Homily | August 6, 2026 | God Shows The Glory Before The Cross | (Episode 221)

Today we celebrate one of the greatest feasts of the church, the feast of the transfiguration of the Lord.

Every year we hear the same gospel.

Jesus climbs a mountain with Peter, James, and John.

His face shines like the sun, his clothes become dazzling white, Moses and Elijah appear beside him.

A cloud overshadows them.

The Father's voice speaks.

This is my beloved son.

Listen to him.

It's a beautiful scene.

But unless we understand why this is happening, we miss the whole point.

The transfiguration was not a miracle for Jesus, it was a miracle for the disciples.

Think about where we are in the gospel.

Just a few days earlier, Jesus had told the disciples something they never wanted to hear.

I must go to Jerusalem, I will suffer, I will be rejected, and I will be killed.

Peter actually rebukes Jesus.

Cannot imagine a suffering Messiah.

Disciples are discouraged, they're confused, and probably wondering whether they have made a mistake by following him.

So what does Jesus do?

Well, he takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain, not to impress them, but to prepare them.

For just a few moments he pulls back the veil.

The glory that had always belonged to him shines through his humanity.

For one brief moment they see not just the carpenter from Nazareth, they see the eternal Son of God.

Because in a short time they will watch that same face be covered with blood.

The same hands shining with glory will soon be nailed to a cross.

The same disciples standing on Mount Tabor will run away on Good Friday.

Jesus gives them this moment because he knows when suffering comes they will need something to remember.

The transfiguration was meant to strengthen them before the passion, and that changes everything.

Because isn't that exactly how God often works in our lives?

He gives us moments to light before seasons of darkness, a retreat that renews our faith, a powerful experience in prayer, a moment at mass that deeply moves us, a conversation that changes our perspective.

Those are moments, those moments aren't the destination in itself.

They are our preparation.

God knows that sooner or later every one of us will have our own Calvary.

And when it does come, he wants us to remember Mount Tabor.

There's another detail that's easy to overlook.

Why Moses and Elijah?

Well, because together they represent the entire Old Testament.

Moses represents the law.

Elijah represents the prophets.

Their presence says something extraordinary.

Everything the law promises, everything the prophets foretold, everything Israel had been waiting for, well, it finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Then comes the Father's voice.

Notice he doesn't say, This is a great teacher, or this is an inspiring prophet.

No, he says, This is my beloved son.

And then with one command, he says, listen to him.

Not admire him, not simply study him, listen to him.

That's still the challenge today.

Our world is filled with voices competing for our attention.

Social media, the news, politics, advertising, endless opinions.

The Father cuts through all the noise with one sentence.

If you want to know the truth, listen to my son.

And finally, I love Peter's reaction.

He says, Lord, it is good that we're here.

Of course it is.

Who wouldn't want to stay on that mountain?

But Jesus doesn't let them.

Because Christianity isn't about living on mountaintops.

It's about bringing what we've seen on the mountain into the valley below.

The valley is where the sufferings are.

The valley is where the sick are.

Valley is where the cross awaits.

The glory of Tabor was never meant to replace Calvary.

It was meant to give meaning to Calvary.

And that's why this feast day matters so much.

Transfiguration reminds us that suffering is never the last chapter.

Beyond every Good Friday, there's Easter Sunday.

Beyond every cross, there's a resurrection.

Beyond every trial awaits glory.

The disciples saw the end of the story before they had to live through the hardest part.

And so do we.

Every time we come to this altar, heaven touches earth.

Every time we receive the Eucharist, the glory hidden on Mount Tabor is hidden once again, this time under the appearance of bread and wine.

The same Jesus who shone with divine glory on the mountain now comes to us in Holy Communion.

His glory is hidden, but his presence is just as real.

So when life becomes difficult, remember Mount Tabor.

Remember that the disciples saw the glory before they carried the cross.

And remember that if we remain faithful to Christ, the glory he revealed that day is also the glory he promises to every single one of us.

Why?

Because the transfiguration was never only about showing us who Jesus is.

It was always about showing us what by his grace we are called to become.

Amen.