His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

- Matthew 17:1-13

On Saturday, we read that from the time of Peter's confession that He is "the Christ,  the Son of the living God," Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves . . .  A high mountain, says my study bible, is often a place of divine revelation in Scripture (see 5:1; also Genesis 22:2; Exodus 19:3, 23; Isaiah 2:3, 2 Peter 1:18).

. . .  and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.   The word for transfiguration in the Greek is metamorphosis.  It is Jesus, but everything is changed, and the change is primarily seen as extraordinary light.  Sometimes in icons of the Transfiguration this light is painted with a blue tint, meant to symbolize whiter-than-white, a light of spiritual origin not only of the world we know.  It's a good symbol of the "life in abundance" Jesus brings, the heavenly Kingdom, which adds to what we already have or know.  My study bible reminds us that God is light (1 John 1:5, John 1:5); this light itself is a revelation of Christ's divinity.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  Here is also important symbolism; we are in a place of the communion of saints.  Moses and Elijah appear together, beyond time, with Christ and the disciples on the mountain.  They are immediately recognizable and known to the disciples.  They represent the Law and the Prophets, teaching us what fulfillment is happening here.  They also teach us about the expanse of this communion, the living and the dead:  Moses representing those who have died, and Elijah as one who never experienced death.  Peter's reference to the building of tabernacles or tents relates us to the feast of the coming Kingdom (Sukkot) which commemorates the time Israel dwelt in tents, sojourning to the Promised Land, also symbolically fulfilled in the Transfiguration and the presence of the Kingdom manifest on this mountaintop.  These tents served as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom, and recall the temple worship in the wilderness.

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"    Here we have the Father's voice, and the bright cloud of the Spirit overhead like the cloud that went ahead before the Israelites in the wilderness, together with the Son.  As my study bible puts it, this is the "visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  All together, this is a revelation of the Trinity, a true manifestation of God, called Epiphany or Theophany in the Greek.

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  The vision is over almost as soon as they've seen and experienced it.  But because they've lived it, it will never be forgotten, but will remain hidden until the time to reveal it to the world.  In the Eastern Church, the Transfiguration is a major feast day.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.  Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) speaks of the return of Elijah before the Messiah comes.  Jesus' words indicate the prophecy refers to one coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), John the Baptist.

To think about the Transfiguration is to think about what Christ adds to us, and the dynamic reality He brings to us.  Throughout the centuries of the Church, theologians, mystics, and saints of all kinds (often those categories apply to the same individuals) have told us that our goal is to be "like Him."  His mission isn't only to show us the way, but to be the Way.  This transformation reality of metamorphosis is the image of what He brings to us,  made manifest in the world and in our lives.  Has prayer helped and inspired you?  Have you felt the power of God's love through Christ?  Has hope made a difference in the way you see things and the possibilities you believe are open to you?  All of these things reflect what is open to us in the great light of Transfiguration:  He is here to teach us what it means to pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  That is, to add life in abundance to our lives.  Via the Eucharist we have a sense of just how much we are to seek to be united to Him, and He is made a part of us.  The energy of Transfiguration speaks to how that works in us and in our lives and communities, even in the same sense that Jesus spoke of when He taught the parable of the leaven and how it changes the whole.  There is no telling or predicting how that works in our lives, our communities, our world -- and no limit has been put on it.  But what we do know is that it takes our faith and our own "work" to help its synergy, the power of "God with us."  This is why we pray.  This is why we engage in spiritual practice of all kinds, in rituals, disciplines, and the reading of Scripture.  Here we have in today's reading on the Transfiguration the communion of saints, and the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Spirit -- and it all works with us and in us.  It's contained in the image of Transfiguration, a revelation made for us.  How do we wish to see the world transformed, transfigured?  What kind of metamorphosis do we want?  There is one place we go for that, one Christ who came to show us His way.  As we struggle today with difficult problems of violence and fear, let us remember the place to turn for the change we want to be, and the only One who can teach us what that is.