August 6, 2025
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Lectionary: 614
Reading 1
As I watched:
Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
his throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw:
One like a Son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
The one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;
all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm
R.(1a and 9a) The Lord is king, the Most High over
all the earth.
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Because you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth,
exalted far above all gods.
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Reading 2
Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
"This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased;
listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up a mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080625.cfm
The Transfiguration
of the Lord
Note: The Transfiguration of the Lord commemorates an
event in the life of Jesus as recorded by the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark
and Luke. It is not recorded in John’s Gospel. It is also referred to in the
Second Letter of Peter, which is used as an alternate weekday reading or as the
Second Reading on a Sunday. One each of the three Gospel versions is read
according to the Liturgical cycle of Years A, B, and C. The three versions are
very similar, so this single reflection is given to cover all three years.
Commentary on Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 or 2 Peter 1:16-19;
Matthew 17:1-9 (Year A); Mark 9:2-10 (Year B); Luke 9:28-36 (Year C)
In all three Synoptic Gospels the story of the
Transfiguration occurs in the same context, and that context is significant.
Today’s verses are in the middle of the Gospel account and things have been
building up to a climax. A previous reading describes how, as the disciples
spend more time with Jesus, as they hear what he is saying and see what he is
doing, they must have been asking, “Who is this Rabbi to whom we have attached
ourselves; who is this Jesus?” Strangely, the answer comes from their own
mouths.
One day, when Jesus was with them, he asked them:
Who do people say that the Son of Man is? (Matt
16:13)
Jesus was using this strange title of himself. Based on what
they must have been hearing from people around them, they said there were
various speculative answers—John the Baptist (resurrected from the dead),
Elijah (ditto) or some other of the prophets.
Jesus then pressed them further:
But who do you say that I am? (Luke 9:20)
It is then that Peter speaks up:
You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. (Matt
16:16)
It was a peak moment in their relationship with Jesus, and
an exciting one. How their imaginations must have begun to work on what it
meant to be so closely associated with the Messiah, the King who would be the
Saviour and Liberator of Israel! What glories and privileges awaited them as
his disciples!
But almost immediately, Jesus begins to speak in a very
different way. For the first time (it will happen three times altogether) he
tells them what his future is going to be. And it must have come as a terrible
shock. Jesus told them he was going to suffer greatly, be rejected by the
leaders of their own people, be killed and then rise again after three days.
They could not believe their ears. How could this happen to the Messiah? How
could their own leaders do such a thing? And what would it mean for the
dazzling future they saw dangling before their eyes?
The impetuous Peter immediately stepped forward. He cried:
God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.
(Matt 16:22)
He can hardly have expected the reaction of Jesus:
Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not
on divine things but on human things. (Mark 8:33)
And while they are recovering from this, Jesus continues by
saying that not only will he himself suffer but, if they want to be his
disciples, they will have to be ready to walk the same road:
If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)
It is after this depressing situation of disillusionment and
incomprehension that today’s reading describing the Transfiguration takes
place. We are told that six days later (eight days in Luke) Jesus took Peter,
James and his brother John up a high mountain by themselves. The identity of
the mountain is not given and it is not important. In the Scriptures, mountains
are holy places and special things always happen there—we think for instance of
Mount Sinai (Moses), Mount Carmel (Elijah), the Sermon on the Mountain, the
Feeding of the 5,000, and Calvary (Golgotha), a hill outside Jerusalem.
There before them, Jesus is suddenly transformed and is
dazzlingly bright. They can hardly look on him. Suddenly there appear with him
Moses and Elijah. They represent the whole Jewish tradition of the Law and the
Prophets. They are seen talking with Jesus. The message is clear. They fully
endorse what Jesus is doing and saying and the future he has foretold about
himself.
Peter becomes utterly confused. He suggests the building of
three shelters—one each for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. As Mark comments:
He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
(Mark 9:6)
But that was not all. Just then, a cloud came down and
covered them. This was not just a change in the weather. To the biblical mind
it spoke of only one thing—the presence of Yahweh himself. And then out of the
cloud came a voice; it could only be the voice of One Being:
This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased;
listen to him! (Matt 17:5)
Here now is the supreme endorsement of the Son by his
Father. “Listen to him!” Yes, listen, even when he says things that you don’t
like, things that you do not yet understand. It is a confirmation of all that
has gone on before—the real identity of who Jesus is and the reliability of
everything that he says will happen to him and what is expected of them.
