Glimpses of Heaven

“And while [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” — Luke 9:29

In the Bible, God’s appearances often take place on mountaintops, and God’s presence is often depicted by clouds. Our Gospel story this week includes both.

Jesus takes three apostles — Peter, James, and John — up to a high mountain to pray. Prior to this scene, Jesus had begun preparing his disciples for what’s to come: his impending death and resurrection. They didn’t yet understand what Jesus meant, and the predictions were distressing for them. They didn’t want to hear it. As they pray, Jesus’s appearance changes before their eyes, and his clothes become dazzling white. We call this the Transfiguration. It’s one of the most dramatic showings of Jesus’s divinity in Scripture.

Moses and Elijah, two great figures from Israel’s history, appear suddenly beside Jesus. Their presence suggests Jesus’s continuity with the Law and the prophets — the unfolding story of God’s love, from creation to now. Moreover, their presence reveals Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise of liberation to the Hebrew people and the prophesized new covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31–34), one grounded in the intimacy of relationship between God and all people. God’s voice is heard from a cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” The disciples see Jesus as he really is — God incarnate. It’s a glimpse of heaven, however fleeting.

In seeing Jesus in a new way, we see ourselves anew: as beloved children of God.”

The transcendent encounter prepares the disciples for the sufferings Jesus is about to experience on his way to the cross. His radiance strengthens the disciples’ faith and helps carry them through the difficult days ahead, as they discover what kind of Messiah Jesus will be.

But what if the Transfiguration is not a one-time event? What if it’s not only Jesus being transformed — what if it’s us? Transformation happens over and over again in our everyday lives, in the moments we encounter God’s presence both in the ordinariness of our daily prayers and in the extraordinary moments on our own mountaintops. In seeing Jesus in a new way, we see ourselves anew: as beloved children of God. May this glimpse of heaven, especially in the midst of grave injustice, strengthen us to live out our faith in the days ahead. As we see things as they really are, may we walk forward with courage, for we know resurrection is on the way.

Kathy Bozzuti-Jones

Kathy Bozzuti-Jones is associate director, spiritual practices, retreats, and pilgrimage.

Read all of Sunday’s Scriptures

Step Into the Story

Here are some ways to think about how we’re transformed each time we see things as they truly are.

Poetry

In “The Transfiguration,” priest and poet Malcolm Guite writes, “The Love that dances at the heart of things shone out upon us from a human face.” The rest is just as lovely.

Visual Art

See how late-Baroque painter Luca Giordano depicts light in his rendering of this week’s Gospel story.

Dance

Trinity Movement Choir, under the direction of Marilyn Green, choreographed and danced Transfiguration, envisioned as a movement toward peace and wholeness. The choir practices worship through sacred dance, a style of slow, dreamlike choreography that responds to the spiritual and social issues of our day.

Contemplative Spirituality

Catholic writer Loretta Pehanich reimagines the Transfiguration story from the perspective of the disciple John.