Transfiguration

Usually, newly wed couples would have the best experience of their lives on their wedding day. They are the most sought after couple as almost all would come to greet them wearing their best smiles. “Congratulations!” This is one wonderful experience that the couple would like to prolong and extend as they want to savor the moment and enjoy the time they are in high spirit.

In the event of the Transfiguration, Peter with James and John was also in the high spirit. He had the best experience of Jesus as the Son of God and he too wanted to prolong it. The feeling was so sweet in there that he wanted Jesus to stay as is, “Lord, it is good that we are here.”But the joy the Peter experienced is connected with his experience of the glorious God in Jesus who is destined to suffer and die on the cross for our sake. For this Peter was to be afraid.

It must be remembered that in the early part of the Gospel Jesus rebuked Peter because he does not want Jesus to undergo suffering, “Never Lord, this will not happen to you.” So when it was revealed to him in the transfiguration that Jesus, the Son of God will have to suffer and die on the cross, Peter tremble in fear not of pain and death but of the great sacrifice and love the Lord has to take because of us. In other words, Peter too experience transfiguration in himself as his view of the Lordship of Jesus changed with his transfiguration experience of the Lord.

Like Peter, we too are privileged to constantly experience a transfiguration of the Lord everytime we celebrate the Eucharist. When we break the bread and receive the body of Christ in Holy Communion we share in the fruits of Christ's great sacrifice on the cross. Hopefully, like Peter, as we behold the body of Christ we will tremble before God’s great act of love, the God who humbled himself to become like us and allowed himself to be broken as bread for us to partake. Let us then tremble not out of fear but out of gratitude for such great privilege to be loved by Jesus, the Son of God.

But our transfiguration experience does not end in the Eucharist. Rather it begins here in our call to live out and practice our faith so that our relationship will itself be transformed and permeated by Christ. Moreover, our transfiguration experience continued as we respond to the call of proclaiming our faith to others, of sharing this great story of God who out of his great love allowed himself to suffer and die for our sake. What we practice and proclaim is our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who love us most. Amen.