#transfiguration — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #transfiguration, aggregated by home.social.
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The Glory of Love — Silvio José Báez, ocd
The Gospel of this Second Sunday in Lent is filled with sun and light (Mt 17:1–9). Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain. There he was transfigured before them: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white (Mt 17:1).
This took place shortly after Jesus had revealed to them that he was resolved to go to Jerusalem, where the Jewish authorities, after making him suffer greatly, would put him to death (cf. Mt 16:24–25). The disciples had been shaken by the Master’s words and filled with fear at the tragic destiny awaiting him. Everything had grown dark for them: they were confused, afraid, and beginning to lose heart.
On the mountain, the three disciples contemplate for a moment, in the intimacy of the mountaintop, the humble glory of God hidden in the humanity of Jesus. He wanted them to understand the path of love he was ready to walk—even to suffering and death. There he chose to reveal to them the secret concealed within his humanity: the glory of love that moved his heart and led him to a boundless self-giving for humanity.
The radiant face of Jesus is an image to be engraved on the heart for the darkest day, when his face will be struck, insulted, humiliated—when it will no longer appear transfigured but disfigured. This is the great challenge that Peter, James, and John must accept. They are called to discover the mysterious thread that unites the Mount of the Transfiguration and Mount Calvary: the disconcerting relationship between blazing light and total darkness, between the transfigured face of Jesus and the disfigured face of the Crucified One.
For the three disciples, such an experience was necessary—one that would strengthen them, enlighten them, and make them feel enveloped in the love that filled Jesus’ life. They needed to step back from daily reality, from their fears and shadows, and open their eyes to something new and luminous. They had to understand that the final word in history does not belong to suffering, injustice, evil, or death. Soon they would live through the night of Jesus’ passion and death; it was important that they experience it knowing that its darkness would not last forever. No night in life lasts forever.
Jesus led them to the summit not to distance them from reality, but so they might step back and gain a broader and deeper vision of life. From above, the landscape can be seen more clearly. It isn’t healthy to live only on the flatlands of routine—conditioned by the pressures of daily life—filled with fear before the challenges we face. We must step back and rise above the quicksands of failure, mediocrity, and hopelessness, and free ourselves from the ideological quagmires that make us rigid or pessimistic.
On the mountain, Peter, James, and John were able to see, beyond appearances, a deeper truth: in the humble humanity of Jesus they contemplated the radiant glory of God. Today this same challenge stands before us: to see beyond appearances with the eyes of faith. The world teaches us to judge by success, outward beauty, and visible power; faith invites us to see with different eyes. On a cross, the world sees defeat; faith sees the triumph of love. In our crises, the world sees failure; faith discovers opportunities for growth. Every difficulty contains a seed of grace; every tear can become a spring of blessing.
Faith is like a new pair of lenses that allow us to see reality clearly. Without faith, we look at life through the eyes of fear, hopelessness, and human calculation. With faith, we see with the eyes of love, hope, and eternity. Faith helps us recognize that God is never absent; he is always weaving something beautiful, even when we cannot see it. Faith allows us to glimpse resurrection in the midst of death, light in the midst of darkness, meaning in the midst of chaos. With that gaze, we can move forward when everything seems lost, because we know that the end of the story will be fullness of life and light.
In society as well, there are moments of confusion. We feel scattered, weak, even unsuccessful in achieving the results we hoped for. Injustice and violence seem invincible; no paths toward resolution appear. Weariness, failed attempts, and disappointments overwhelm us. In those moments we must climb the mountain: step back, rise above the flatlands of personal interests, and leave behind the ideological quagmires that make us rigid or pessimistic. The light of the Risen Lord—which conquers sin and death and is already present, in anticipation, on the mountain—enables us to see reality with new eyes and widens our vision and our hearts.
The new light radiating from Christ transfigures us; it grants us a renewed vision of life and history; it gives us strength to continue striving for a new world and keeps our hope from withering. Illuminated by Jesus, we won’t be sowers of darkness or prophets of doom, but humble sowers of sparks of light where shadows seem to reign.
Like Peter, James, and John, we too must climb the mountain again and again and allow the light of the Risen Lord to shine into the darkness of our existence. We climb the mountain when we pray. In prayer, in silence with the Lord—even for a short time—his light transfigures us. Moments of prayer aren’t useless; they are necessary. We must expose ourselves to that loving light, dedicate time to listening to Jesus, to conversion, and to rejoicing in his luminous presence.
