Father Gavril Galev: Transfiguration of the Lord
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(Matthew: 17, 1-13)
On this day, the Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor before the eyes of the apostles, which in essence, is their transfiguration.
Specifically, this is the event described in the Holy Gospel when the Lord, before going to his glorious suffering (passion) on the Cross, climbed on the high mountain and prayed all night by himself. He had also taken Peter, James and John with Him. And then before them He was transfigured. His face, and even His clothes shone, and were brighter than the day and the sun. Then God opened the spiritual eyes of the minds of Peter, James, and John, and transfigured them so that they might see to a certain extent the glory of God. Unable to fully face this Divine glory of Christ, they fell to the ground in fear. The Holy Prophets Moses and Elijah appeared at this event as well, talking with Jesus about the events that were to take place.
The Transfiguration of the Lord is an event through which Jesus Christ by showing Himself with all His Divine glory, wants to strengthen His disciples, as well as to strengthen all mankind to this day, that He is the true God Who was begotten (born) by the Father before all ages and in time was born by the Virgin Mary, received the human body and became Man, the perfect God and the perfect Man. His human body like a screen, like a curtain hid his Deity, therefore we humans could talk and associate with Him as with a human being. However, His Deity was hidden behind His human body, and when the transfiguration took place, in fact no change (transfiguration) took place in Him, but at that moment only to the apostles was given the opportunity (by their transfiguration ) to see that Deity.
With (through) the transfiguration the Lord showed us that the events that were to follow: the suffering, the Cross, the descent into hell and the resurrection are real and true and that they are God’s providence for our salvation. The Lord chose these three apostles so they can be witnesses of His divinity and to testify about Him, and through their testimony we may believe that Christ is the true God and our Saviour.
You must be wondering why James, John, and Peter? Because of their zeal and preparedness, and for another reason, because Judas was with the apostles then, and he was not worthy to participate in that event. The Lord would not leave him alone, so he would not become suspicious, and later he would not have any excuse to justify himself for his betrayal. Therefore Jesus leaves the other apostles with him. He also chooses only James, John and Peter as the prototypes of the three virtues – faith, hope and love. Peter represents faith, James hope, and John love, that is repentance, humility, love.
Furthermore it is said that the Holy Prophets Moses and Elijah were with Him at that moment of Christ’s transfiguration in order to confirm both His divinity and the events which were to come, and that which was happening then was foretold by the prophets many centuries ago. Moses is the representative of the law, Elijah of the prophets, Moses is the representative of the dead, and Elijah who was taken alive to heaven is the representative of heaven. Hence, all creation testifies for this event and for the Deity of Christ and for His resurrection which was to come.
With this event, the Lord revealed to us the secret of the Church as a community (congregation). Its eternal character and boundlessness. Everything in life, or more precisely, in the Church is Christ-centred, Christ is the head of the Church, and around Christ all (alive and dead) are congregated together.
And as the Lord climbed to Mount Tabor, so we must ascend into an exalted spiritual, virtuous life, that is, to watch over our heart by acquiring the virtues, and leaving the clutter of the passions of this world. Before all, we need to generate (acquire) these three main virtues – faith, hope and love. In this way we slowly cleanse our hearts of the passions, we cleanse ourselves of sin, of unbelief, doubt, anger, un-love, hatred, and we enlighten ourselves. We liberate our heart, and we enlighten our mind, and we fully transfigure ourselves. This is the only way through which we can make ourselves worthy to participate in this divine event, this is the only way we can partake and receive that grace of God and be participants in God’s nature and become gods by grace. On one occasion in the second century, and later in the third century as well, firstly St. Irinej of Lyon, and later St. Athanasius of Alexandria did say:” God became man, for man to become god (by grace).”
If we are true Disciples of Christ, if we are true Christians, we should live a true Christian life and we should truly listen to Him, and we should love, that is, believe in God. Through the fulfilment of His commandments to bear witness of Him, and in this way we will accomplish His providence for us and our aspiration to become sons of God, gods by grace.
Amen
Fr. Gavril
Abbot of the monastery “St. Clement of Ochrid”,
Kinglake, Melbourne, Australia
19 / 08 / 2020
