From: Luke 9:28b-36
The Transfiguration
[28b] [Jesus] took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the moun-
tain to pray. [29] And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was
altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. [30] And behold, two men talked
with him, Moses and Elijah, [31] who appeared in glory and spoke of his depar-
ture, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. [32] Now Peter and those who
were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory
and the two men who stood with him. [33] And as the men were parting from him,
Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths,
one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said.
[34] As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid
as they entered the cloud. [35] And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This
is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” [36] And when the voice had spoken,
Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days
anything of what they had seen.
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Commentary:
28-36. By His transfiguration Jesus strengthens His disciples’ faith, revealing a
trace of the glory His body will have after the Resurrection. He wants them to rea-
lize that His passion will not be the end but rather the route He will take to reach
His glorification. “For a person to go straight along the road, he must have some
knowledge of the end—just as an archer will not shoot an arrow straight unless
he first sees the target [...]. This is particularly necessary if the road is hard and
rough, the going heavy, and the end delightful” (St. Thomas Aquinas, “Summa
Theologiae”, III, q. 45, a. 1).
Through the miracle of the Transfiguration Jesus shows one of the qualities of glo-
rified bodies—brightness, “by which the bodies of the saints shall shine like the
sun, according to the words of our Lord recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew:
‘The righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father’ (Matthew 13:
43). To remove the possibility of doubt on the subject, He exemplifies this in His
transfiguration. This quality the Apostle (St. Paul) sometimes calls glory, some-
times brightness: ‘He will change our lowly body to be like His glorious body’
(Philippians 3:21); and again, ‘It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory’ (1 Corin-
thians 15:43). Of this glory the Israelites beheld some image in the desert, when
the face of Moses, after he had enjoyed the presence and conversation of God,
shone with such luster that they could not look on it (Exodus 34:29; 2 Corinthians
3:7). This brightness is a sort of radiance reflected by the body from the supreme
happiness of the soul. It is a participation in that bliss which the soul enjoys [...].
This quality is not common to all in the same degree. All the bodies of the saints
will be equally impassible; but the brightness of all will not be the same, for, ac-
cording to the Apostle, ‘There is one glory of the sun, and another of the moon,
and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So it is with the
resurrection of the dead’ (1 Corinthians 15:4f)” (”St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 12, 13).
See also the notes on Matthew 17:1-13; 17:5; 17:10-13; and Mark 9:2-10; 9:7.
31. “And spoke of His departure”: that is, His departure from this world, in other
words, His death. It can also be understood as meaning our Lord’s Ascension.
35. “Listen to Him!”: everything God wishes to say to mankind He has said
through Christ, now that the fullness of time has come (cf. Hebrews 1:1). “There-
fore,” St. John of the Cross explains, “if any now should question God or desire
a vision or revelation, not only would he be acting foolishly but he would be com-
mitting an offense against God, by not fixing his gaze on Christ with no desire for
any new thing. For God could reply to him in this way: ‘If I have spoken all things
to you in My Word, which is My Son, and I have no greater word, what answer
can I give you now, or what can I reveal to you that is greater than this? Fix your
eyes on Him alone, for in Him I have spoken and revealed to you all things, and
in Him you will find even more than what you ask for and desire [...]. Hear Him,
for I have no more faith to reveal, nor have I any more things to declare’” (”Ascent
of Mount Carmel”, Book 2, Chapter 22, 5).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
| First reading |
| Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 © |
As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
| Responsorial Psalm |
| Psalm 96:1-2,5-6,9 © |
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
For you indeed are the Lord
most high above all the earth,
exalted far above all spirits.
The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.
| Second reading |
2 Peter 1:16-19 © |
It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; we had seen his majesty for ourselves. He was honoured and glorified by God the Father, when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour.’ We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.
So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.
| Gospel Acclamation |
Mt17:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This is my Son, the Beloved:
he enjoys my favour.
Listen to him.
Alleluia!
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.