The Transfiguration of the Lord

08-03-2025Weekly ReflectionJen Arnold, M.A.

Later this week, the Church will celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. Since it is not a holy day of obligation nor a feast designated for a set Sunday, this is an often overlooked and undervalued feast day, one that we don’t spend much focused time reflecting on its significance. The reality is that the Transfiguration event reveals a great deal to us about Jesus and his divinity. Let’s direct our attention to the Transfiguration to inspire a more fruitful encounter with the feast.

All three synoptic Gospels tell the story of the Transfiguration, so right away, we know this is an important event. Chronologically, it falls immediately after Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ and Jesus’ foretelling of his death and resurrection. Both of these preceding events are not coincidental, but instead, lay a foundation for what is revealed at the Transfiguration. Up to this point, Jesus’ divinity has been veiled by his humanity. Today, you and I know that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, but during his ministry, there was not as much certainty. We know this because when Jesus asks Peter, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Peter responds, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matt 16:13-14). The people were certainly aware that there was something particularly special about Jesus, but his divinity was less clear. When Jesus then asks Peter what he thinks, he says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16). Peter rightly confesses Jesus’ identity, as Jesus responds, “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven,” (Matt 16:17, cf. CCC 442). However, Peter does not yet grasp what that revelation entails. Despite not fully understanding yet, his great faith at this point earns him his place as the rock upon which the Church is built and the holder of the keys to the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt 16:18-19).

The next event is also a bit mysterious. Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, which disturbs Peter. If Jesus is the Messiah who has come to liberate them, it was incomprehensible that he would be killed. Here, Jesus rebukes Peter, saying, “Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matt 16:28). At this point, Jesus adds even more confusion for those present. He says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt 16:24). Remember, Jesus hasn’t been crucified yet, and no one is aware of the future horrors Jesus would endure involving a cross. Again, to us today, with the convenience of knowing how everything plays out, this statement makes perfect sense, but it was less clear to those whom Jesus addressed. In this moment, Jesus is planting a seed of revelation. You see, we wouldn’t be able to handle it if everything were revealed to us all at once. Our humanity is fragile and would be subject to despair if we knew everything all at once. So, in his divine wisdom, Jesus reveals just enough for us to continue taking the next step forward with him.

The final verse before the Transfiguration event may be the most confusing yet and is often overlooked by us now. Admittedly, I had never given it much thought until doing the research for this catechesis. However, once you notice what it says and then what follows, it is extraordinarily profound. All three synoptic Gospels have Jesus saying with only slight variation, “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:27). The kingdom of God is heaven, and we know that to see heaven, we first have to die. Jesus is saying that some people are standing there with him who will see heaven before they die. How is this possible? The answer lies in Transfiguration.

After all this confusing discourse, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to pray (cf. Lk 9:28). Typically, Jesus prays in solitude, but both now and in the Garden of Gethsemane, these three men receive the privilege of being present for the intimate conversation between the divine Father and his Son. How unfortunate they fell asleep in the Garden! However, on this occasion, while they were tired and tempted to sleep, they did not and witnessed the glorious result of Jesus’ prayer (cf. Lk 9:32). In this moment, the Blessed Trinity is fully revealed. Jesus is transfigured; his face is altered, and he shines from within like the sun, revealing him to be the divine Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son. A cloud overshadows them. The Hebrew word for this cloud is Shekinah, and it refers to the manifest presence of God. This Shekinah appears on Mt. Sinai with Moses, hovers over the Ark of the Covenant, and overshadows the Blessed Virgin as Jesus is conceived. The Shekinah signifies the Holy Spirit. Then, from the cloud, the Father speaks, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him,” revealing the triune dynamic relationship of the three Persons. Moses and Elijah also appear — Moses represents the Law and Elijah represents the Prophets. This scene reveals Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (cf. Matt 5:17). The Transfiguration is a revelation of the fruit of Jesus’ prayer life, which the chosen three men were able to witness. Recognizing what they were witnessing, Peter, John, and James fell on their faces in fear because that is the natural response when one recognizes they are in the physical presence of the Almighty God (cf. Matt 17:6).

Remember, I mentioned earlier that Jesus said that some would see the kingdom of heaven before tasting death. Let’s recall what heaven is. The Catechism says of the souls in heaven: “These souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature” (CCC 1023). Peter, James, and John are not merely receiving a fractional glimpse of the Blessed Trinity; rather, they behold a real foretaste of God’s glory — the face-to-face vision promised in heaven. They are witnessing heaven, the kingdom of God! These men are the “some standing here” who would see the kingdom of heaven before tasting death. While they were still lying on their faces in fear, Jesus touched them and said, “Rise, and have no fear” (Matt 17:7). Why? Jesus has unveiled for them the climax of salvation history, which is the revelation of all hope, not fear. The Trinity, and likewise, the heaven that these apostles experienced in time at the Transfiguration, is the hope of eternity that enables us to pick up our crosses and follow him — something that made much less sense before the Transfiguration.

This week, read all three Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration. Reflect on the reality that is taking place on the “high mountain.” Not only are Jesus’ divinity and the Blessed Trinity being revealed, but heaven itself. Use your imagination and place yourself in the scene with Peter, James, and John. Consider how you might feel and react before you understood what was happening. Then, imagine yourself in the scene again, knowing what is unfolding before you. How does that change your perspective? Take comfort in the fact that there is nothing on this earth, and no cross in this life, of which we should be afraid because Jesus has shown us what awaits us when we follow him.