It is a special moment of encouragement which will help
carry them through the difficult days ahead. They already have the answer to
the question, “Who is Jesus?” But now they have to learn the answer to a more
important question, “What kind of Messiah is Jesus going to be?” They will not
fully accept that until after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus when they
will boldly continue his mission and not hesitate to carry their cross in doing
so.
Let us follow in their footsteps. That is where true
happiness and fulfilment lie.
The First Reading (from the Book of Daniel) records a vision
that Daniel had of God in glory and it echoes the scene that is described in
the Gospel:
…an Ancient One took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
The alternate First Reading (or the Second Reading in some
countries) is from the Second Letter of Peter in which he says he and his
companions are not dispensing clever myths, but rather he claims to be a
first-hand witness of the glory that was behind Jesus. Referring to the
Transfiguration experience, he says they had been “eyewitnesses of his
majesty”. He and his companions heard the words of confirmation coming from God
in his glory:
This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him! (Luke
9:35)
Peter says that they heard:
…this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on
the holy mountain.
Hence, the message that he and his companions are now
proclaiming is “completely reliable” and we should take it very seriously.
Because, he says in a lovely phrase, this message is:
…a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and
the morning star rises in your hearts.
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Wednesday,
August 6, 2025
Feast of
the Transfiguration of the Lord
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send Your Spirit to help us
read the scriptures with the same mind that You read them to the disciples on
the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the bible, You helped
them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of Your sentence
and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for
them the source of life and of resurrection. Create silence in us so that we
may listen to Your voice in creation and in the scriptures, in events and in
people, above all, in the poor and suffering. May Your word guide us so that we
too, like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, may experience the force of
Your resurrection and witness to others that You are alive in our midst as
source of fraternity, justice, and peace. We ask this of You, Jesus, son of
Mary, who revealed the Father to us and sent us Your Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Reading – Luke 9: 28b-36
A Key to the Reading
A few days earlier, Jesus had said that
He, the Son of Man, had to be tried and crucified by the authorities (Lk 9: 22;
Mk 8: 31). According to the information in the gospels of Mark and Matthew, the
disciples, especially Peter, did not understand what Jesus had said and were
scandalized by the news (Mt 16: 22; Mk 8: 32). Jesus reacted strongly and
turned to Peter calling him Satan (Mt 16: 23; Mk 8: 33). This was because
Jesus’ words did not correspond with the ideal of the glorious Messiah whom
they imagined. Luke does not mention Peter’s reaction and Jesus’ strong reply,
but he does describe, as do the other Evangelists, the episode of the
Transfiguration. Luke sees the
Transfiguration as an aid to the disciples so that they may be able to get over
the scandal and change their idea of the Messiah (Lk 9: 2836). Taking the three
disciples with Him, Jesus goes up the mountain to pray, and while He is
praying, is transfigured. As we read the text, it is good to note what follows:
“Who appears with Jesus on the mountain to converse with Him? What is the theme
of their conversation? What is the disciples’ attitude?”
b)
A division of the text as an aid to the reading:
•
Luke 9: 28:
The moment of crisis
•
Luke 9: 29: The change that takes place during
the prayer
•
Luke 9: 30-31: The appearance of the two men and
their conversation with Jesus
•
Luke 9: 32-34: The disciples’ reaction • Luke 9: 35-36: The Father’s voice
c)
The text:
Jesus took
Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying
his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And
behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in
glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to
part from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud
came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered
the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen
Son; listen to him." After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
so that the
Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
Some Questions
to help us
in our personal reflection
•
What did you like most in this episode of the
Transfiguration? Why?
•
Who are those who go to the mountain with Jesus?
Why do they go?
•
Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain next to
Jesus. What is the significance of these two people from the Old Testament for
Jesus, for the disciples, for the community in the 80s and for us today?
•
Which prophecy from the Old Testament is
fulfilled in the words of the Father concerning Jesus?
•
What is the disciples’ attitude during this
episode?
•
Has there been a transfiguration in your life?
How have such experiences of transfiguration helped you to fulfill your mission
better?
•
Compare Luke’s description of the
Transfiguration of Jesus (Lk 9: 28-36) with his description of the agony of
Jesus in the Garden (Lk 22: 39-46). Try to see whether there are any
similarities. What is the significance of these similarities?
A Key to the Reading
for those
who wish to go deeper into the theme
a) The context of Jesus’ discourse:
In the two previous chapters of Luke’s
Gospel, the innovation brought by Jesus highlights the tensions between the New
and the Old Testaments. In the end, Jesus realized that no one had understood
His meaning, much less His person.