When we contemplate the light of the Risen One, we aren’t blinded, nor do we forget our commitments. Like the disciples, we must always descend into the valley of daily life: the ordinary rhythm, the struggle and fatigue of each day. In this Eucharist we stand on the holy mountain, contemplating the radiant face of Jesus and listening to his voice. When the celebration ends, let us descend into the valley of everyday life enlightened by him. May the light of Jesus make us strong and radiant. May it help us discover the beauty of life, hidden like a drop of light in the living heart of all things.
Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.
Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily for the Second Sunday in Lent
Miami, March 1, 2026Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: Detail from a 15th c. icon of the Transfiguration by the hand of Theophanes the Greek currently in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
#BishopSilvioJoséBáez #hope #light #love #Transfiguration -
Bonjour
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https://www.saintvincentdepaul-saintmalo.fr/pages/messes-st-preparation/messe-des-dimanches/messe-dominicale.html #messe #Transfiguration #Evangile #bible #Textesdujour #EvangileDuJour #saparolepouraujourdhui #Dieu #JésusChrist #Psaumes #evangiledejésuschristselonsaintmathieu #Psaume32 #lettredesaintpaulatimothée #livredelagenèse -
Quote of the day, 1 March: Silvio José Báez, ocd
On this second Sunday of Lent, we continue our journey of freedom and light, of prayer and conversion, towards the Lord’s Passover.
Mount Tabor seen from Peace Park | Image credit: Steve Conger / Flickr (Some rights reserved)
If last Sunday’s Gospel showed us Jesus up on a high mountain—subject to the temptation to abandon the ways of God, reducing his Messianic character to material satisfaction, the manipulation of God, and the quest for power and fame—this Sunday we contemplate him on another mountain, but one filled with light and glory. We see him as the beloved Son of the Father, the one whose voice we must listen and follow.
This Sunday’s Gospel, which was written according to the model of the theophanies (i.e., the divine revelations of the Old Testament), says that Jesus went up with Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray.The mountain is terrain that rises up vertically; it is closest to heaven, the resting place of God’s feet. As the prophet, Amos says: He “treads on the heights of the earth” (Amos 4:13). The mountains are pointing towards the mystery and depth of the cosmos, towards the infinite; they are the land that penetrates heaven. And Jesus climbs a mountain to pray.
Prayer is like climbing a mountain—not physically, but by entering into the depths of our being where we find God’s heart filled with light.
Climbing the mountain means entering within ourselves, beyond feelings and reasons, beyond all the ups and downs of daily life, carrying in our hearts the great problems of the world.Prayer is about entering within ourselves with our hands full of faces and experiences. When we pray we allow ourselves to be enlightened and transfigured by the loving and peaceful light of God who dwells within our heart, “in its deepest center” (Cf. Saint John of the Cross, The Living Flame Of Love)
Indeed, while Jesus was praying, his face changed appearance. Prayer is transforming: it transforms you into what you contemplate, what you hear, and what you love—and you become like the One to whom you pray. Psalm 34 says: “Look to him, and be radiant!” (Ps 34:5).Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.
Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Bishop Báez visits a parish on the First Sunday of Lent, 14 February 2016 | Image credit: @sj.baez / Facebook (Used by permission)
Homily, Second Sunday of Lent, 17 March 2019 (excerpt)
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, ManaguaTranslation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: Detail from Icon: The Transfiguration, tempera on panel, first quarter 16th century, Novgorod. From the Feasts Tier collection. Image credit: State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (Public domain).
