In this article Fr. Joseph Edattu VC explains to us the Transfiguration of Jesus. 

Luke 9:28, “²⁸Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.” 

There is some connection here. The Bible says, “eight days, after these sayings”. What were the sayings that Jesus spoke? 

Luke 9:24, “²⁴For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”

So, this is what Jesus said, ‘If anybody wants to follow me, deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me’. It is an invitation to suffering, an invitation to renunciation. So, that is what Jesus spoke to them.

Luke 9:25, “²⁵What does it profit them if they gain the whole world but lose or forfeit themselves?” 

Luke 9:26, “²⁶Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

Luke 9:23, “²³Then he said to them, ‘If anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”

So, this is what Jesus told them. The disciples were so discouraged and disappointed because they had different expectations. 

They all thought Jesus would establish a kingdom. They were all expecting the Kingdom of God. The fifth kingdom – that is the Kingdom of God. 

Why the fifth kingdom? Because in the Book of Daniel, there is a prophecy that the fifth kingdom will be established by God. 

During the time of Daniel, it was Nebuchadnezzar (the Babylonian kingdom). After that, the Persians came, then the Greeks, then the Romans, and so the fifth one – God will come. That was the expectation. 

That is why, the fifth kingdom. There is a prophecy that the fifth kingdom will be God’s kingdom.

So, during the time of the Roman Empire, the Jewish people were expecting that God’s kingdom was going to come. That is why Jesus came and said, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

So, that is the connection. Jesus is the one who established the fifth kingdom. That is why Christendom—the centre of Christendom today—is in Rome, where the fourth kingdom was centred.

The capital of the fourth kingdom, that is, the Roman kingdom, became the capital of the fifth kingdom, the Kingdom of God. 

Therefore, Jesus said, if anybody wants to follow me, you have to sacrifice, you have to deny yourself, and then you have to carry the cross. It was too difficult for them to accept because this was not what they expected. 

They had thought that Jesus will establish a big kingdom and they would be the first prime minister, second prime minister, and they would be ruling over the Roman Empire – the new kingdom. 

But now Jesus is speaking about suffering, pain, rejection, and crucifixion. So, it was very difficult for them to accept it.

Therefore, we can see a gap of eight days. After saying this, Jesus did not say much because the disciples were in confusion. 

After these sayings, there were eight days of no conversation, no teaching, no miracles, nothing. Eight long days; an eight-day gap.

Most probably, it was because the disciples were all disappointed. They did not see any hope in following Jesus. He was mostly speaking about suffering, crucifixion, pain, rejection, renunciation, and denying themselves. 

These were not easy for them to accept, and therefore, they were getting discouraged. Jesus knew they needed a boost. They needed a special blessing, a special supernatural intervention, a supernatural experience.

Therefore, Jesus took, not all of them, but only three of them with him. He made sure some of them had a sample of supernatural experience. If everyone is given a supernatural experience, then everyone is expected to give a higher response.

That is why it is said that the one who believes without seeing is blessed. “Eight days after these sayings, Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.” 

Luke 9:29, “²⁹And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.”

So, he was transformed, transfigured. His appearance changed while he was praying -not before the prayer, not after the prayer, but while he was praying. 

Prayer brings changes in your body. When you are in prayer, it brings changes – not only healing but also spiritual changes in your body. Prayer has the capacity to change your body into something else.

That is why, if your body is weak, pray; the body will be transformed and become powerful. If your body is in darkness, if there is evil inside, continue praying. You will see the light of the Holy Spirit come inside of you. If your body is sick, pray; healing will come.

It is written, ‘while he was praying’ – not after the prayer, but while he was praying. So, continue praying and you will see the transformation taking place in your body. 

The appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. So, because of the prayer, not only was his body transformed, but even the things attached to his body were also transformed.

That is why we see in the New Testament, in the Acts of the Apostles, that even the handkerchiefs used by the apostles had healing power. When sick people touched the cloths of the apostles, they received healing. 

They used to carry handkerchiefs touched by the apostles, touch the sick people with them, and they used to receive healing. Even the clothing they used had the power of their prayer, the effect of their prayer.

Luke 9:30, “³⁰Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.”

They were feeling sleepy, but still they stayed awake, and they saw two people talking to Jesus: Moses and Elijah.

Why Moses and Elijah? Why not Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob? Why Moses and Elijah? Because Moses is the first deliverer who delivered Israel from Egypt. Elijah is the first one – the most powerful prophet who carried out his prophetic mission. 

Both of them also had supernatural deaths. One was taken into heaven alive; the other died, but he was taken into heaven by angels. These two qualities are very important.

Another quality is that Moses is the one who wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch. The first five books are called the Books of Moses.

It is believed that the first five books are written by Moses, and the rest are called the Books of Prophets. Among all the prophets, the most important prophet is Elijah.

So, Moses and Elijah standing there means the whole Old Testament is standing in front of Jesus. And what are they doing? They were talking to him. They were not talking to the apostles; they were talking to Jesus. 

It means, for them, Jesus is more important. Jesus is more important than Moses. Jesus is more important than Elijah. They were talking to Jesus.

Now remember, Moses died and he was resurrected. Elijah was taken to heaven. Moses died, and still, he has access to God; access to Jesus. That means those who have died and gone away from us have access to Jesus. 

They have access to speak to Jesus, and they are concerned about what is happening here on earth. In fact, Moses and Elijah were talking about the crucifixion that was about to take place on Mount Calvary. That is what we read in the Bible.

So, they were talking about Jesus and the suffering and sacrifice that were going to take place. That means the dead – those who are spiritually holy and have gone to heaven, in the presence of God – have access to God. 

They speak to God and are concerned about what is happening here on earth. That is a clear sign that Mother Mary, who is greater than Moses and Elijah, also has access to Jesus, access to God, can speak to God, and is concerned about what is happening here on earth. 

That is why we ask the intercession of Mother Mary. We can ask the intercession of Moses. We can ask the intercession of Elijah.

We can ask the intercession of all these saints because they all have access to Jesus. They all have a connection to Jesus. They are all concerned about what is happening here on earth. They all know and follow it.

Luke 9:31, “³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”

Moses and Elijah were talking about the departure of Jesus, the crucifixion, the Way of the Cross, and all the pain and suffering. We do not know exactly what they were talking about, but they were talking about what was going to happen on earth. 

They knew what was going to happen, and they were concerned and interested in talking about it. They even dared to talk to Jesus about it. That means the dead people are not just sleeping.

They have a role. That is why the Catholic Church asks for the intercession of the saints, because they all have a role to play in the salvific history of the Church and the history of humanity. 

They all have a role to play. They all are praying for us, interceding for us, speaking to Jesus about us and about what is going to happen. They know what is going to happen. 

They are aware of it. They are interceding; they are talking to Jesus on our behalf. That is what we call intercession.

Luke 9:32, “³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep.”

They were really tired, and they were feeling sleepy. But since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory. They were all weak and sleepy, but still they stayed awake. So, there was glory.

Most of the glories are revealed when we are weak and tired. Normally, when we are weak and tired, we go and sleep. But if we stay awake, that is when we have more glory, more power, and more anointing.

That is why Jesus used to pray early in the morning. When he really wanted to sleep, he used to get up and go and pray. We see so many examples in the Bible. Bible says ‘When you really want to sleep, if you stay awake, you will see the glory’. 

When you really want to eat, if you sacrifice the food, then you will see the glory. When you really want to enjoy something and then decide to sacrifice it, you will see the glory.

This is something that we need to remember. When you are really thirsting for something and you sacrifice it for the glory of God, then you will see the glory.

So, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. They saw not only Jesus but also Moses and Elijah. 

There is something very interesting. Luke 9:33, “³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” 

He was not knowing what he said. First of all, Elijah and Moses did not introduce themselves to Peter. But Peter, in his supernatural experience, identified them. 

So, once you are dead and gone, when you go to heaven, and meet your family members and relatives and everyone – even those people who are strangers to you – they do not need to introduce themselves to you. You will know them.

That is the supernatural language. Many people may already be worried about which language they must be speaking in heaven. We do not need to speak any language because there is a ‘Language of the Will’. 

Just one glance is enough; we will be able to understand the whole history. Therefore, there is no special language—English, Hindi, or any other language—spoken in heaven. Just one glance is enough; the whole message is communicated. 

The angels communicate through will, not through words. They only communicate with us with words and language, but among themselves, they do not communicate with any language. So, this is something that we need to understand. 

They just understood who they were: Moses and Elijah. Then Peter said, “It is better for us to be here. Let us be here and enjoy this presence.” 

He was ready to sacrifice his wife and children who were waiting for him. He was thinking of making a tent there and staying there because he was so happy to be there. 

He was ready to give up his family. He was ready to give up his future. He was getting ready to give up his fishing. 

He was ready to give up his friends who were waiting there in the valley of the mountain. He was ready to give up everyone when he had a God-experience, a glimpse of eternity.

And this is exactly what Jesus said eight days before. What did Jesus say? “If anybody wants to follow me, deny yourself, take up your daily cross, and follow me.”

Now, literally, Peter is doing the same. He decided to follow Jesus, and therefore he was ready to deny himself and all his dreams – his family, connections, everything. He was ready to sleep on the rock and keep three tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. 

So, that is exactly what Jesus wanted to give them – a glimpse of eternity, a taste of heaven.

No wonder Peter decided to stay with Jesus. Though there were ups and downs in his life, in the end, he died on the cross upside down. This is something very important for us.

Luke 9 34, “³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.”

Until then, there was so much excitement. But when the glory covered them, fear entered. They were terrified. Some versions say they became like dead, because they saw the glory of God. 

That is why, in the Old Testament, it was believed that if anybody saw God face to face, they would die; because human beings cannot carry the weight of the glory.

They were so frightened to see the glory. That is why, in every Holy Eucharist, Jesus does not come with his glory. He hides his glory inside the bread so that we can approach him without any fear. We can approach him courageously. 

We can take his Body and eat without any fear because he has hidden his glory behind the bread. Suppose God comes with his glory, we will see only dead bodies in the church because everyone will be terrified, and they will not survive the weight of the glory.

Luke 9:35, “³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him”

There is something special. God the Father did not say, “These are my sons.” Everyone is a child of God. So, everyone should be called a child of God. Moses is also a child of God. Elijah is also a child of God. 

Therefore, God the Father should have called them, “These are my children, my chosen ones; listen to them.” 

But we do not see that, because the Father has only one Son, and we are adopted children. There is only one real, biological Son, and that is Jesus Christ.

“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.”

Luke 9:36, “³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and, in those days, told no one any of the things they had seen.”

So, when they opened their eyes after this fearful experience, they saw that Elijah had disappeared, Moses had disappeared, and Jesus remained.

Only Jesus should remain, and only Jesus will remain. We may have many leaders, many deliverers, and many prophets in your life. Many people who led you to the right path. 

Many people who helped you. Many people who delivered you. Many people who advised you. Many people who entered into your personal life and had an impact on our life. Well and good. But they will all disappear.

They all should disappear, and only Jesus should remain. Sometimes we make the mistake of letting those people remain while Jesus disappears. This is not correct. Let everyone disappear; only Jesus should remain.

Transcribed by Greta Furtado