People thought that He was like John the
Baptist, Elijah or some other prophet (Lk 9: 18-19). The disciples accepted Him
as the Messiah, but a glorious Messiah, according to the expectations issued by
the government and the official religion of the temple (Lk 9: 20-21). Jesus
tried to explain to His disciples that the journey foreseen by the prophets was
one of suffering because of its commitment to the excluded, and that a disciple
could only be a disciple if he/she took up his/her cross (Lk 9: 22-26). But
Jesus did not meet with much success. It is in such a context of crisis that
the Transfiguration takes place.
In the 30s, the experience of the
Transfiguration had a very important significance in the life of Jesus and the
disciples. It helped them overcome the crisis of faith and to change their
ideals concerning the Messiah. In the 80s, when Luke was writing for the
Christian communities in Greece, the meaning of the Transfiguration had already
been deepened and broadened. In the light of Jesus’ resurrection and of the
spread of the Good News among the pagans in almost every country, from
Palestine to Italy, the experience of the Transfiguration began to be seen as a
confirmation of the faith of the Christian communities in Jesus, Son of God. The two meanings are present
in the description and interpretation of the Transfiguration in Luke’s Gospel.
A Commentary on the Text:
Luke
9: 28 - The moment of crisis.
On several occasions Jesus entered into
conflict with the people and the religious and civil authorities of his time
(Lk 4: 28-29; 5: 21-20; 6: 2-11; 7: 30, 39; 8: 37; 9: 9). He knew they would
not allow Him to do the things He did. Sooner or later they would catch Him.
Besides, in that society, the proclamation of the Kingdom, as Jesus did, was
not to be tolerated. He either had to withdraw or face death! There were no
other alternatives. Jesus did not withdraw. Hence the cross appears on the
horizon, not just as a possibility but as a certainty (Lk 9: 22). Together with
the cross there also appears the temptation to go on with the idea of the Glorious Messiah and not of the Crucified, suffering servant, announced
by the prophet Isaiah (Mk 8: 32-33). At this difficult moment Jesus goes up the
mountain to pray, taking with Him Peter, James, and John. Through His prayer,
Jesus seeks strength not to lose sense of direction in His mission (cf. Mk 1:
35).
Luke
9: 29 - The change that takes place
during the prayer.
As soon as Jesus starts praying, His
appearance changes and He appears glorious.
His face changes and His clothes become white and shining. It is the glory that the disciples imagined
for the Messiah. This transformation told them clearly that Jesus was indeed
the Messiah expected by all. But what follows the episode of the
Transfiguration will point out that the way to glory is quite different from
what they imagined. The Transfiguration will be a call to conversion.
Luke
9: 30-31 - Two men appear speaking with
Jesus.
Together with Jesus and in the same
glorious state there appear Moses and Elijah, the two major exponents of the
Old Testament, representing the Law and the Prophets. They speak with Jesus
about “the Exodus brought to fulfilment in
Jerusalem.” Thus, in front of the
disciples, the Law and the Prophets confirm that Jesus is truly the glorious Messiah, promised in the Old
Testament and awaited by the whole people. They further confirm that the way to
glory is through the painful way of the
exodus. Jesus’ exodus is His passion, death and resurrection. Through His
“exodus” Jesus breaks the dominion of the false idea concerning the Messiah
spread by the government and by the official religion and that held all
ensnared in the vision of a glorious, nationalistic messiah. The experience of
the Transfiguration confirmed that Jesus as Messiah Servant constituted an aid
to free them from their wrong ideas concerning the Messiah and to discover the
real meaning of the Kingdom of God.
Luke
9: 32-34 - The disciples’ reaction.
The disciples were in
deep sleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus in His glory and the two men with
Him. But Peter’s reaction shows that they were not aware of the real meaning of
the glory in which Jesus appeared to
them. As often happens with us, they were only aware of what concerned them.
The rest escapes their attention. “Master, it is good for us to be here!” And
they do not want to get off the mountain any more! When it is question of the
cross, whether on the Mount of the Transfiguration or on the Mount of Olives
(Lk 22:45), they sleep! They prefer the glory
to the cross! They do not like to
speak or hear of the cross. They want to make sure of the moment of glory on
the mountain, to extend it, and they offer to build three tents. Peter did not
know what he was saying.
