Sunday, August 06, 2023
This Sunday we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus. In the first reading, Daniel prophesies about Jesus’ coming. In the second reading, Peter declares being an eyewitness to the coming of Jesus. And finally in the Gospel reading we have a vivacious account of the transfiguration.
Jesus, the Son of God, became man to fulfill the law and prophecies. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matt. 5:17).
God’s laws were given to us through Moses. Meanwhile, the Bible tells us that we all sinned and needed a savior to be reconciled to God. “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence. But by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free.” (Romans 3:23-24). Prophecies foretold the coming of Jesus as our savior. Jesus’s incarnation, death and resurrection are the fulfillment of the law and prophecies.
In the Transfiguration narrative, important figures from the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah, appear as representatives of the Law and the Prophets. The glory of God is revealed on a high mountain just as it had when God appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai to give him the Ten Commandments. and to Elijah on Mount Horeb telling him to return to Israel and to appoint Jehu as the new king of Israel. One other commonality in the story is that both Moses and Elijah had fasted for forty days and forty nights just as Jesus had in the wilderness before starting his public ministry.
Daniel speaks of Jesus as the “son of man” and of course there are multiple accounts of Jesus referring to Himself as “son of man”. This is to make clear that Jesus was human. There is sufficient evidence recorded in all Gospels that Jesus was fully human. He was born of a human mother, and He experienced things that humans experience such as hunger , thirst, temptation, pain and suffering . He also experienced death.
The Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ is a significant event in the life of Jesus and is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. All three Gospels chronologically place the Transfiguration account immediately after Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God (in Matthew 16:16) and Jesus’ first prediction of the Passion and Resurrection (in Matthew 16:21). This chronology is deliberate. In human form, Jesus had to be born, live a life without sin and eventually die and rise to fulfill God’s plan. Through devotion and prayer, Jesus was empowered by God to faithfully complete His plan. God publicly declared His approval and love of His son and glorified Him in the Transfiguration.
As we look at the week ahead, let us thank God for his love and mercy. Let us also glorify Him and use Jesus’ example to do good and triumph over evil by prayer, fasting, and devotion.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.