THE TRANSFIGURATION

There are some things better left unsaid. We need to choose the words that we say and if we do say them then we really have to mean them. Amen. Hallelujah!

Letter of James 3,1-10.
...but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers ...

Trustworthiness, honesty and sincerity is the key. We must strive to maintain without question the integrity of our character. It is not an easy thing to do and something we need a lot of, is grace coming from God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 12:2-3, 4-5, 7-8
R: You will protect us, Lord.
1 [2] Help, O Lord! for no one now is dutiful; faithfulness has vanished from among the children of men. 2 [3] Everyone speaks falsehood to his neighbor; with smooth lips they speak, and double heart. (R) 3 [4] May the Lord destroy all smooth lips, every boastful tongue, 4 [5] those who say, “We are heroes with our tongues; our lips are our own; who is Lord over us?” (R) 6 [7] The promises of the Lord are sure, like tried silver, freed from dross, sevenfold refined. 7 [8] You, O Lord, will keep us and preserve us always from this generation. (R)

Today’s gospel speaks of the Transfiguration/Transformation. This corresponds to the 1st transformation in the womb of the Blessed Mother when the glory of God penetrated humanity. This transformation happened without any harm coming on Christ’s Divine nature. This communication of divinity is the immediate prelude of the resurrection. We long and have a deep desire to live and see at the very moment of our death this same glorious sight that the disciples saw although with holy fear and an awe of God that we want to live in perfect union with Him. We see God’s face that shines forth and with clothes dazzling white. We think of the very garments worn by Jesus made by Mary. We ask Mary to intercede for us and plead to her son that each of us will be transformed into the likeness of His son just as Jesus Himself was woven in the flesh of her own body. The transfiguration is true of us when we experience deification after the 2nd coming. Our features will not be distorted but glorified just as in the person of Jesus. He did not lose the substance of his flesh but showed forth an addition of brightness. Our bodies will be renewed in the way Jesus is. We will be brought to a state of perfection, surrounded by the glory of God not only at the level of our souls but also in the level of our bodies. Jesus is one Divine Person with 2 natures, the divine son who by merit of his Incarnation assumed our human nature. He exists united, with human and divine nature which is what we profess in the Apostle’s Creed every Sunday. He takes the aspect of suffering and humiliation when He underwent death in his human nature but in his divinity resurrected in glory for He is life Himself. His glory in transfiguration as a human person is not abolished or absorbed by His divinity nor did His humanity hide His Divinity. When Jesus became man He did not in any way lost any of His Divine nature. He is always complete, fully divine and fully human and always in full and total operation, both natures are together and miraculously joined in the person of Jesus Christ. His divinity is not evacuated but divinity communicated. He shares to us his divinity and makes us partakers as in Romans 8:16-17, The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 9:2-13
2 Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”