What does Jesus’s transfiguration have to do with us? Deacon Tommy O’Donnell, SJ, reflects on how the very person of Jesus is the fullness of God’s revelation. Based on the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent.
The transfiguration of Jesus…or, as I like to call it, the ultimate reveal party!
Hi, I’m Deacon Tommy O’Donnell, and this is my one-minute homily.
Today, Jesus is transfigured on Mount Tabor, with Moses and Elijah appearing alongside him. What in the world is going on here? The answer has to do with revelation.
First, it’s a revelation of Jesus’s identity. In the transfiguration, his humanity is lifted up into the glory of his divinity. He shines with radiance as the one who is both fully human and fully divine.
Second, it is a revelation that God’s covenants with Israel are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In today’s first reading from Genesis, God promises Abraham, the “father in faith,” that his family will flourish. On Mount Sinai, God also makes covenants with Moses and later Elijah, who represent the Old Testament law and prophets.
It is fitting for revelation, then, that the transfiguration ALSO happens on a mountain, alongside none other than Moses and Elijah! The tradition of covenant, beginning with God’s promise to Abraham, is fully revealed in the transfigured Jesus Christ.
So, what does all this mean for us? It reveals God’s promise TO US that “our citizenship is in heaven.” We, too, will be transfigured by God’s glory. In the meantime, we might ask ourselves, “What part of my life would I like God to transform today?”