Fr Paolo Consonni, MCCJ
O Clarim Feast of the Transfiguration Year A
“Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them […] When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.” (Mt 17:1-2.8)
A few days ago, I accompanied a group of pilgrims to visit the Trappistine Sisters whose convent is on the top of the historic Penha Hill (Macau). The weather was super-hot, and due to the journey on the overcrowded bus I was drenched in sweat, but the short climb to the convent gave us a sense of refreshment. After being squeezed by the crowd on the bus, finally, we could breathe in a peaceful and sacred space. I hope that our youth who are participating in the World Youth Day in Portugal might have some similar refreshing moments visiting the Shrine of Fatima in between very crowded events.
I imagine that Peter, James, and John felt something similar upon reaching the top of the high mountain together with Jesus, as narrated in today’s Gospel of the feast of the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-9). The previous days were for them quite challenging and eventful, above all because Jesus announced his passion and death. Some moments of silence and prayer to process all those emotions were truly needed.
But then, something unexpected happened: Jesus’ face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. The episode is described by the Catechism as “mysterious,” not immediately accessible to our understanding. The meaning of the Transfiguration is in fact closely linked to the Resurrection, and only after that moment would the disciples fully comprehend it.
During His earthly life, Jesus’ divinity was, so to say, veiled by His humanity. While many people perceived Jesus as an exceptional person, very few understood the real nature of His Being. Only at the Resurrection, in His Risen body, Christ’s divinity and humanity totally radiated the glory of the Father. By rising, Jesus was confirmed as the Beloved Son of God.
However, Peter, James, and John, even before the Resurrection, had a glimpse into that mystery: during the Transfiguration, for a brief moment, Christ’s humanity fully revealed His divinity. By accepting His Father’s will, which included the cross, and by totally adhering to His plan of salvation, Jesus’ body became totally transparent and shone with the light of His glory. Immersed in the love of the Father, nothing hindered that light.
So it is with us. When we do not place any obstacle before God’s will for our life, and totally embrace His plan of salvation, our humanity too can reveal, in a limited but powerful way, the light of Christ’s presence within us. When we live as beloved sons and daughters of God, God’s love in us shines forth, even if we are not aware of it.
The visit to the Trappistine Sisters in La Penha proves this point. Sr. Emmanuelle, who represented the community, kindly shared with us the life, the joys, and the difficulties of their special vocation to a contemplative life of prayer. Their daily schedule starts at 3:30 am in the chapel and is alternated by periods of praying the Divine Office, work, meditation, and rest. The sound of the bell is a constant invitation to “listen” to God’s voice, to follow Him in the daily moments of prayer and work. Sr. Emmanuelle insisted on saying that this schedule, far from being a burden, is God’s given help to people like her, “a sinner,” to live a good life in communion with God and with the other nuns.
I asked Sr. Emmanuelle if she experiences loneliness. Her answer was very revealing: “Only when I am self-centered. When I become conscious of that, loneliness disappears.” When she said these words, her face was, in my eyes, transfigured. I saw her as a child totally entrusted to God’s arms and at peace.
I am sure you have had the same experience in meeting people like Sr. Emmanuelle. People who are not egocentric have fewer obstacles in their relationship with God and with their neighbor, and become more “transparent” to God’s presence, God’s love, and God’s Grace. The same is possible for each of us. United with Christ, our humanity in its limitation and weakness, can indeed reveal to the world the light of God’s glory in us.
If only we are free enough to put our egos aside and put Christ and the Father’s will at the center! We do not yet live into the full light of the Resurrection, but we can let some ray of that light shine forth through our humble, yet precious human experience of working, building relationships, struggling, and praying as God’s beloved sons and daughters. In the end, we still need to go back to the sweaty and crowded daily life, but as Peter, James, and John, carrying within our hearts a piece of paradise.
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