God’s Promise in Jesus’ Glory!

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Dan 7: 9-10, 13-14; 2 Pet 1:16-19; Mt 17: 1-9

The Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to remember God’s promise of eternal glory, which we experience in Jesus’ transfiguration, though shortly. 

The Feast of the Transfiguration prompts our reflection on three important aspects.

1. The Revelation of Jesus’ Glory: The Transfiguration of the Lord reveals the true glory of the Son of God. His face shining like the sun and his clothes becoming dazzling white as light are imageries that explain Jesus’ glory. However, they are not merely some physical changes. Nor is Jesus transformed into someone else. Instead, the fact that Jesus ‘was transfigured’ signifies that the veil covering Jesus’ divine glory has been temporarily removed and the disciples behold the divine glory that had always dwelt within Him. Though the Transfiguration experience occurs ahead of Jesus’ passion and death, God wants us to realize that the latter’s hold will not be permanent, but Jesus’ glory will be. In other words, Jesus is destined for eternal glory, and he becomes the forerunner in regard to our own future glory. 

2. A Promise of Our Future Glory: While the Transfiguration is obviously about the revelation of Jesus’ divine glory, it also points to the future reality of all those who believe in him. In that sense, the Transfiguration experience offers a foretaste of our heavenly glory. Thus, the glory that we witness in Jesus is what awaits us. Further, the Transfiguration of the Lord enables our understanding that though we may not escape the reality of death, God’s final purpose for us is the promise of eternal glory. We believe that through his resurrection, Christ opens the way for every faithful disciple to partake of the same glory. In this way, the Feast of the Transfiguration is an assurance that our Christian journey is ever directed towards heaven. What we do in the name of Christ and for Christ leads to participation in the glory of the Risen Lord. 

3. Listening to the Son of God Leads to Glory: While we have the hope of sharing the glory of the Risen Lord, what makes it possible is our willingness to listen to the Son of God. The heavenly Father’s message is plain and clear: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’ We are called to understand that God’s promise of glory is inseparable from obedience to Christ. A faithful obedience to the Lord becomes the precondition for sharing in the Lord’s glory revealed on Mount Tabor. Here, we must remember that listening to Jesus means being guided by Christ’s will and voice and not by our own selfish desires and whims. Here, Christ becomes our model and exemplar because, as Paul holds, ‘Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered’ (Heb 5: 8). Thus, we are called to obey the voice of the One who was himself obedient to the heavenly Father. It is this obedience that leads us to eternal glory. 

Let us pray that, through our faithful obedience to Jesus, we may discover God’s promise of eternal glory revealed in and through Jesus’ Transfiguration. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar