Posted by The WORD in Other Words (2021) by Fr. Roberto Ibay, SVD (DWC Urdaneta, Pangasinan)
August 6, Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
My regular visits to Grades 6,8,10 and Senior High School learners of Divine Word College Urdaneta (DWCU) made me witness their growth, development, and transformation in their lives. For me, these resemble the transfiguration of Jesus present in every human being. These concrete and modern instances of transfiguration inspire me always to renew my faith in Him.
In today’s gospel, the apostles saw the transfiguration of Jesus, revealing His identity as the messiah, “This is my son, the beloved, listen to Him,” the voice of the Father proclaims. Encountering Jesus means recognizing His voice and listening to Him. To encounter the Lord is to be joyful, to be inspired, and to be motivated like the apostles were. It means to see situations from His eyes and transcending our constricted perspectives.
Today, where do we encounter the transfigured Jesus? We learned from our parents and teachers that God is alive in our families, church, prayers, sacraments, environment, in the needy – these are supposed to make us on fire in relating with the Lord. Encountering the transfigured Jesus is to have a harmonious and right relationship with the people around us and our environment; to be animated, to be courageous in facing difficulties.
Transfiguration assured the apostles and us that Jesus would remain with us; that His plan to save us would be accomplished. The transfiguration also invites us to go down from our “mountains” of created artificial beliefs, to leave our comfort zones, and seek the Lord in day-to-day realities.
