(Transfiguration (A): This homily was given on August 6, 2023 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I., by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Daniel 7:9-14; Psalm 97:1-9; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9.)
[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Transfiguration 2023]
They were supposed to remember. The apostles were supposed to remember what
they saw on Mt. Tabor when Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. That was why Jesus gave them this experience;
it was why he removed the veil of his humanity for a few brief moments, and
allowed Peter, James and John to get a little glimpse of him in his
divinity. He wanted them to remember the
vision they saw that day on the mountain, so that they would be strong on Holy
Thursday and Good Friday, when he would be condemned to death and nailed to a
cross. He wanted them to remember the
glorious vision they saw, so they would not give up hope and despair. He wanted them to remember so that they would
persevere and be faithful.
And yes, they did remember the vision—that’s why we have the
event recorded for us in the gospels: Peter, James and John obviously told the
story in their preaching and in their teaching.
But at “crunch time” they forgot. At crunch time—when the soldiers arrested
Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and his passion began—the apostles all ran
away. The glory and splendor of the
Transfiguration, unfortunately, was the furthest thing from their minds at that
moment.
But, thankfully, their spiritual amnesia was only temporary.
Applying this now to ourselves: we should thank God from the
bottom of our hearts for whatever “transfiguration experiences” he allows us to
have in our lives: experiences in which we’re deeply aware of God’s love and
presence. It’s very important to call to
mind those experiences often, because sooner or later we will have to face our
own Holy Thursdays and Good Fridays. But
if we remember our transfiguration experiences, we will be able to face those
crosses with greater strength and greater perseverance. A lot of our teenagers have transfiguration
experiences when they go to the Steubenville youth conference in the
summer. I tell them never to forget
those special moments, especially when life becomes difficult for them. I tell them that remembering their
transfiguration experience at Steubenville will help them to deal with whatever
trial they’re experiencing, and pass through it.
I’ll give you a few real-life examples of what I mean. This year, on the bus ride home from the
conference, we invited the young people to share some of their reflections on
the weekend in writing—and several did.
Here’s what some of them wrote:
One young man said, “I felt an abundance and a rush of
happiness all weekend. I felt full. I went with my two brothers, something I will
only be able to do once. It was special
to share that with them. It’s so
powerful and life-changing when that many people come together and praise. It was truly beautiful.”
A teenage girl wrote, “This year I experienced the presence
of God in a peaceful way. Every year, I
look forward to being around like-minded people and seeing God touch others’
lives. It’s life-changing to
witness. Seeing their experiences gave
me peace and an overwhelming sense of happiness. Adoration is always powerful and emotional
and this year I truly let go and focused on God. Overall, Steubenville is always an amazing
time and where I feel at home.”
And finally this one, from another teenage girl: “This was
my first year going to Steubenville.
This experience was so life-changing that sharing it with others is hard
to explain. Growing up in a Catholic
family, I’d say my faith wasn’t as strong as it should’ve been. Going into Steubenville I was longing for a
real relationship with Jesus. On
Saturday morning, I went to confession. … I think this was the first meaningful
confession I’d ever had. I really felt
God’s presence and forgiveness through the priest. [But] it wasn’t until Saturday night that I
developed a real relationship with Jesus.
When the speaker Lisa Cotter talked is when my thoughts on Jesus really
shifted. Her talk was just so
relatable. Then the worship music began
and I was in awe. I looked at other
people and saw their eyes closed with arms lifted up and then I began to do the
same. I became incredibly focused on the
words and phrase after phrase as I started to feel God’s love. Then adoration came and I sang my heart out
to Jesus. It was then that I found the
answer I was looking for in order to have a strong relationship with
Jesus. That night was the turning point
for my faith.”
Those are powerful transfiguration experiences—experiences that
those young people will hopefully remember and call to mind in the future—when
trials and crosses and challenges come their way. If they do that, it will make a difference—a
positive difference—in the way they respond to those trials and crosses and challenges.
I’m sure this is something Mother Teresa had to do (and did
do) during her life, especially in her many years of spiritual darkness (which
is something we learned about after her death from the things she had written
to her spiritual director). I’m sure
that in her later years Mother Teresa thought back quite often to the moments
earlier in her life when God had revealed his presence to her in some extraordinary
and powerful ways. And I’m sure that that act of remembering made a huge difference! I’m sure it made her stronger—and helped her
deal effectively with the lack of spiritual consolation that she experienced
during the rest of her life.
My point in all this is that transfiguration experiences are
given for a reason. They’re given to be
remembered; they’re given to help us persevere in faith; they’re given to help
us to deal with the Holy Thursdays and Good Fridays of our lives. But most importantly they’re given to remind
us of heaven, our eternal home, where everyone will have a transfiguration
experience that won’t have to be remembered—because it will never end.