#BishopSilvioJoséBáez #light #prayer #Tabor #Transfiguration -
Jesus Is the Fulfillment helps youth understand how Jesus brings the whole Bible together. On the mountain, He stands with Moses and Elijah, showing that God’s story leads to Him. ⛰️✨
This lesson invites teens to listen to Jesus and take faith seriously in daily life. It builds trust in Scripture and creates space for prayer, reflection, and honest questions. ✝️
https://young-catholics.com/21693/wednesday-of-the-1st-week-of-lent/
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Jesus Is the Fulfillment helps youth understand how Jesus brings the whole Bible together. On the mountain, He stands with Moses and Elijah, showing that God’s story leads to Him. ⛰️✨
This lesson invites teens to listen to Jesus and take faith seriously in daily life. It builds trust in Scripture and creates space for prayer, reflection, and honest questions. ✝️
https://young-catholics.com/21693/wednesday-of-the-1st-week-of-lent/
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Jesus Is the Fulfillment helps youth understand how Jesus brings the whole Bible together. On the mountain, He stands with Moses and Elijah, showing that God’s story leads to Him. ⛰️✨
This lesson invites teens to listen to Jesus and take faith seriously in daily life. It builds trust in Scripture and creates space for prayer, reflection, and honest questions. ✝️
https://young-catholics.com/21693/wednesday-of-the-1st-week-of-lent/
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"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'"
Matthew 17:5 #Bible #JesusChrist #transfiguration
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"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'"
Matthew 17:5 #Bible #JesusChrist #transfiguration
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"While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'"
Matthew 17:5 #Bible #JesusChrist #transfiguration
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Glory [Sermon]
In Celtic traditions there is an idea of thin places: actual physical places where the visible and invisible universe are so close that sometimes there is communication, or even movement, between the places.
The idea is older than the Celts.
But thin places are revered because they are places of mystery and power. Thin places are feared because they are places that connect with the unknown.
Such spaces are sometimes called “liminal,” leaning boundary or threshold. There are liminal times, too: often during rites of passage into adulthood, or membership, or other changes in a person’s life. When someone gets a diploma, the person may experience it as a liminal moment, especially if their academic path was complex or difficult.
Liminal spaces and times can become milestones in our development.
Let’s go to God in prayer.
God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, to help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.
Amen.
What eally happened on the mountain?
Our Gospel reading tells us
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became bright as light.
3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Matthew 17:1-3, NRSVue
If we are to take the text literally, Jesus started generating light, and Moses and Elijah appeared.
Some would say
The Bible said it, I believe it, that settles it.
Others would say
I have questions.
For instance, was Jesus really radiating out light? Where did that energy come from? And how did the disciples recognize Moses and Elijah? They didn’t have photographs to compare them.
And then a voice from a bright cloud said
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Matthew 17:5b, NRSVue
The obvious implication is that this is all supernatural, that is, beyond what is natural.
God can do anything, so why not this?
But why this?
The mountain represents a liminal space: God is often though of as “up” in heaven:
- The tower of Babel was an attempt to reach into heaven.
- The ten commandments are given to Moses on a mountain.
- Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
So being up on a mountain represents being closer to God.
The light coming from Jesus, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, represent a liminal time.
Jesus was not shining before or after this. Moses and Elijah were not traveling with Jesus and the disciples after this event.
So this moment is a threshold time and place, but for what?
In the previous chapter, Peter proclaims about Jesus
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16b, NRSVue
and then Jesus says he will be tortured and killed.
This is a turning point from “Jesus the popular but controversial teacher” to “Jesus who will be crucified.”
So the glory that comes to Jesus here is not at all random, but because of his own discipline in following the path laid out for him. Whether or not we believe Jesus literally shown light from his face and clothes, we can see this story as a moment when glory came to Jesus. Whether or not we believe that Moses and Elijah were literally with Jesus on the mountain, we can see this story as a place where Jesus was placed among the most important people in Judaism.
We, too, will have our liminal moments.
Maybe it’s when we made a tough decision, and suddenly a beam of light fell on us. Maybe it’s when we’re having doubts about our path, and a person drives her car off the street into a driveway, gets out, comes up to us and says
“God wanted me to tell you to keep doing what you’re doing.”
(this actually happened to me.)
We might dismiss these events as mere coincidence. And they may be. But if those places and moments seem meaningful to us, if they inspire us, if they help us to continue to grow into the people God has dreamed us to be, we ought to embrace them.
My challenge to us all this week, as we move through Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday into Lent, is to watch for those liminal times and places.
Linger in them.
How do you feel?
What does this mean to you?
How can this moment help you to move forward in faith?
Don’t fear the thin places.
Rejoice in the glory of them.
Amen.
Let’s sing NCH 183 Jesus, Take Us to the Mountain
* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue
* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.
#boundary #glory #liminal #thinPlaces #threshold #transfiguration -
Glory [Sermon]
In Celtic traditions there is an idea of thin places: actual physical places where the visible and invisible universe are so close that sometimes there is communication, or even movement, between the places.
The idea is older than the Celts.
But thin places are revered because they are places of mystery and power. Thin places are feared because they are places that connect with the unknown.
