This blog follows the daily bible readings of the Catholic Church

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Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus

Prayer:

God our Father, in the glory of Christ your Son, strengthen our faith, and show us the splendour of your sons and daughters. As we listen to Jesus’ voice, help us to become heirs to eternal life with Him.

Reading 1, Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

9 While I was watching, thrones were set in place one most venerable took his seat. His robe was white as snow, the hair of his head as pure as wool. His throne was a blaze of flames, its wheels were a burning fire.

10 A stream of fire poured out, issuing from his presence. A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was in session and the books lay open.

13 I was gazing into the visions of the night, when I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, as it were a son of man. He came to the One most venerable and was led into his presence.

14 On him was conferred rule, honour and kingship, and all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His rule is an everlasting rule which will never pass away, and his kingship will never come to an end.

The visions of Daniel set out a Jewish faith in God’s justice in bad times. The images are not to be taken literally but every detail is nevertheless important. It is difficult to say precisely what qualities of God’s eternal being are meant by the white robe and the hair like pure wool, but we are moved by the intuition of the writer. The vision of the son of man requires careful interpretation, as Jesus used the phrase to designate his own ministry. Later in this chapter of Daniel the figure is identified with the “holy people of the most high” that is, with an idealised Israel. The individual figure is a personification of a whole people, to whom God will give the right to rule the earth. When Jesus applies the image to his own self and ministry he changes it 1) by transferring a figure from the courts of heaven to the streets of Palestine 2) by making a figure of power into one of weakness (The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head); but he keeps an expectation that one day the power of the Son of Man will be revealed (When the Son of Man comes in his glory), and doubtless the corporate identity is still assumed-it’s not just Jesus, but Jesus and all those who are a part of him.

It’s vital to recognise that this phrase is a element in POLITICAL theology, and that Jesus’ reinterpretation of it remains political. It is to Jesus and his suffering people on this earth that God gives the right to rule and judge.

Gospel, Luke 9:28b-36

28 Now about eight days after this had been said, he took with him Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray.

the light of the transfiuration spills on to the epileptic boy at the foot of the picture

29 And it happened that, as he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became sparkling white.

30 And suddenly there were two men talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah

31 appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem.

32 Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they woke up and saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

33 As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what he was saying.

34 As he was saying this, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid.

35 And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’

36 And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

How did they know it was Moses and Elijah? Were their names on their shirts, like Rooney’s?

This is not an event that happened. It is a piece of theology by which the gospel story-tellers communicate their faith in Jesus. Yes, he was a human being, yes, he had no power to escape his earthly fate, but in him was seen, as John puts, “the glory as of the only-begotten of God, full of grace and truth.” We are not to imagine that the disciples saw this on a mountain top, they saw it in the dusty days of teaching and healing, and on the hill of the skull, in all of which God was saying to them, and to the gospel reader, “This is my Son.”