This feast invites us, with Peter, James, and John, to make Jesus the focus of our attention. If we are united to Him, he “will give us a share in his radiance, renew our spiritual nature and transform us into his own likeness, making us for ever sharers in his Godhead” (Office of Readings in the Roman rite). We have to listen to Him and let his life and teachings make our ordinary lives divine.
Choose a theme:
🌄 Coming down the mountain, transfigured
🌅 History of the feast
The feast probably arose from the annual commemoration of the dedication of a Basilica of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. In the ninth century the feast spread to the West, and during the eleventh and twelfth centuries it began to be celebrated in Rome as well, in the Vatican Basilica. Pope Callistus III added it to the Roman Calendar in 1457, in thanksgiving for the victory of the Christian armies at the Battle of Belgrade on 6 August 1456. In the Christian East, the Transfiguration ranks among the greatest solemnities of the year, together with Easter, Christmas, and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. (Click here for more)
🌌 A message of hope
- The Gospel for the feast of the Transfiguration shows us how Jesus wants to strengthen his disciples’ hope by manifesting his glory at a critical moment.
- “Lord, we are ready to heed whatever you want to tell us. Speak to us: we are attentive to your voice. May your words enkindle our will so that we launch out fervently to obey you” (4th Luminous Mystery, from St. Josemaría’s Holy Rosary).
🌄 Coming down the mountain, transfigured
- This meditation for the feast reminds us that the foretaste of Heaven we receive in the Transfiguration is meant to inspire us and spur us on.
- As in a Film: The Lamp That Never Goes Out: put yourself in Peter’s shoes during his confession of faith at Caesarea and the Transfiguration.
- The Pope’s prayer intention for August invites us to pray for “a renewed gaze, able to discover in urban life fertile ground for proclaiming the Gospel.”