Such spaces are sometimes called “liminal,” leaning boundary or threshold. There are liminal times, too: often during rites of passage into adulthood, or membership, or other changes in a person’s life. When someone gets a diploma, the person may experience it as a liminal moment, especially if their academic path was complex or difficult.
Liminal spaces and times can become milestones in our development.
Let’s go to God in prayer.
God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, to help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.
Amen.
What eally happened on the mountain?
Our Gospel reading tells us
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became bright as light.
3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Matthew 17:1-3, NRSVue
If we are to take the text literally, Jesus started generating light, and Moses and Elijah appeared.
Some would say
The Bible said it, I believe it, that settles it.
Others would say
I have questions.
For instance, was Jesus really radiating out light? Where did that energy come from? And how did the disciples recognize Moses and Elijah? They didn’t have photographs to compare them.
And then a voice from a bright cloud said
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Matthew 17:5b, NRSVue
The obvious implication is that this is all supernatural, that is, beyond what is natural.
God can do anything, so why not this?
But why this?
The mountain represents a liminal space: God is often though of as “up” in heaven:
- The tower of Babel was an attempt to reach into heaven.
- The ten commandments are given to Moses on a mountain.
- Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
So being up on a mountain represents being closer to God.
The light coming from Jesus, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, represent a liminal time.
Jesus was not shining before or after this. Moses and Elijah were not traveling with Jesus and the disciples after this event.
So this moment is a threshold time and place, but for what?
In the previous chapter, Peter proclaims about Jesus
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16b, NRSVue
and then Jesus says he will be tortured and killed.
This is a turning point from “Jesus the popular but controversial teacher” to “Jesus who will be crucified.”
So the glory that comes to Jesus here is not at all random, but because of his own discipline in following the path laid out for him. Whether or not we believe Jesus literally shown light from his face and clothes, we can see this story as a moment when glory came to Jesus. Whether or not we believe that Moses and Elijah were literally with Jesus on the mountain, we can see this story as a place where Jesus was placed among the most important people in Judaism.
We, too, will have our liminal moments.
Maybe it’s when we made a tough decision, and suddenly a beam of light fell on us. Maybe it’s when we’re having doubts about our path, and a person drives her car off the street into a driveway, gets out, comes up to us and says
“God wanted me to tell you to keep doing what you’re doing.”
(this actually happened to me.)
We might dismiss these events as mere coincidence. And they may be. But if those places and moments seem meaningful to us, if they inspire us, if they help us to continue to grow into the people God has dreamed us to be, we ought to embrace them.
My challenge to us all this week, as we move through Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday into Lent, is to watch for those liminal times and places.
Linger in them.
How do you feel?
What does this mean to you?
How can this moment help you to move forward in faith?
Don’t fear the thin places.
Rejoice in the glory of them.
Amen.
Let’s sing NCH 183 Jesus, Take Us to the Mountain
* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue
* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.
#boundary #glory #liminal #thinPlaces #threshold #transfiguration -
Glory [Sermon]
In Celtic traditions there is an idea of thin places: actual physical places where the visible and invisible universe are so close that sometimes there is communication, or even movement, between the places.
The idea is older than the Celts.
But thin places are revered because they are places of mystery and power. Thin places are feared because they are places that connect with the unknown.
Such spaces are sometimes called “liminal,” leaning boundary or threshold. There are liminal times, too: often during rites of passage into adulthood, or membership, or other changes in a person’s life. When someone gets a diploma, the person may experience it as a liminal moment, especially if their academic path was complex or difficult.
Liminal spaces and times can become milestones in our development.
Let’s go to God in prayer.
God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, to help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.
Amen.
What eally happened on the mountain?
Our Gospel reading tells us
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became bright as light.
3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Matthew 17:1-3, NRSVue
If we are to take the text literally, Jesus started generating light, and Moses and Elijah appeared.
Some would say
The Bible said it, I believe it, that settles it.
Others would say
I have questions.
For instance, was Jesus really radiating out light? Where did that energy come from? And how did the disciples recognize Moses and Elijah? They didn’t have photographs to compare them.
And then a voice from a bright cloud said
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Matthew 17:5b, NRSVue
The obvious implication is that this is all supernatural, that is, beyond what is natural.
God can do anything, so why not this?
But why this?
The mountain represents a liminal space: God is often though of as “up” in heaven:
- The tower of Babel was an attempt to reach into heaven.
- The ten commandments are given to Moses on a mountain.
- Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
So being up on a mountain represents being closer to God.
The light coming from Jesus, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, represent a liminal time.
Jesus was not shining before or after this. Moses and Elijah were not traveling with Jesus and the disciples after this event.
So this moment is a threshold time and place, but for what?
In the previous chapter, Peter proclaims about Jesus
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16b, NRSVue
and then Jesus says he will be tortured and killed.
This is a turning point from “Jesus the popular but controversial teacher” to “Jesus who will be crucified.”
So the glory that comes to Jesus here is not at all random, but because of his own discipline in following the path laid out for him. Whether or not we believe Jesus literally shown light from his face and clothes, we can see this story as a moment when glory came to Jesus. Whether or not we believe that Moses and Elijah were literally with Jesus on the mountain, we can see this story as a place where Jesus was placed among the most important people in Judaism.
We, too, will have our liminal moments.
Maybe it’s when we made a tough decision, and suddenly a beam of light fell on us. Maybe it’s when we’re having doubts about our path, and a person drives her car off the street into a driveway, gets out, comes up to us and says
“God wanted me to tell you to keep doing what you’re doing.”
(this actually happened to me.)
We might dismiss these events as mere coincidence. And they may be. But if those places and moments seem meaningful to us, if they inspire us, if they help us to continue to grow into the people God has dreamed us to be, we ought to embrace them.
My challenge to us all this week, as we move through Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday into Lent, is to watch for those liminal times and places.
Linger in them.
How do you feel?
What does this mean to you?
How can this moment help you to move forward in faith?
Don’t fear the thin places.
Rejoice in the glory of them.
Amen.
Let’s sing NCH 183 Jesus, Take Us to the Mountain
* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue
* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.
#boundary #glory #liminal #thinPlaces #threshold #transfiguration -
Glory [Sermon]
In Celtic traditions there is an idea of thin places: actual physical places where the visible and invisible universe are so close that sometimes there is communication, or even movement, between the places.
The idea is older than the Celts.
But thin places are revered because they are places of mystery and power. Thin places are feared because they are places that connect with the unknown.
Such spaces are sometimes called “liminal,” leaning boundary or threshold. There are liminal times, too: often during rites of passage into adulthood, or membership, or other changes in a person’s life. When someone gets a diploma, the person may experience it as a liminal moment, especially if their academic path was complex or difficult.
Liminal spaces and times can become milestones in our development.
Let’s go to God in prayer.
God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, to help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.
Amen.
What eally happened on the mountain?
Our Gospel reading tells us
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became bright as light.
3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Matthew 17:1-3, NRSVue
If we are to take the text literally, Jesus started generating light, and Moses and Elijah appeared.
Some would say
The Bible said it, I believe it, that settles it.
Others would say
I have questions.
For instance, was Jesus really radiating out light? Where did that energy come from? And how did the disciples recognize Moses and Elijah? They didn’t have photographs to compare them.
And then a voice from a bright cloud said
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Matthew 17:5b, NRSVue
The obvious implication is that this is all supernatural, that is, beyond what is natural.
God can do anything, so why not this?
But why this?
The mountain represents a liminal space: God is often though of as “up” in heaven:
- The tower of Babel was an attempt to reach into heaven.
- The ten commandments are given to Moses on a mountain.
- Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
So being up on a mountain represents being closer to God.
The light coming from Jesus, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, represent a liminal time.
Jesus was not shining before or after this. Moses and Elijah were not traveling with Jesus and the disciples after this event.
So this moment is a threshold time and place, but for what?
In the previous chapter, Peter proclaims about Jesus
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16b, NRSVue
and then Jesus says he will be tortured and killed.
This is a turning point from “Jesus the popular but controversial teacher” to “Jesus who will be crucified.”
So the glory that comes to Jesus here is not at all random, but because of his own discipline in following the path laid out for him. Whether or not we believe Jesus literally shown light from his face and clothes, we can see this story as a moment when glory came to Jesus. Whether or not we believe that Moses and Elijah were literally with Jesus on the mountain, we can see this story as a place where Jesus was placed among the most important people in Judaism.
We, too, will have our liminal moments.
Maybe it’s when we made a tough decision, and suddenly a beam of light fell on us. Maybe it’s when we’re having doubts about our path, and a person drives her car off the street into a driveway, gets out, comes up to us and says
“God wanted me to tell you to keep doing what you’re doing.”
(this actually happened to me.)
