Transfiguration Brings Faith And Confidence For Jesus’ Followers

(By Fr. Dexter Brereton)

The Transfiguration – A Source Of Faith And Confidence For Jesus’ Disciples

In the traditional interpretation of this story by the Church Fathers, the Transfiguration event was meant to boost the faith and confidence of the disciples of Jesus in the days leading up to the traumatic events of his arrest, torture and crucifixion. If we read it well, this story can still act as a ‘confidence-booster’ for us as we go through our own transition from suffering and death to new life. This story of Jesus being transfigured can lead us onto a deep reflection on the ‘paschal mystery’  in other words, the passion, death, resurrection and glorification of Jesus Christ. The mystery of life blossoming in the midst of death and suffering.

A feature of life today is that many people live with painful contradictions in their lives: for example, I may be a successful businessman in public but I am a hopeless drunk in private, I am a successful civil servant, a permanent secretary perhaps, but at home I am a wife in a difficult and at times abusive marriage, I am a star athlete with great accomplishments but I also suffer occasionally from epileptic seizures. In this story I am reminded of these painful contradictions as we see Jesus, “speaking of his passing” (i.e. his suffering and death) , while at the same time appearing in glory with Moses and Elijah.

The story begins with Jesus leading Peter, James and John up a mountain to pray and as he prayed “the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. ”Here we think of those occasions when we glimpsed brilliance or talent in someone we knew all the time and yet it astounds us. Years ago, I remember attending a David Rudder concert and it was as if on stage, he was ‘transfigured, his clothes and his face brilliant as lightning.’ But the reading continues, even in the midst of this transfiguration, this glimpse of heavenly glory, there is a hint of his passion: “Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem”. Here we are reminded of many talented, blessed people we know, who in the middle of all their giftedness must accomplish their “passing” – are called to suffer and die, before rising to new life.

As I read this section I prayed in solidarity with a dear friend of mine, who is gifted, talented, a great artist, but who also has the ‘gift’ of depression. The experience of depression for her is like a fearful ‘black hole’. In fact it reminds me of the dark cloud in the reading which ‘covered them with shadow.’ St Luke tells us when they went into the cloud, the disciples were afraid. All of biblical literature knows that fearful events can also be powerful spiritual experiences. For my friend, God is encountered in the midnight of fear and apathy and she hears the divine “voice” saying to her, or about her: ‘This is my daughter, the Chosen One, listen to her.’ God tells her that she can listen to the voice of her own wisdom, her own strength, her experience. She emerges every single time from her bouts of depression, because it is as if God is telling her: ‘You have all the resources that you need….whatever happens, you will be all right.’

Today, many of us may be in the dark cloud where the voice of God is heard: we have to confront a spouse on his or her infidelity, we have a promotional exam, we face a major health challenge, whatever it is, know that very often, our most frightening experiences, far from being experiences of annihilation, are, at the bottom, experiences of God.

Let us pray,

We thank you Lord for all those deep and powerful experiences in life which teach us to trust you and to trust ourselves. Lord so often we enter into crisis and it is as if a ‘cloud comes and covers us with shadow.’ When we go into the cloud we are often afraid. Help us always remember that it is in these very dark clouds that we also hear your voice assuring us that Jesus is with us as you say ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ Amen.