The Transfiguration

I was reflecting today on this warm Thursday afternoon about a number of writing assignments in my queue, some on short turn-around times, and I was wondering how I was going to get it all done between now and Monday of next week. In those times of great stress and feelings of being overwhelmed I did today what I usually do: I stopped to pray.

 

In my prayer break I began to contemplate the fact that today is the Feast of the Transfiguration in the Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar. My thoughts shifted then to that event that is captured so poignantly in the Gospels, in the New Testament contributions of Saint Peter, and as one of the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

 

In this miracle in the New Testament, for those who are unfamiliar, Jesus takes three of his disciples: Peter, James, and John up to the top of a mountain to pray. While they were there Jesus is transformed before them and his clothes turn dazzling white and his appearance is transfigured or metamorphosed before them. A voice from the heavens proclaims that this is “My Son” and that we should “listen to Him”.

 

This is a powerful event and a poignant image to ponder. In the Gospel of Luke and his account of this event, Jesus is speaking to the disciples about exodus, which he will achieve in a few short days because they had stopped at this mountain shortly after the Lazarus miracle and shortly before they were going to arrive on Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

 

A priest once told me when I asked about the importance of the Transfiguration that it is a symbol of hope. Jesus was providing the disciples, and by extension, all of us with a sign that even though He was going to suffer and die a horrible death on Good Friday He would overcome it all. Jesus was displaying that He would be with them and with all of us forever. That is a hopeful message indeed!

 

At the same time during the course of my own day today, I learned that I was accepted as a contributing writer to a financial news website. I was very happy about this development and when I went to check the headlines in the financial news I saw the summary of the report on job layoffs at a four year high.

 

This made me think about all those people who were just laid off and those who might know that they will be laid off imminently (this afternoon McDonald’s announced a couple of hundred job layoffs). The retail as well as the financial sector looked to be some of the most heavily impacted segments in the report and those two areas are a very big part of the economy here in my home state of New Jersey. I said a prayer for all of those people and asked that they be comforted in this time of despair.

 

I know the pain of job loss and the desperation it can cause in the human psyche, I also know the impact it can have on families, and that financial burdens are a problem for most people (the whole 90% movement comes to mind) and I know others who are disabled and cannot work right now. In all of those situations we all need a reminder, myself included, that we can get worried about all the stuff of the world but as Jesus taught us to be not afraid because He overcame the world.

 

The Transfiguration of Our Lord reminds us of that as Jesus displayed His glory in a powerful display on the top of a mountain. He showed to us all that He is the Way to Eternal Life. Furthermore, this account links to another miracle involving Jesus (which I have written an article about for Catholic365.com) The Baptism of Jesus where Our Savior rises from the waters of the Jordan River and a voice from above proclaims “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”. In both of these accounts a voice from above can be heard and reaffirms Jesus as the Son of God. This is very powerful and hope-filled messaging which we can take solace within when the pressures of society leave us feeling unfairly burdened.

 

The Transfiguration is a reminder that when all else fails, we can turn to Jesus and ask for help because He has overcome all of the mental, physical, and emotional anguish of the human condition. His transformation on the top of that mountain serves as demonstration that Jesus unites Earth and Heaven and His sacrifice on Calvary paid our sin debt so that we can be free.

 

So when the news is too hard to watch, the bills are piling up, the car needs a costly repair, or you do not know when the next pay check is coming in – turn to Our Lord – remember His message of hope in the Gospel. It is in those times where He longs for us to turn to Him and say: “Jesus I Trust In You”.

 

May the Lord Jesus bless all of you and your families.

 

(Frank J. Maduri is a freelance writer and journalist with publishing credits for numerous websites, local newspapers, and large news organizations. His commentary writing on Catholic doctrine is well regarded and resulted in thousands of link shares on social media. He attributes all of his success to his strong Catholic faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.)