Transfiguration of Our Lord, Year A, 2023

 

(Daniel 7:9-10; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9)

When a dog looks at the world around it sees all the objects that are naturally visible to our eyes, but only as objects; it cannot appreciate -- what for us is, often enough, the most wonderful aspect of the world around us -- its beauty, its majesty, its mystery.

Scripture speaks on one occasion of scales falling or being taken from someone’s eyes:

Immediately there fell from (Saul’s) eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. (Acts 9:18)

We might therefore be permitted to say that a dogs’ eyes are ‘scaled’ from recognizing the  wonder that we can see around us.

Our Blessed Lord frequently came across human beings of whom the prophet Isaiah had prophetically  spoken, people of whom we can now, perhaps, say that they had ‘scaled’ minds: hearing simple, engaging, words of deep meaning, yet sensing, appreciating, little or nothing of the love motivating them, and thereby making themselves deaf  to the saving truth those words contained:

The Lord said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'   "Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and return and be healed."  (Isaiah 6:9-10)

On the Mount of Transfiguration the Father opened up a new experience of-life-and-being to Jesus’ chosen disciples Peter, James, and John; an experience they were only able to sustain and attempt to appreciate thanks to the fact that it was Jesus -- their Lord, their hope, and their Saviour -- Who was the subject and focus of all that was going on around them, and being mysteriously revealed to them.

When Jesus came, sent by His Father, the world had long known something of God,  but even the Chosen People had not come to appreciate Him;

O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know You, but I do.   (John 17:25)

Moses, thousands of years ago, after having spoken with God on Mount Sinai and coming down to the people, found it necessary to:

Put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory (on it), even though it was destined to fade away.  (2 Corinthians 3:13)

People of God, how many veils need to be lifted before men can ‘face’ the beauty of the world around us and recognize, love, and praise God its creator as they aught?   How many, many, scales need to fall from our eyes if we are to more fittingly appreciate and truly love what God has given to and for us in the supreme wonder of all creation, Jesus of Nazareth, His very own Son-made-flesh, the promised Christ of Israel, the Lord, God, and Saviour of all mankind??

As regards today’s feast, it is usual to think that Jesus -- having just spoken of His coming death to His disciples for the first time -- decided to lead them up the Mount of Transfiguration for their comforting and strengthening in Him, by letting them see something of His glory.  I do not think that is a satisfactory appreciation of the event.

So very often little notice is taken of the Father’s solicitude for creation, and love for His Son-made-flesh.

Just as -- I believe -- He, the Father, moved Jesus to leave His home in Nazareth and make His way to John baptizing contrite sinners in the Jordan near Jerusalem, for the fulfilment of His, the Father’s, own purpose to reveal, prepare, and glorify His Son for His public mission.  So it was here:  the Father drew Jesus to that mountain-top for Jesus’ Own Personal comforting and strengthening with regard to His impending Passion and Death; and also, with regard to those chosen Apostles, that they might learn sufficient understanding and perseverance, and receive necessary wisdom and strength, for their future establishment of Jesus’,  world-wide, Catholic, Church, by their authentic and authoritative proclamation of His Gospel.

The Father’s solicitude and care is so wonderful in the Scriptures and so very little of it is recognized, admired, and loved.

Jesus had learnt, as man, to know Israel’s God to be His very own Father.  That He had learnt from His sublimely Personal knowledge of, and acquaintance with, Israel’s God as taught Him at home from infancy; from His own more adult experience of Jewish obedience and worship;  and from  His Own Personal reading and understanding of the Scriptures given to the Chosen People.   And, of course, having learnt, as man, to know His Father in all truth, He also learnt of Himself and His own destiny-and-purpose, as God-man on earth:

Just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I will lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:15)

Notice those words most carefully, dear People of God; because Jesus knew and loved His Father so sublimely that, appreciating His Father’s love for that creation He had originally made in HIS OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS, Jesus decided:   I will lay down My life for those sheep.

That is why now, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father sent both Moses and Elijah to assure Jesus, as man, that He had most certainly learnt aright about God as His Father, and about  Himself as Son and Saviour from Israel’s Law and her Prophets.

If you had believed Moses you would have believed Me, because he wrote about Me. 

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”   

 He (Jesus) said to them, “These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” (John 5:46; 1:45; Luke 24:44)

St. Paul faithfully proclaimed this truth in his Roman captivity: (Acts 28:23; Romans 3:21)

They arranged a day with Paul and came to his lodgings in great numbers. From early morning until evening, he expounded his position to them, bearing witness to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and the prophets, (saying) ‘Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets.’    

And so it was that Jesus -- fully aware that the world was demanding His horrendous Roman Passion and Death -- could descend the Mount with calm preparedness and unshakeable resolution to face His own impending Personal destiny, with a sure and confident trust that His Father had just most clearly shown His Personal love for His beloved Son, and His caring will and wise preparation for the future establishment of His Church among men.

O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know You sent Me.  (John 17:25)

That calm assurance was to be the hallmark of the Transfiguration for He solemnly advised His three Apostles on their approach to their brethren and the people:

            Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.

Dear Catholic people living in a truly adulterous world, may this glorious day enrich you with a like calm and confident trust in God’s most Holy Spirit -- given us at Pentecost and renewed this very day-- sent to guide and sustain us in Mother Church along the ways of Jesus to that salvation prepared for all those sons and daughters, children of God in Jesus, in the Kingdom of His and our heavenly Father.