We might dismiss these events as mere coincidence. And they may be. But if those places and moments seem meaningful to us, if they inspire us, if they help us to continue to grow into the people God has dreamed us to be, we ought to embrace them.
My challenge to us all this week, as we move through Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday into Lent, is to watch for those liminal times and places.
Linger in them.
How do you feel?
What does this mean to you?
How can this moment help you to move forward in faith?
Don’t fear the thin places.
Rejoice in the glory of them.
Amen.
Let’s sing NCH 183 Jesus, Take Us to the Mountain
* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue
* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.
#boundary #glory #liminal #thinPlaces #threshold #transfiguration -
Glory [Sermon]
In Celtic traditions there is an idea of thin places: actual physical places where the visible and invisible universe are so close that sometimes there is communication, or even movement, between the places.
The idea is older than the Celts.
But thin places are revered because they are places of mystery and power. Thin places are feared because they are places that connect with the unknown.
Such spaces are sometimes called “liminal,” leaning boundary or threshold. There are liminal times, too: often during rites of passage into adulthood, or membership, or other changes in a person’s life. When someone gets a diploma, the person may experience it as a liminal moment, especially if their academic path was complex or difficult.
Liminal spaces and times can become milestones in our development.
Let’s go to God in prayer.
God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, to help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.
Amen.
What eally happened on the mountain?
Our Gospel reading tells us
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John
and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became bright as light.
3Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Matthew 17:1-3, NRSVue
If we are to take the text literally, Jesus started generating light, and Moses and Elijah appeared.
Some would say
The Bible said it, I believe it, that settles it.
Others would say
I have questions.
For instance, was Jesus really radiating out light? Where did that energy come from? And how did the disciples recognize Moses and Elijah? They didn’t have photographs to compare them.
And then a voice from a bright cloud said
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
Matthew 17:5b, NRSVue
The obvious implication is that this is all supernatural, that is, beyond what is natural.
God can do anything, so why not this?
But why this?
The mountain represents a liminal space: God is often though of as “up” in heaven:
- The tower of Babel was an attempt to reach into heaven.
- The ten commandments are given to Moses on a mountain.
- Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
So being up on a mountain represents being closer to God.
The light coming from Jesus, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah, represent a liminal time.
Jesus was not shining before or after this. Moses and Elijah were not traveling with Jesus and the disciples after this event.
So this moment is a threshold time and place, but for what?
In the previous chapter, Peter proclaims about Jesus
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:16b, NRSVue
and then Jesus says he will be tortured and killed.
This is a turning point from “Jesus the popular but controversial teacher” to “Jesus who will be crucified.”
So the glory that comes to Jesus here is not at all random, but because of his own discipline in following the path laid out for him. Whether or not we believe Jesus literally shown light from his face and clothes, we can see this story as a moment when glory came to Jesus. Whether or not we believe that Moses and Elijah were literally with Jesus on the mountain, we can see this story as a place where Jesus was placed among the most important people in Judaism.
We, too, will have our liminal moments.
Maybe it’s when we made a tough decision, and suddenly a beam of light fell on us. Maybe it’s when we’re having doubts about our path, and a person drives her car off the street into a driveway, gets out, comes up to us and says
“God wanted me to tell you to keep doing what you’re doing.”
(this actually happened to me.)
We might dismiss these events as mere coincidence. And they may be. But if those places and moments seem meaningful to us, if they inspire us, if they help us to continue to grow into the people God has dreamed us to be, we ought to embrace them.
My challenge to us all this week, as we move through Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday into Lent, is to watch for those liminal times and places.
Linger in them.
How do you feel?
What does this mean to you?
How can this moment help you to move forward in faith?
Don’t fear the thin places.
Rejoice in the glory of them.
Amen.
Let’s sing NCH 183 Jesus, Take Us to the Mountain
* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue
* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.
#boundary #glory #liminal #thinPlaces #threshold #transfiguration -
"If you ask me about the ‘what really happened’ behind today’s Gospel story, I have to say I don’t have a clue. It’s all so very strange- man going shiny, clouds and light and so on- it’s very alien". A sermon for #Transfiguration from 2023 peterwnimmo.co.uk/2023/02/19/a...
A mystery beyond words: sermon... -
"If you ask me about the ‘what really happened’ behind today’s Gospel story, I have to say I don’t have a clue. It’s all so very strange- man going shiny, clouds and light and so on- it’s very alien". A sermon for #Transfiguration from 2023 peterwnimmo.co.uk/2023/02/19/a...
