The Suffering Love!

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Transfiguration of the Lord

Dan 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Pet 1:16-19; Lk 9:28-36

The Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to reflect on the suffering love of the Lord. 

The nature and depiction of the feast is such that there is every possibility of being carried away by the externalities without adequately reflecting on the love for which Jesus chose to suffer. 

We can reflect on the theme of the feast in three steps.

1. The Glory of the Transfigured Lord: The mystery of the Transfiguration reveals that the heavenly glory touched upon the earth through Jesus. The fact that Jesus came as the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets is symbolized by the presence of Moses and Elijah. While the changing face of Jesus and his clothing becoming dazzling white lead to awe and wonder, what culminates the event is the Father’s declaration of Jesus’ divine Sonship. The confirmation from Father also explains the purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world. However, the glory of the Transfiguration does not lie in what we see but in what it points to. The Transfiguration reveals that true glory is not in power, but in a love that will descend the mountain to embrace suffering.

2. The Amazement of the Disciples: While reflecting on the amazement of the disciples, we understand how overwhelming such an experience could have been, especially for those who could neither comprehend nor explain what transpired there on the mount. However, there is more to learn from the amazement of disciples. At first, we must resist the temptation to freeze the moment by building the tents there. Indeed, there is the reality of the heavenly glory. But it can be attained only through our sacrifices and suffering for the love of others. Secondly, we must descend the mount along with Jesus to accompany him to Mount Calvary. In other words, descending Mount Tabor is only to ascend Mount Calvary in love. Finally, celebrating the glory of the Transfiguration means to be sent in mission, transformed by what we have seen. As such, the Transfiguration is deeply transforming. 

3. The Reality of Suffering for Love: In Transfiguration, we glimpse not only the heavenly glory but also the shadow of the cross. In other words, if we cannot locate the cross behind the glory of the transfigured Lord, then our vision is defective. Hence, what we cannot overlook in the dramatic event is that even while Jesus stood in all his radiance, he was conversing with Moses and Elijah about his glorification in Jerusalem. In the Transfiguration, Jesus shows that love is about sacrificing oneself for the good of another. Thus, what we find in the Transfiguration is the intertwining of glory and suffering. When Jesus descends Mount Tabor, we understand that Jesus chooses sacrifice over comfort. This is why he sets his face toward Jerusalem and steadily moves towards it. The Jesus who did not wish to freeze the moment of glory but walked to embrace the suffering shows what real love looks like. 

Let us pray that we may not fall prey to distractions and accompany the Lord, who is the fullness of love. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar