, then the victory.”
Conclusion: Toward the Heights
The Feast of the Transfiguration is a call to ascend—“Come up higher,” says the Lord. Not merely to see Him in majesty, but to become sharers in that majesty through grace. In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, especially in the traditional liturgy that so powerfully expresses the sacred, we are led up the mountain again. There, veiled under species, yet truly present, is the same Christ: shining, glorified, and worthy of all adoration.
Let us descend from Thabor with reverence, strengthened for our own path to Calvary, bearing the light of Christ in our hearts until the eternal Day dawns.
Suggested Spiritual Practice:
Spend time in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament today. Meditate on the glory of Christ hidden under the veil of the Eucharist, and ask for the grace to be transfigured by His presence.
Domine Jesu Christe, lux vera et gloria æterna, transfigura cor nostrum ad imaginem tuam. Amen.