A mystery beyond words: sermon... -
#LectionaryPrayers for for the FirstSunday of #Lent, 22 February. There are also prayers for this coming Sunday, #Transfiguration, on my website now
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3ya4kgw5u764z2bxtfiyvd6/post/3megjii5osb2y -
#LectionaryPrayers for for the FirstSunday of #Lent, 22 February. There are also prayers for this coming Sunday, #Transfiguration, on my website now
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3ya4kgw5u764z2bxtfiyvd6/post/3megjii5osb2y -
#LectionaryPrayers for for the FirstSunday of #Lent, 22 February. There are also prayers for this coming Sunday, #Transfiguration, on my website now
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3ya4kgw5u764z2bxtfiyvd6/post/3megjii5osb2y -
#LectionaryPrayers for for the FirstSunday of #Lent, 22 February. There are also prayers for this coming Sunday, #Transfiguration, on my website now
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3ya4kgw5u764z2bxtfiyvd6/post/3megjii5osb2y -
#LectionaryPrayers for for the FirstSunday of #Lent, 22 February. There are also prayers for this coming Sunday, #Transfiguration, on my website now
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3ya4kgw5u764z2bxtfiyvd6/post/3megjii5osb2y -
#LectionaryPrayers for #Transfiguration. There are also prayers for Epiphany 5 on my website
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3ya4kgw5u764z2bxtfiyvd6/post/3mdxd3ajuyf2j -
#LectionaryPrayers for #Transfiguration. There are also prayers for Epiphany 5 on my website
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:j3ya4kgw5u764z2bxtfiyvd6/post/3mdxd3ajuyf2j -
Joyous feast to you all!
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Joyous feast to you all!
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Joyous feast to you all!
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Joyous feast to you all!
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Joyous feast to you all!
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Bonjour
« Avec Pierre, Jacques et Jean, nous montons nous aussi aujourd’hui sur la montagne de la Transfiguration, et nous nous arrêtons pour contempler le visage de Jésus, pour recueillir son message et l’appliquer dans notre vie ; afin que nous aussi nous soyons transfigurés par l’amour » (François) https://www.saintvincentdepaul-saintmalo.fr/pages/messes-st-preparation/messe-des-dimanches/textes-du-jour-notre-dame-d-alet.html #Transfiguration #bible #celuiciestmonfilsbienaimé #Evangile #EvangileDuJour #saparolepouraujourdhui #Textesdujour #Psaumes #evangiledejésuschristselonsaintluc #Psaume96 -
10 facts about The Transfiguration: One tradition of this feast is to eat fruit and in particular, Grapes. This is because the harvest of grapes and other first fruits in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions where the tradition originated occurs at about this time.
https://topicaltens.blogspot.com/2025/08/6-august-transfiguration.html
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10 facts about The Transfiguration: One tradition of this feast is to eat fruit and in particular, Grapes. This is because the harvest of grapes and other first fruits in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions where the tradition originated occurs at about this time.
https://topicaltens.blogspot.com/2025/08/6-august-transfiguration.html
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10 facts about The Transfiguration: One tradition of this feast is to eat fruit and in particular, Grapes. This is because the harvest of grapes and other first fruits in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions where the tradition originated occurs at about this time.
https://topicaltens.blogspot.com/2025/08/6-august-transfiguration.html
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10 facts about The Transfiguration: One tradition of this feast is to eat fruit and in particular, Grapes. This is because the harvest of grapes and other first fruits in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions where the tradition originated occurs at about this time.
https://topicaltens.blogspot.com/2025/08/6-august-transfiguration.html
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10 facts about The Transfiguration: One tradition of this feast is to eat fruit and in particular, Grapes. This is because the harvest of grapes and other first fruits in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions where the tradition originated occurs at about this time.
https://topicaltens.blogspot.com/2025/08/6-august-transfiguration.html
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Quote of the day, 6 August: Père Jacques de Jésus
A rarely cited phrase from Saint John’s Gospel sheds light on the heart of Christ. That phrase, “He would not trust himself to them…” [cf. Jn 2:24–25], explains the serene seriousness of his face. Saint John tells us that Christ does not place his trust in his followers, because he knows the secrets in their hearts.
Each time he tries to confide in them, the response is a silly lack of understanding. Do you recall the reaction of his closest companions at the time of the Agony in the Garden? They fell asleep!
