August 6, 2025
“Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, ‘This is my beloved Son.
Listen to him.’ ” — Mark 9:7
The following is excerpted from a reflection by Bishop Robert Barron about the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus, which appears in Mark 9:2-10:
“What is the Transfiguration itself? Mark speaks literally of a metamorphosis, of a going beyond the form that he had. If I can use Paul’s language, it is the knowledge of ‘the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ.’ In and through his humble humanity, his divinity shines forth. The proximity of his divinity in no way compromises the integrity of his humanity, but rather makes it shine in greater beauty. … The Jesus who is both divine and human is the Jesus who is evangelically compelling. If he is only divine, then he doesn’t touch us; if he is only human, he can’t save us. His splendor consists in the coming together of the two natures, without mixing, mingling or confusion.
“This same Jesus then accompanies his disciples back down the mountain and walks with them in the ordinary rhythms of their lives. This is the Christ who wants to reign as Lord of our lives in every detail. if we forget about this dimension, then Jesus becomes a distant memory, a figure from the past.”
It’s worth reading that last paragraph again (and again) always remembering that just as Jesus walked with his disciples in “the ordinary rhythms of their lives,” he walks with you. Every day, every moment. Not just when you call on him for help or when you think he wants to get your attention. (Because he wants your constant attention.) As Bishop Barron said, “This is the Christ who wants to reign as Lord of our lives in every detail.” Especially when we’re hurting from the loss of a loved one. So it’s worth imagining yourself on your healing journey with someone walking beside you every step of the way. And that someone just happens to be Jesus.
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