Thursday, August 06, 2020 - Transfiguration of the Lord - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 17, 1-9 - This is my beloved Son, in whom I find my joy: listen to him!
Jesus often went alone to pray. But He is here with Peter, James and John. Three witnesses who can share what they have seen and heard with others. It is from the testimony of these three disciples that we know the following: firstly, Jesus is a glorious God because he became brilliant when he was transfigured; secondly, Jesus is the Son of God whom we must listen to: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I find my joy". And thirdly, the law and the prophets are inseparable from Jesus. That is why Moses and Elijah are mentioned in this Gospel. Therefore, it needs a witness for the Good News to be transmitted.
But this also means that the transfiguration of Jesus is a symbol of His resurrection. He accomplished it to encourage the disciples and strengthen their faith. Now, Jesus' teaching was that He would be tortured, killed and resurrected, that is to say that these disciples would see that He would be disfigured and wounded . They would not bear it unless they already had faith: He will shine when He resurrects. This also teaches us that one day we will have to resurrect, so if we want to shine like Christ, let us observe the teachings of the Church, let us have a life of prayer and never give up, even in the face of suffering.
Let us continue to explain the Scriptures. Let's see how the three brothers reacted when they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. We heard that they were amazed and did not want to leave. We see in Peter's words, "Lord, it is good that we are here! If you want, I will erect three tents here". Therefore, when we truly feel the work and glory of God in our lives, we enjoy it and do not want to leave it. If we do not yet feel His glory, it is because we do not contemplate Him enough: perhaps we are always in a hurry or too distracted.
Christians, we who turn to God, feeling his goodness and seeing his beauty, are sent to bear witness to this through our daily lives.