Happy Feast of Transfiguration! Happy Flambeau Rama Days!
Happy Feast of Transfiguration! Happy Flambeau Rama Days!
Happy Feast of Transfiguration! Happy Flambeau Rama weekend!!
Last weekend we celebrated Butternut community Pioneer Day. This weekend we celebrate Flambeau Rama in Park Falls. It brings family and friends together. It is a time of celebration and joy. Most of the time we would like to hold on to those moments, but the reality is we have to move on with our life.
A couple of years ago I was blessed to visit Holy Land. One of my favorite places was visiting the transfiguration site. Most of the way we went by bus, then we had to walk. Once you get up to the top of the mountain, the view is spectacular. At the mountain top, there is a beautiful church of Transfiguration. On the dome of the church, there is a beautiful mosaic painting of the scene of transfiguration. I really hated to turn around and leave the mountain. Even though I would like to stay longer there, I have to follow the rest of the group and schedule. We all like to have the mountain-top experience and hold on to it like Peter in the Gospel.
Every year on the Second Sunday of Lent, we meditate on the Transfiguration. But the Church dedicated August 6 to celebrate the mystery of the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration is such an important celebration because it confirms his divine sonship (Matthew 3:17; 16:16) and this anticipated beatific vision of the mystery of the Trinity strengthens Peter, James, and John. Jesus revealed himself through the different miracles and his teachings, but the Transfiguration is unique because it comes out of his very self and is not repeated until his resurrection.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. We see Moses and Elijah appear at the Transfiguration and converse with Jesus. God revealed to Moses on Mount Saini (Exodus 24) and Elijah on Mount Horeb (1 King 19), but they didn’t see the face of God. At the Transfiguration, they were blessed to see the Face of God and converse with him. In the same way, Peter, James, and John, the selected group, were blessed with the opportunity to see Jesus in his glory.
God’s self-revelation to Moses and Elijah took place on Mountain and Jesus unveiled his glory to Peter, James, and John on the mountain. But there are some similarities between Mount Saini and Transfiguration. Both took place on the seventh day (Matthew 17:1 and Exodus 24:16). Jesus took Peter, James (17:1) and John to the mountain, Moses took Aaron, with Nadab, and Abihu took to Mount Saini (24:1). When Moses came down from Mount Saini Moses was shining with God’s glory (34:29) and Jesus unveiled his glory at the Transfiguration (17:2). Moses heard God’s voice from the cloud (24:16), at the Transfiguration Father voice came from the cloud (17:5). At the Transfiguration Jesus, the new Moses conversed with Moses and Elijah. The Transfiguration reflects Christ’s divinity in an extraordinary way. Just as at his baptism, the voice of his Father was heard calling Christ his “beloved Son.” Christ is the center of all revelation.
Jesus’ identity is revealed in Transfiguration and Crucifixion. Now let us look at the parallel and contrast of the Transfiguration and Crucifixion in the Gospel of Matthew. Transfiguration took place on a high Mountain and Crucifixion took place on Golgotha, the place of the skull. In the transfiguration, Jesus revealed his Glory, but in crucifixion revealed shame. In Transfiguration Jesus’ garment is white as light but on the Cross, his cloths stripped off. At Transfiguration, Jesus was between Moses and Elijah, but on the Cross, he was between two thieves. On the holy mountain, a bright cloud overshadowed but when Jesus was crucified there was darkness over all the land from noon until mid-afternoon. On the holy mountain Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here” and at the crucifixion, Peter denied three times. At the Transfiguration, the voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him" and at the crucifixion, the centurion and others said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
Jesus prophesied three times about his passion. Through the crucifixion, Jesus brought victory. Pope Benedict XVII said that the appearance of his glory connected with the Passion motif. Jesus’ divinity belongs with the Cross – only when we put the two together do we recognize Jesus correctly. John expressed this intrinsic interconnectedness of the Cross and glory when he said that the Cross is Jesus’ “exaltation”, and that his exaltation is accomplished in no other way than in the Cross.
At the Transfiguration Jesus was revealing his glory and at the same time preparing for his passion, death, and resurrection. The second letter of Peter repeats the Gospel reading – the Transfiguration. We all need a mountain top experience like Peter, James, and John. The Eucharistic celebration will be one of the high moments of the mountain top experience.