The Healing Journey

August 6, 2024

For centuries, Raphael’s Transfiguration was considered the most famous oil painting in the world, a painting so powerful and majestic the Emperor Napoleon took it from the Vatican and brought it back with him to the Louvre. In the painting, Raphael combined two Gospel stories. The upper section shows Christ in his divine splendor, rising above the terrified apostles. Down the mountain is a chaotic scene as the disciples try to deliver a possessed boy, who can only be set free by the power of the transfigured Christ. The message is that Jesus’ divinity manifests itself in the messiness of human affairs, in our suffering, in our loss, and in our trials.

The feast, which originated in the fifth century, is celebrated on August 6.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Christ’s transfiguration aims at strengthening the apostles’ faith in anticipation of his Passion: the ascent on to the ‘high mountain’ prepares for the ascent to Calvary.”

Jesus took Peter, James and John up what is believed to have been Mount Tabor. Knowing what lay ahead, he wanted to edify them by revealing his glory because they would soon witness his Passion and Death.

According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus “was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.” (Matthew 17:2)

Then, Moses and Elijah “appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31) Peter asks to make three tents for them, but they leave, and a bright cloud immediately appears, and a voice from the cloud says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” (Mark 9:7) Terrified, the disciples fall to the ground.

The transfiguration, which means “a change in appearance,” shows Jesus as the Son of God. We, too, are called to bring the mountaintop experience into the world. As Pope Francis has said: “We all need to go apart, to ascend the mountain in a space of silence, to find ourselves and better perceive the voice of the Lord. This we do in prayer. But we cannot stay there. Encounter with God in prayer inspires us anew to ‘descend the mountain’ and return to the plain where we meet many brothers weighed down by fatigue, sickness, injustice, loss, ignorance and poverty both material and spiritual.”

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