August 6, 2023: Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

How glorious that this Feast is on a Sunday and we can celebrate it with greater emphasis.

Throughout time, God has constantly manifested Himself in glorious visions.

He revealed Himself as a Great King in Daniel.

And then, God Himself came to us in the flesh in Jesus Christ, Who revealed a glimpse of His full glory on the Mount to Sts. Peter, James, and John in His Transfiguration.

While there was an urge to bottle up the vision and let it persist, God then manifested Himself in a cloud, and spoke, making it clear they should go forth and continue listening to the Son, in recognition of His inherent majesty.

In the Espistle of 2 Peter years later, St. Peter writes that they were eyewitnesses of His Majesty, and that is the foundation for holding strong in faith.

How wonderful that this Feast concludes the 2023 World Youth Day event in Lisbon.  Participants have pondered what it means to go in haste to encounter God, Who reveals Himself in great majesty.  

We have this mountaintop experience speaking to the Transfiguration every time we attend Mass and encounter God's very real and living Presence.  And just like with the Transfiguration, we are called to go forth and live out in the valleys and plains of our lives what we have gained from these encounters.

Like Bishop Barron marvelously said in his homily for this liturgy, we are called to love God, be loved by Him, and then, grounded in this reality, live as a soldier in His army, striving nobly in faith, because it is leading us to glory, and giving us a glorious purpose along the way.