CALLED TO OBEDIENCE IN THE BELOVED SON


FEAST OF TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD

Dan 7:9-10,13-14; Ps 97:1-2,5-6,9; Mk 9:2-10

Eternal Sovereignty was conferred on Him

We celebrate the transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ on the mountain. Through the celebration, the Church recalls the opening or window granted to three apostles to witness the divinity of the Son. The first reading is Daniel's vision of the glory of a mystical son of man centuries before Jesus was born. God revealed to man his intention to glorify human nature by sending his only Begotten Son in human nature to show and guide us in the way of salvation. By taking on our human nature and offering his life for our salvation, he will be glorified by God and obeyed by all creation in heaven and on earth. “I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like the son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty, glory, and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations, and languages became his servants.” This passage is not about the Son of God in his divinity, for he is God and glorified forever with his Father and the Holy Spirit, but the Son in his human nature.

The description used by Daniel is apt for the mystical nature of the one described. ‘One like the son of man’ refers to Jesus Christ our Saviour, but in the mystical sense. In this sense, the Son of God, in his human nature, is the head of the redeemed humanity. So, he represents all his brothers who share the same Spirit of adoption as himself, who by their profession of faith in his divinity, his death and resurrection, share in his death in obedience to the Father’s will and now reign with him in heaven. Thus, during his earthly life and ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ adopted the mystical name of the Son of Man to make us understand the intricate connection he has established with humanity by his incarnation. The whole salvific mission is grounded in the obedience of the Son to the Father who sent him for our salvation. The authority he received by his obedience to his Father is that of the Father who reigns over all by his divinity. The first part of the vision presents this truth to us. God is the creator of all things; he rules over all as their source of existence and perfection. The kingship he establishes will endure forever, for no one can prevent his will.

The gospel gives us the experience of the three apostles on the mountain with him. They were there to witness the glory of the Son of Man for us. What they saw and testified strengthened the credibility of the Gospel they preached, which we have believed. “Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them.” They had a first-hand experience of the glory of his divinity. But most important is the voice of the Father and what he said to them. “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.” The Father expressly revealed to them his will concerning the Son of Man. The first is that he is his Beloved Son. The second is that we are to listen to him. These two express the way of salvation for all men and our path to full communion with God. The first captures what we must believe about Jesus Christ to be saved; believing anything else will lead to nothing. The second points out the path we must tread to attain eternal life and communion with God. We are bound to receive the life and words of Jesus Christ as the fullness of revelation of the Father’s will. Moses and Elijah were there to confirm that the Law and the Prophets find their fulfilment in him. In this sense, he is the bread that comes from heaven. We must listen to him, meditate on his words, contemplate his actions, and imitate him in all we do. This is what it means to eat the bread.

Let us pray: O God, who in the glorious Transfiguration of your Only Begotten Son confirmed the mysteries of faith by the witness of the Fathers and wonderfully prefigured our full adoption to sonship, grant, we pray, to your servants, that, listening to the voice of your beloved son, we may merit to become coheirs with him. 

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