Reflection on the Feast of the Transfiguration

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Exodus 34:29-35


About eight days after Jesus had foretold his death and resurrection, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Luke 9:28-36


What great texts! What awesome readings!

I love these kinds of biblical readings, the kind offered today. They give me goose bumps as they reveal the glory of our triune God. These are great and awesome indeed, because they proclaim a glorious vision, a glorious vision of God.

Even though these readings speak of things we can never fully understand until God is all in all and even though the words on the pages of our sacred texts can never fully explain, fully paint the whole picture, fully reveal the truth behind these events, today we get a glimpse of God’s truth, God’s reality, and God’s plan and hope for us.

These are visions of the divine mystery in all its glory, of the heavenly reality in all its awesomeness, and of things to come for us as we let ourselves be drawn into this vision of God. It is a vision of life in abundance, of life lived, and of life loved. It is a vision of God’s life and love as it encompasses the heavenly realm, as it comes to us in Jesus Christ, and as it springs forth from Jesus to embrace the whole world, each one of us, whoever we are and wherever we find ourselves on the journey.

For this is the feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord. This is the feast that celebrates the heavenly glory that came to be with us. The feast that reveals the divine light as it shone forth from the hilltop in a forgotten province of the Roman Empire. It is a light brighter than the sun, that radiates throughout the cosmos piercing darkness, evil, and death, It is a light that announces the reign of our triune God. It is a glorious vision. It is an awesome light. It is the vision and the light of our God.

And I wish all creation would just recognize and trust this the divine light. But we know better, don’t we.

70 years ago, another light lit up the countryside of an unknown town in the Japanese Empire. It was also a light that shone brighter than the sun and that not even the Tenno, the Japanese Emperor, could contain. But it was a different light.

As the first atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima August 6, 1945, it didn’t bring life and love. It brought destruction and death. Hundreds of thousands were killed. Buildings collapsed, whether they were used for military or civilian purposes. Hospitals and schools were eradicated as much as houses, factories, and installations of the Japanese Imperial Army. The bomb didn’t discriminate. And to this day unnumbered are suffering from the effects of that one bomb dropped 61 years ago.

Now I know that there are still some, who will argue that the atomic bombs brought the Japanese Empire to its knees, sped up the war, and thus saved the lives of many Allied soldiers. But I have my doubts. Especially if I think of the second bomb that detonated three days later with that same bright light bringing about as much carnage in the city of Nagasaki. Was that bomb really necessary?

This does not mean that I do not acknowledge that the Japanese military committed horrendous atrocities throughout the Pacific Rim. I do not want to diminish the horror of the Japanese occupation in Asia. To this day, Koreans, Chinese and other nations are waiting for a formal and consorted reconciliatory effort by Japan. I am glad the Axis lost the war and I am grateful to all the Allied troops who sacrificed so much to end the terrors and evils of fascism and Nazism in order to liberate Europe and Asia.

However, we humans seem to not be able to bring about good without harming others, hurting innocents, and playing along with the devil and into the hands of death. Scripture might urge us to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21), but we do not heed its call. At the end of war, of any war, of any conflict between people for that matter, it is the devil who laughs and celebrates.

I do believe there are rare times when using military force is justified in this dying age. Yet, I equally hold that war is always a sign of our failure to follow our Saviour. It is sin. And I believe we will have to face the judgment of our Creator for the harm we have caused, even when we were pursuing good. God will have tears in God’s eyes as those come forward who vanished in Auschwitz, Dachau, Manila and Nanjing, but there will also be divine tears when God hears from those who died in Dresden, Coventry, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki.

The light we bring about is light that pierces our hearts indeed, but it will pierce it with pain and death. The light that burned images of dying men and women into the walls of Hiroshima is a light that is full of destruction and death brought about by us. We forced that light on the people of Hiroshima, each and every one of them. They had no choice as the light of destruction and death brought about our will, our wants, and our needs.

Hiroshima points to how we light the cosmos. And we all know it hasn’t stopped. The light of Hiroshima still shines forth as bombs rain on Mosul, as rockets detonate in Haifa, as civilians die in Dornetsk, and as girls and women are treated like objects not only by militants in Nigeria. It is a light indeed full of power and full of might, but it is self-serving power, self-serving might; selfish power, selfish might; sinful power, sinful might.

And it is not the light of the Transfiguration.

Peter, James and John witness something so different from the human experience that they cannot grasp even as they long to hold on to it. For once the light of the world is outdone. For once, the light that shines forth is not a product of our greed and self-serving interests. For once, the reality of God’s reign of love, peace, and justice revealed its glory: a glory greater than our strive to outdo each other, a glory more beautiful than anything we can ever come up with, a glory mightier than the temptations of this world all around us, a glory that overcomes our injustices, our sins, our carelessness, and even our culture of death, a glory uncreated, eternal, and imperishable.

The light of the Transfiguration is a light that brings about life and love in ways that are self-less and that focuses only on our well-being. It radiated from Jesus for our sake, focusing on us, on you, and on me, and on everybody else. For us and for our sake, this light even went forth into the deepest pit of our human existence, into our darkness, destruction, and death. And the light pierced the darkness, taking away death’s sting and the power of sin for ever.

But this was not a one-time event. The light of the Transfiguration continues to shine forth in ways that are quite different from the lights we create. Every time we minister to and serve even the least of our sisters and brothers, God’s light shines forth brightly into the universe. Every time we bring about justice and peace, God’s light radiates from our actions. Every time we overcome evil with good and do not buy into the psychology of war and revenge, God’s light embraces our hearts. Every time we put the safety of the planet above the greed of our age, God’s light infuses every aspect of creation. Every time we walk into the divine mystery through prayer or the reading of scripture, God’s light engulfs us. Every time we baptize a child we bathe him or her into this life-giving light of God. Every time we break the bread and share the cup, God’s light makes a home in us and among us.

The light still shines and pierces any darkness. Today. And Always.