The Transfiguration of The Lord

August 5, 2022
Author: Hannah DeVivo

Peace be with you!

Tomorrow, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

What is the Transfiguration of the Lord?

While on the way to Capernaum, Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to a high mountain, believed today to be Mount Tabor. While they were there, Jesus was transfigured before them. His clothes became “dazzling white” and He was suddenly joined by Moses and Elijah the prophet. As Jesus was conversing with the two who had appeared, a cloud came over them. From the cloud came a loud voice, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” When the clouds had parted, there was only Jesus standing there” (Cf. Mark 9:2-8).

As Jesus came down the mountain with the three disciples, He instructed them to say nothing until “the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” The disciples did not understand what it meant to be “risen from the dead,” and spoke with Jesus about the prophecies. This was the second time He shared with them that the Son of Man must suffer and die. Just a week earlier, Jesus had told them of how He was to be mistreated and killed. It was then that Peter rejected this premonition and Jesus rebuked him for “thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Cf. Mark 8:31-33).

The Presence of Moses and Elijah; The Old Testament Fulfilled

I always wondered why Moses and Elijah appeared when Jesus was transfigured. Their presence was significant because it showed that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. God gave the Levitical Law to Moses and commanded him to proclaim it to the Israelites. The Law was given as a temporary instruction, until the Savior could come and bring its fullness. The prophet Elijah came about six centuries after Moses and prophesied of the coming Messiah who would restore the relationship between God and man that Adam had broken by his sin.

An example of faithfulness, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot (Cf. 2 Kings 2:11).

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. He said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place” (Matthew 5:17-18). Through this, we see that Jesus satisfied the Law and came to show us the new way to live. Jesus came to be the bridge between God and man so that we could have eternal life and receive the fullness of His love.

In the Old Testament, God often appeared in a veil of clouds because His perfection was too much for humans to look upon. “(Aaron) shall take a censer full of glowing embers from the altar before the Lord, as well as a double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bringing them inside the veil, there before the Lord he shall put incense on the fire, so that a cloud of incense may shield the cover that is over the covenant, else he will die. Taking some of the bull’s blood, he shall sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the ark’s cover and likewise sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times in front of the cover” (Leviticus 16:12-14). The mention of the clouds during the Transfiguration is a symbol of the presence of God the Father.

What Can We Learn from the Transfiguration?

The word transfigure means “to transform into something more beautiful or elevated.” This is a beautiful way to begin thinking of the deep meaning behind this event. We know that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. Although He inhabited a normal human body, He was also the perfect and divinely beautiful God. The Transfiguration showed that Jesus was the Son of God the Father, and that His human flesh had been elevated by entering into the Trinity.

I believe it is also significant that the Transfiguration takes place shortly after Jesus’ refusal to give a sign to the Pharisees that He was the Son of God (cf. Mark 8:11-13). Jesus would perform nothing for the benefit of these religious leaders, who had no faith or love for Him. He allowed them to remain in their ignorance and hatred; they had hardened their hearts and closed their eyes to the magnificent truth that was before them. To His closest apostles, the ones who had followed and trusted Him though they did not always understand, Jesus revealed His glory and majesty.

The Transfiguration of Jesus is the fourth Luminous Mystery of the Rosary. These Mysteries are relatively new and are also referred to as The Mysteries of Light. Saint Pope John Paul II added them to the Rosary in 2002. We have many wonderful products to aid in your devotion to the Rosary. Click here to see some of them, and consider praying the Luminous Mysteries with a special focus on the Transfiguration.

Before You Go

What were your thoughts about the Transfiguration of Jesus growing up?

What does the Transfiguration mean to you?

Did you learn anything new in this article?

I would LOVE to hear from you. Send me an email to Catholic-Living@Autom.comBe sure to follow and subscribe to the links below for more tips and information.