Forward Movement!

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Dn 7:9-10,13-14; 2 Pt 1: 16-19; Mk 9:2-10

The feast of the Transfiguration commends forward movement as ideal discipleship. 

The feast offers a stunning visual if we employ our imagination as per the Gospel description.

Jesus’ clothes becoming dazzling white, the appearance of Elijah and Moses, the voice from heaven, and Peter’s ecstasy form a stunning picture of a crucial occasion in the Lord’s life. 

Moses and Elijah, who represent the Law and the Prophets respectively, appear on the scene to ascertain their fulfillment in the Lord’s passion on Calvary. 

Jesus’ decision to go up to Jerusalem to die on the cross receives approval from the Heavenly Father, who affirms, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.’ 

When all is going well, Peter intervenes with his proposal of staying back on Mount Tabor itself. 

Peter’s proposal contradicts Jesus’ decision. How?

Jesus’ decision to go to Jerusalem shows that suffering is the way to glorification. The momentary glorification of Jesus on Mount Tabor offered a foretaste of what will follow in Jerusalem. As such, Jesus takes his beloved apostles to Mount Tabor so that they would understand Mount Calvary. Jesus intends that his apostles find the inseparable connection between the two. 

But Peter is keen on freezing the moment to sustain the moment of glory. The ecstatic Peter wants only the glorious, not the suffering Messiah. This is why he proposes to stay back on Mount Tabor when Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem. 

Peter is driven by comfort. Jesus is driven by purpose. 

Peter’s confusion about the real identity of Jesus causes his misunderstanding. As a result, Peter is unable to differentiate between what is fleeting and what is lasting. 

But what defines Jesus is his forward movement toward Jerusalem. 

Because only Jesus knows that the journey toward Jerusalem is the journey toward glory. 

Following Jesus means to inch ever towards the cross, knowing that it is the gateway to heavenly glory. 

In our journey with Jesus, let us overcome the temptation to fall behind and clasp his hands to move on!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar