St. John Damascene (c.675-749)
monk, theologian, Doctor of the Church
Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration; PG 96, 545
"A high mountain apart"
In former times, the smoke and tempest, darkness and fire on Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16f.) revealed God's extraordinary condescension, which showed that he who gave the Law was inaccessible... and that the Creator is made known by his works. But now everything is filled with light and radiance. For the architect and Lord of all things has come from the bosom of his Father. He has not left his own domain, namely his seat in the Father's breast, but has descended to be with us slaves. He has assumed the condition of a slave and become man in both nature and expression (Phil 2:7) so that the God who is incomprehensible to man might become comprehensible. Through and in himself he manifests the splendor of the divine nature.
Formerly, God united man with his own grace. When he breathed the spirit of life into the man newly formed from the dust, when he gave him all the best things he had, he honored him with his own image and likeness (Gn 1:27). He gave him Eden as his home and made him near brother to the angels. But since we obscured and obliterated the divine image beneath the mud of our uncontrolled desires, the Compassionate One entered into a second form of communion with us, even more certain and exceptional than the first. While still remaining in the heights of his divinity he yet accepted what is beneath him, creating human nature within himself. He mingled the archetype with its image and today reveals his own beauty within it.
His face shone like the sun for he is identified in his divinity with immaterial light; hence he has become the Sun of justice (Mal 3:20). But his clothing became white as snow since it takes on this glory superficially, not by union, nor by relation, nor by nature. And “a cloud covered them with its shadow”, thus making available to the senses the shining radiance of the Spirit.
Daily Marriage Tip for August 6, 2018:
“From the cloud came a voice, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.’” Mk 9:7 On this feast of the Transfiguration, spend some time with your spouse reflecting on the voice of God. Are you listening to Him when you make big and small decisions in your marriage?