05 August 2023 – The Transfiguration of the Lord (Year A) (Sunset Mass)

by Fr Joachim Robert

Dear friends,

As we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, we are reminded of God’s glory. We are reminded of God’s divinity – what God is in His person as he reveals Himself to Peter, James and John. Jesus expresses Himself, shows Himself, what He is from within that He is also God and Man.

And as we look at the Gospel today, and the Readings today, we are reminded of two things:-

1. To fix our gaze on Jesus or to fix our gaze on God.
2. To listen to His promptings.

And how do we do this, dear friends?

I am sure in our whole journey of life, there are so many distractions, there are so many things that draws us away from growing in that relationship with God. And even Peter, James and John, among so many of His disciples or the twelve disciples, they were chosen to follow Jesus up that high mountain.

And why did Jesus choose Peter, James and John among the others?

We perhaps cannot know entirely. But we know that they were chosen because Jesus wanted them to see something which is greater than what they are seeing. And you and I, dear friends, like Peter, James and John, are invited to go up to that high mountain each and every day of our lives. Among so many people, if we allow ourselves to enter into that space together with God, to be led up that high mountain, our life can be transfigured, our life ought to be transfigured and our life will be transfigured. Because when we go up that high mountain, dear friends, we are withdrawing from the lures of the world, we are withdrawing from the busyness of the world to come to a deeper realisation of entering into that journey together with Jesus that He can lead us and show Himself to us.

But the question is how many of us take time to withdraw from the busyness of the world to spend time to grow in that relationship with God?

So the first thing we need to remind ourselves, dear friends, is that invitation to withdraw and to be focused on prayer. Because when we take that journey together with Jesus, each and every step of the journey of the day, we are allowing ourselves to be removed from the distraction. And that accompaniment of Jesus with us makes us come to a deeper realisation of who He is. And in doing so, as we draw closer and closer up that mountain, we can see the magnificence of the glory of God working within our lives.

Because when we spend time to grow in that relationship with God, God can transform, God can transfigure. Those experiences of live, even though difficult it may be, we are able to see with a greater vision that God has for us. Very often, dear friends, God’s vision for us is far, far greater than the vision we have for ourselves. But we need to come to this acknowledgement of who He is in our lives so that we are able to be open to that graces of God. So that our lives can be transformed, can be moulded, can be shaped by his image, by his likeness.

And the second thing that we need to remember, dear friends, is that invitation to listen. Just as Peter, James and John were led up to that high mountain, and when they were together, we suddenly Moses, Elijah appearing together with Jesus. And he said, Peter said:

Lord, it is wonderful for us to be here.

And the voice from heaven came and said:

This is my Son, the beloved. He enjoys my favour, listen to Him.

Here, dear friends, it is an invitation for us to listen to the voice of God in our lives. And this can only be done if we open our hearts to those promptings that comes together in journeying together with God. That invitation to enter into a deeper relationship by listening to the Word of God, by listening to the voice of God speaking in and through our experiences of life, through people around us, through the scriptures, through the Sacraments, through the Eucharist. There are so many ways, dear friends, the Lord reaches out to us but our hearts are closed from listening.

But this invitation on this Feast of the Transfiguration is the invitation to listen once again. Listen to not only of what we want to hear but what God wants us to hear. Very often we tell God what to do. But today it is an invitation for us to take a step forward. To withdraw from the way of doing things, from the way that we think, from the way that we perceive things, to withdraw, to spend time in prayer so that we are able to listen to His promptings in our hearts. And doing so, we come to this deeper awareness of who God is in our lives.

And when we encounter the love and the mercy of God, dear friends, just like Peter, James and John, that listening leads us towards a greater encounter. An encounter of God’s mercy and love. And very often these encounters just pass us by because we do not take time to reflect, we do not take time to ponder, we do not take time to see where the Lord is leading us. Even every circumstance, every situation of life, joyful moments, sorrowful moments, difficult moments, challenging moments, these are moments that God wants to speak to us.

And sometimes, dear friends, even though when we are challenged, God speaks through us in and through those moments to assure us of His presence, to comfort us with His words, and to assure us that He is there together with us. And sometimes when that happens, that moment of transfiguration happens, we become like Peter, James and John, so frightened, not being able to recognise what He is telling us. But we see how Jesus reaches out to them:-

When they heard this, the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. “Stand up,” He said, “Do not be afraid.”

These encounters of God, dear friends, makes us realise that God is a God who loves us. We are His beloved and He invites us to be sent on mission.

And the third thing, dear friends, from that invitation is that the invitation towards mission. Because after we have that encounter with God, we are called to come down from that mountain and go to where we are needed. Because very often when we are so high with our emotions, so high with our encounters with God, we very often do not want to go down that mountain. But Jesus invites us once again to come down from that mountain because that experiences that you have perhaps now is your privilege, opportunity to share it with one another.

And again as I said: Why did Jesus choose this Peter, James and John? We do not know. But they have this sense of mission to go down and proclaim the Good News to the disciples, to the apostles who were together with them so that the experiences of God can be glorified and can be magnified. And all this is done in preparation for the glory that was going to come on that cross.

Jesus was preparing them, dear friends, so that they are able to be strengthened with that conviction of faith, of who Jesus is in their lives. And for you and I, dear friends, as we celebrate this Feast of the Transfiguration, it is a moment of grace for you and I. You and I have come to this mountain of God, this mountain where we encounter Him each and every day. And for us as Christians, we are privilege to encounter Him in the Eucharist. And after we journey to that mountain, we are called to encounter Him, to listen to His promptings in our lives. And after we have listened to that promptings, we are nourished with His body and with His blood, and we are sent to go out and proclaim the Good News.

You and I, dear friends, are called and are invited to prayer, to listen and to go forth in mission. And let us pray, dear friends, that this time of grace that God has given to us, this circumstance of our lives, in the situations that we are in, in our families, in our schools, in our workplace, in everywhere we are, God has placed us for a reason. So that we too are able to witness the transfiguration of God in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.

And as I reflected on this Feast of the Transfiguration, dear friends, it made me realise of this whole journey of how God was moulding me when I was a child, how my life was transformed or perhaps was moulded in the seminary and being a priest, how God has gradually led from one moment of grace to another moment of grace to make me see the way that He sees. And the way that I see, my whole journey of life has been an opportunity for me to see the faithfulness of God because in every moments, in challenging moments, in difficult moments, God was there, present in those issues and these most challenging times. And even though God did not answer me during those moments immediately, but in time, on the hindsight, I am able to see the glory of God at work in the lives of people, in my own life, in my family, in our community.

And let us pray, let us pray that this invitation that God gives us today in this Feast of the Transfiguration may continue to make us pray, to make us listen and to be sent forth on mission.

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