Are we any different? Do you think that Christ can place his trust in us? Would he say something different if he lived in our midst? Or would it still be: “Non credebat eis” (“he would not trust himself to them”).
The serene silence of Jesus thus flows from the secret deep within him. Moreover, he likewise enjoys times of deep joy, but they are constantly accompanied by the dreadful image of Calvary and the disappointment derived from human sinfulness.
These feelings are always present together. Even at the peak of his Passion, the beatific vision perdures in the depths of his soul. Christ experiences ecstatic moments on Mount Tabor, but even during those moments in the company of Moses and Elijah, he conversed about his Passion for the redemption of sinners.
That serene silence is the hallmark of Christ.
Servant of God Père Jacques de Jésus
Conference 8: Silence
Thursday 9 September 1943
Retreat for the Discalced Carmelite nuns of PontoiseJacques, P 2005, Listen to the silence: A retreat with Père Jacques, translated from the French and edited by Murphy F, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: Detail from Icon: The Transfiguration, tempera on panel, first quarter 16th century, Novgorod. From the Feasts Tier collection. Image credit: State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (Public domain).
#PèreJacquesDeJésus #secretKnowledge #silence #spirituality #Transfiguration
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Today's pick: The Transfiguration (1480-1485) - Giovanni Bellini. #art #Bellini #Transfiguration
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Today's pick: The Transfiguration (1480-1485) - Giovanni Bellini. #art #Bellini #Transfiguration
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Today's pick: The Transfiguration (1480-1485) - Giovanni Bellini. #art #Bellini #Transfiguration
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Today's pick: The Transfiguration (1480-1485) - Giovanni Bellini. #art #Bellini #Transfiguration
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Today's pick: The Transfiguration (1480-1485) - Giovanni Bellini. #art #Bellini #Transfiguration
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The Transfiguration of Jesus
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. Matthew 17:5-8
#ChurchLeadership #faith #jesus #JesusChrist #Messiah #salvation #Transfiguration
https://lightforthelastdays.co.uk/articles/christians-issues/a-the-transfiguration-of-jesus/
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"Maître, il est bon que nous soyons ici !
Faisons trois tentes :
une pour toi, une pour Moïse, et une pour Élie. "
#transfiguration #careme2025 #dimanche2 -
St. Teresa of the Andes calls us to be transfigured in Christ through love, penance, and sacrifice. #Transfiguration
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St. Teresa of the Andes calls us to be transfigured in Christ through love, penance, and sacrifice. #Transfiguration
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St. Teresa of the Andes calls us to be transfigured in Christ through love, penance, and sacrifice. #Transfiguration
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St. Teresa of the Andes calls us to be transfigured in Christ through love, penance, and sacrifice. #Transfiguration
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Quote of the day, 16 March: St. Teresa of the Andes
The Carmelite must ascend the Tabor of Carmel and be clothed with the garments of penance that will make her more like Jesus. And, as He, she wants to be transformed, to be transfigured in order to be converted into God.
The Carmelite must ascend Calvary. There she will immolate herself for souls. Love crucifies her; she dies to herself and to the world. She is buried, and her tomb is the Heart of Jesus; and from there she rises, is reborn to a new life and spiritually lives united to the whole world.
Saint Teresa of the Andes
Her Intimate Spiritual Diary, 58
Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2021, God, The Joy of My Life: A Biography of Saint Teresa of the Andes With the Saint’s Spiritual Diary, ICS Publications, Washington DC.
Featured image: The featured image is a detail from a stained glass window depicting the Transfiguration, located in the Church of Saint-Thurien in Plogonnec, Finistère, France. Created in the early 16th century, the window has undergone restorations in 1912 and 1956. Source details retrieved from pop.culture.gouv.fr. Image credit: Musée de Bretagne (Some rights reserved).
💜 Transformation comes through surrender. How is Christ calling you to be transfigured today?
#Calvary #Carmel #HeartOfJesus #immolation #penance #StTeresaOfTheAndes #Tabor #Transfiguration
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Explore the powerful moment of the Transfiguration where God speaks from the cloud about Jesus as His chosen one. Understand the significance of Moses and Elijah’s presence and what this means for our future encounters with God. #Transfiguration #GodsGlory #Moses #Elijah #JesusChrist #FaithJourney #SpiritualEnlightenment #DivineEncounters #ChristianFaith #BibleTeachings