While Peter was speaking, a cloud
descended from on high and covered them with its shadow. Luke says that the
disciples became afraid when the cloud enfolded them. The cloud is the symbol
of the presence of God. The cloud
accompanied the multitude on their journey through the desert (Ex 40:34-38; Num
10:11-12). When Jesus ascended into heaven, He was covered by a cloud and they
no longer saw Him (Acts 1:9). This was a sign that Jesus had entered forever
into God’s world.
Luke
9: 35-36 - The Father’s voice.
A
voice is heard from the cloud that says: “This is My Son, the Chosen, listen to
Him.”
With this same sentence the prophet
Isaiah had proclaimed the Messiah-Servant
(Isa 42:1). First Moses and Elijah, now
God Himself presents Jesus as the MessiahServant who will come to glory through
the cross. The voice ends with a final admonition: “Listen to Him!” As the
heavenly voice speaks, Moses and Elijah disappear and only Jesus is left. This
signifies that from now on only He will interpret the scriptures and the will
of God. He is the Word of God for the disciples:
“Listen to Him!”
The proclamation “This is My Son, the
Chosen; listen to Him” was very important for the community of the late 80s.
Through this assertion God the Father confirmed the faith of Christians in
Jesus as Son of God. In Jesus’ time,
that is, in the 30s, the expression Son
of Man pointed to a very high dignity and mission. Jesus Himself gave a
relative meaning to the term by saying that all were children of God (cf. John
10: 33-35). But for some the title Son of
God became a resume of all titles, over one hundred that the first
Christians gave Jesus in the second half of the first century. In succeeding
centuries, it was the title of Son of God
that the Church concentrated all its faith in the person of Jesus.
A Deepening:
•
The Transfiguration is told in three of the
Gospels: Matthew (Mt 17: 1-9), Mark (Mk 9: 2-8) and Luke (Lk 9: 28-36). This is
a sign that this episode contained a very important message. As we said, it was
a matter of great help to Jesus, to His disciples and to the first communities.
It confirmed Jesus in His mission as Messiah-Servant. It helped the disciples
to overcome the crisis that the cross and suffering caused them. It led the
communities to deepen their faith in Jesus, Son of God, the One who revealed
the Father and who became the new key to the interpretation of the Law and the
Prophets. The
Transfiguration continues to be of
help in overcoming the crisis that the cross and suffering provoke today. The
three sleeping disciples are a reflection of all of us. The voice of the Father
is directed to us as it was to them: “This is My Son, the Chosen; listen to
Him!”
•
In Luke’s Gospel there is a great similarity
between the scene of the Transfiguration (Lk 9: 28-36) and the scene of the
agony of Jesus in the Garden of Olives (Lk 22: 39-46). We may note the
following: in both scenes Jesus goes up the mountain to pray and takes with Him
three disciples, Peter, James and John. On both occasions, Jesus’ appearance is
transformed and He is transfigured before them; glorious at the
Transfiguration, perspiring blood in the Garden of Olives. Both times heavenly
figures appear to comfort Him, Moses and Elijah and an angel from heaven. Both
in the Transfiguration and in the Agony, the disciples sleep, they seem to be
outside the event and they seem not to understand anything. At the end of both
episodes, Jesus is reunited with His disciples. Doubtless, Luke intended to emphasize
the resemblance between these two episodes. What would that be? Perhaps it is
to show that understanding takes time and effort, even for the Apostles, so we
should persevere and not be asleep, especially at those crucial moments in our
lives when He is revealing Himself to us personally. It is in meditating and
praying that we shall come to understand the meaning that goes beyond words,
and to perceive the intention of the author. The Holy Spirit will guide us.
•
Luke describes the Transfiguration. There are
times in our life when suffering is such that we might think: “God has
abandoned me! He is no longer with me!” And then suddenly we realize that He
has never deserted us, but that we had our eyes bandaged and were not aware of
the presence of God. Then everything is changed and transfigured. It is the
transfiguration! This happens every day in our lives.
Psalm 42 (41)
“My Soul Thirsts for the Living God!”
As a dear longs for flowing
streams, so longs my soul for Thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face
of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me
continually, "Where is your God?" These things I remember, as I pour
out my soul: how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house
of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping
festival.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and
why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my
help and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember Thee from
the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep at the roar of Your
torrents; all Thy waves and breakers have gone over me. By day the Lord
commands His steadfast love; and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the
God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
"Why hast Thou forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the
enemy?"
As with a deadly wound in my body, my
adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually,
"Where is your God?"
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and
why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my
help and my God.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the word that
has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May Your Spirit
enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice what Your Word has
revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not only listen to but also
practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the
Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
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