In 2002, Pope John Paul II gave the Church the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary—the so/called Mysteries of Light.  One of these mysteries is the Transfiguration.

At the Transfiguration. Jesus takes three of his disciples (Peter, James, and John) to a mountaintop.  Up until this point, because of their limited insight and understanding, the disciples knew Jesus in a rather ordinary way.  On this occasion, however, Jesus gifts them with an extraordinary experience.  Their hearts and minds are opened.  They begin to see Jesus as who he truly is and as what he truly means.  When we speak of the event on the mountain on that day, the change that takes place is not simply in the appearance of Jesus, but in the comprehension of the apostles.  Those same lessons are offered to us.  We can recognize three steps in the revelation.

First, Jesus is bathed in light “While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothes became dazzlingly white” (Lk 9:29). Oftentimes in the Old Testament, light characterizes God’s presence.  The Aaronic blessing prays: “The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!” (Num 6:25).  The psalms have many passages in which the psalmist asks that the light of God’s face will shine upon him/her (Ps 31:16, 67:1, 80:3).  And, remember the experience of Moses after encountering the Lord on the mountain:

“The skin of his face had become radiant while he spoke with the LORD.  .  . Aaron and the other Israelites saw Moses and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become.” (Exod 34:29-30)

The light that engulfed Jesus expressed the divine presence.  The disciples saw this and, as the passage tells us, they saw his glory.

Next, the disciples found Jesus in conversation with those who represented the whole of their Scriptures—Moses and Elijah (the Law and the Prophets).  It becomes evident to them that Jesus fulfills the promises made to the people Israel.  In him, God’s word becomes literally realized.  All the promises of a Messiah, a Savior, and a Redeemer were now realized and embodied in this carpenter from Nazareth.  It would have been an overwhelming experience for a Jewish person of faith.

The final experience of the disciples on the mountain offered, perhaps, the most powerful witness to who Jesus was:

“A cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my chosen Son; listen to him’.” (Lk 9:34-35)

The heavenly Father claims Jesus as his beloved Son.  If the earlier experiences had provided a strong presentation on the identity of Jesus, this final step left no room for doubt.  God’s own self proclaims Jesus as his Son!  What more could be said or asserted!  The words of Lk 3:22 at the Baptism now receive a second articulation.  Jesus is the Son of God!

We can appreciate the overwhelming effect of this experience on the disciples.  Realizing, in fact, the fulness of the identity of Jesus could only draw forth from them marvel and worship.

In our age, Jesus is revealed for us in these same ways.  The presence of God shines through in his every word and act.  God proves himself trustworthy in fulfilling the promises made to a biblical people.  The Father offers the final and definitive witness to the identity of his son.  No more can be said.  One can only step back and worship.  That should describe an aspect of our Lenten resolution.