Homily, Transfiguration 2023

Readings: Daniel 7:9-10,13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9

We have a relatively rare gift this year with the celebration of the Transfiguration on Sunday. This feast falls in the calendar every year on August 6, but the place where most people are likely to hear the gospel of the Transfiguration is on the Second Sunday of Lent, where the story begins to set us up for the events of Holy Week. But the focus today has a different tone, supplemented by the two first readings emphasizing the majesty and glory of God. 

The Transfiguration is a scene full of mystery and many meanings. The light was followed by the voice from heaven calling us to obey the Son. This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him! It is that listening part that hints at the cost of discipleship. Listening is more than hearing. Hearing is somewhat mechanical process that allows us to register sound. Listening however, requires that we make sense of the sound, that we assign meaning to words, and that, on some level, we respond. Listening can lead to empathy, compassion, correction, service, and obedience. 



As a physics student, I was taught that light is not simply white but composed of a spectrum of colors. Light waves can be absorbed by objects which then appear black. It can be reflected by objects in different degrees resulting in the colors of spectrum. Light can also be transmitted through objects such as glass and water. On the mountain of the Transfiguration, the glory of Christ showed through His humanity. It was a brilliant light too glorious to adequately describe as each Gospel struggles to do. Over time that great light of Christ would be reflected in different degrees by Christ’s followers. 

Some would show His light in the heroism of martyrdom like St Stephen, St Thomas More. Others would show His light in their courage of living out the daily routine of their lives such as St Theresa of Calcutta. Some would be strong and magnificent prophetic voices speaking out His truth to each generation like Archbishop Oscar Romero and Martin Luther King Jnr. Still others would be a steady light in the establishment of religious orders, schools, monasteries and churches like St Elizabeth Ann Seton and St Ignatius of Loyola. Some would reflect His light in the clarity of their writing like St Theresa of Avila, and St Thomas Aquinas. Through the centuries, the many colors of Christ’s dazzling light would be reflected in the different lives and personalities so that the full spectrum of colors of Christ’s light would be revealed. 

Just as every generation is given the gifts of the Holy Spirit in different ways to equip it to transmit Christ’s truth, so all the colors of Christ’s light are present in every age if we have the eyes to recognize them. Sometimes when you hold a diamond to the light, you can see refracted from within it multiple colors of the spectrum. The Church is like that diamond. Within and through the Church, the many facets of Christ’s light are reflected to each generation and to our time as well. 

No one person is graced to reflect all of Christ. We are each given pieces, flashes of His light to refract to others. Maybe some are given the grace to show His mercy or His compassion. Maybe some are gifted with the grace to lead or the grace to follow. Maybe others are given the chance to reflect His patience, His persistent love, or His strength. We are all carriers of some sliver of Christ’s light. 

Peter wanted to remain on the mountaintop and simply absorb Christ’s light. That is a temptation of every age and perhaps of every person who has come close to Christ. We are not called to just absorb Christ’s light but to reflect and transmit it. We cannot remain on the mountain forever. Rather, we must come down from the mountain and “use” the power of those experiences to face the challenges of day-to-day life. True faithfulness is not about staying on the mountain top. It’s about being willing to come down the mountain, roll up our sleeves, and continue the work of the Lord. May we be that diamond that reflects multiple colors of Christ’s light to shine into and on our world.