Breathtaking
Homily on the Feast of the Lord’s Transfiguration, 6 Aug 2025, DBPH Chapel, Talamban
Today we celebrate the feast of the Lord’s Transfiguration, a mystery witnessed by three of Jesus’ closest disciples who on that day were blessed with an amazingly unique and wonderful experience they could never forget.
Twenty-seven years ago I was on a pilgrimage tour in the Holy Land together with Fr Alex my classmate and a group of Italians from Rome. And believe it or not, we had a chance to go up to Mt. Tabor not on foot, but by a 6-door Mercedez Benz taxi. And when we reached its peak, it was only then that I understood why Jesus wanted to pray on top of that high mountain. Mt. Tabor rises to a height of 575 meters above sea level (which is almost the same height as that of Mt. Naupa in Naga, and many other mountain peaks here in Cebu). Mt. Tabor’s perfect shape sticks out as the only peak in the middle of that vast land, the Jezreel Valley. Hence, no doubt the view up there can really be awesome and breathtaking. It is in fact the ideal place in Galilee to watch both the sunrise and the sunset.
It is no wonder then that Jesus had desired to go up there in order to pray. And while he was praying he became so absorbed that even his physical appearance changed. His face, his clothing became dazzling white. We recall that in the first reading of Wednesday last week, Moses was shown going up to Mt Sinai and while he spoke with God on top of the mountain his face changed in appearance. And while he held the two tablets of the commandments, the skin of his face remained so radiant that the people became so afraid to approach him. Fast forward… it can be said therefore that Jesus’ transfiguration on Mt Tabor was actually a revelation to his disciples that he is the new Moses, who teaches the new commandment of LOVE.
In fact, Moses along with Elijah, two prophets who played a tremendous role in the history of Israel, suddenly appeared in their glory conversing with Jesus about his death on the cross, an inevitable reality he had to face by the power of his LOVE. Meanwhile, Peter, James and John, the three disciples who were witnesses to all these, began to be so caught up by the extraordinary spectacle, that in an instance, they seemed to have lost a sense of time. They wished they could stay there for the rest of the night.
The most amazing part of that supernatural experience, however, was the voice they heard from the cloud that engulfed them: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” It was definitely the voice from the Father speaking to the three disciples in order to confirm them in their faith in Jesus. As they have listened to Moses and Elijah in the past, from then on they should listen to his beloved Son, Jesus and all that he had to teach them.
In this Holy Mass let us pray especially for all the Jews, that like the three disciples, they may start listening intently to Jesus who speaks through the Gospels. Perhaps this is really the key to a long and lasting peace in the Holy Land. After their conversion to Jesus, who knows, the Muslims will just follow.
On our part, as we celebrate this feast today and reflect on its meaning in our life, may we too, like Jesus and the three disciples, find our own Mt Tabor where we can spend some quiet moments and prayerful ME time with God, and so experience for ourselves the mystery of the transfiguration.
May this Eucharist and every Eucharist we celebrate be a real experience, not only of the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, but also of our own personal transfiguration in union with Jesus. GiGsss!
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